Seyi Erhiahwe, Chief Investment Officer at Creditville, describes herself as a versatile and dynamic woman with deep ethical, divergent, and sociological values which she holds as core to life.
Seyi is a graduate of the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in English. She then went on to pursue a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Lagos. Seyi’s professional career began at Zenith Bank Plc in 2007 after which she joined Rosabon Financial Services as a Senior Marketing Executive and subsequently assumed the role of Head, Deposits Mobilization. As a result of her insatiable quest for breaking new frontiers, Seyi joined the services of Renmoney Microfinance Bank as manager of the Wealth Management department where she rose to become the Head, of wealth management.
Currently, the Chief Investment Officer at Creditville Group, she continues to rise through the ranks to provide value and sustainable impact through her leadership and position in the company. Creditville is a proprietary fintech group with core professional competencies in loans, lease, finance, investment, assets management, banking, and real estate. Through the years, we have developed and continued to deploy the use of digital technologies and innovations to support, enable and provide alternatives to traditional banking, financial, and investment services through our specialized subsidiaries.
Seyi’s competencies in the investment sector cut across Portfolio Management, Sales, Business Strategy and Stakeholder Management. She is happily married to Henry Erhiahwe and we have been blessed with two wonderful children.
What are three words that best describe you? The three perfect words that describe my personality are, Diligence, Analytical and Cheerful. When it comes to work and even every other aspect or situation in life, I like to examine scenarios thoroughly and think about them critically, I never make hasty decisions. I’m also a very cheerful person, I love to smile a lot and I also take pleasure in making people smile too.
How did your journey into the financial sector start? My foray into the corporate world began in the year 2008 at Zenith bank PLC where I honed my professional carrier as a rookie banker. At Zenith bank I learned the rudiment of banking, unlearning, and relearning with some of the best hands in the industry. I subsequently moved on to greater things and the rest today is history.
Do you have mentors? Who are they and how have they impacted your journey? Yes, great mentors to whom I will forever remain grateful; my former supervisors-Ikpemi Ihekhao, CFO-The Concept Group Ltd. Tobi Boshoro, former CEO- Renmoney MFB, and Yetunde Faulkner, CEO Rexcredit.
They made me realize that understanding self and emotional intelligence are 2 critical elements a leader should pay attention to, these two things have impacted my leadership journey greatly.
What changes do you hope to see in the future of Nigeria’s financial institutions with tech at the forefront? I’m looking forward to the digitization of all core banking and financial services in Nigeria, a full technology-inclined financial industry that goes beyond payments and consumer lending. Right now, people still have to go through superfluous traditional banking processes for certain financial services. I’m really hoping for Nigerian financial institutions to integrate tech into facilitating core financial transactions such as financing healthcare, education, insurance, asset acquisition, and other basic consumer needs. In summary, all financial services should be done at the click of a button.
You’re currently the Chief Investment Officer at Creditville, please share some investment advice with our readers. A common myth believed by many is that one cannot be wealthy from a 9-5 job. I believe that with discipline, consistency, and the right financial advice, there is a lot that can be achieved with a 9-5 job.
Again, while you take that big decision on any investment plan, do well to seek professional advice from financial experts. We have a league of experienced financial/investment professionals at Creditville, and we are open to everyone.
If you could go back in time, what is one piece of advice you would offer a younger Seyi? I would tell my younger self to learn to always believe in herself. She can do anything that she sets her mind to.
What are the top 3 impactful things you have done/achieved in the past year as concerns uplifting women? I make it a point of duty to counsel emerging talents in the financial world, there is so much potential, but they just need proper guidance to unlock it.
Also, I provide financial advice to my mentees and other women around me who need it.
Lastly, I invest in women-owned businesses ranging from small to medium-sized businesses.
What is the most important lesson life has taught you so far? One thing life has taught me is that good things don’t come easy; you must put in effort into making it happen.
What is one bad habit you are committed to changing? One bad habit that I’m really committed to changing is procrastination. I want every decision to be right. Perfect. The result is It ends up delaying sometimes.
Time Travel or Teleportation? Teleportation, if I could. Sometimes I just want to leave Lagos stress and teleport to a lovely beach on an island, sipping mimosas.
What would you like to be remembered for? I would like to be remembered as someone who touched lives and impacted my immediate community positively.