How I Successfully Managed Different Leadership Roles in Over 18 Countries, – GM, Shell Nigeria, Belinda Ikazoboh

“I am an engineer to the core. My experience and career has taken me through different stages of my career that include production, operation, business and strategy. I have managed eight roles in over eighteen countries of the world and I have been successful”

Except you were told, there is no way anyone could match Belinda Ikazoboh’s career choice of being an engineer to her body stature. She’s attractively thin and has a well-shaped body that one would wonder what she’s doing in men kind of profession.

Belinda is the General Manager in charge of Business Transformation at Shell Nigeria, a role that positioned her to be accountable for driving transformational change at all levels of the organization through improving execution muscle, change management and operational excellence to close the gap to potential and realize more value for the business.

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Belinda who was one of the guest speakers at the recently held program tagged ‘She Can’ in Lagos said that the key part of her role is to drive cultural and behavioral change, sustainable end to end processes to achieve business outcomes.

In her words, she said she’s proud to work in a company that is powering progress and delivering more and cleaner energy, adding that the company has given her the opportunity to grow, as part of her purpose in life is to positively affect the lives of the people in her environment.

Belinda is a graduate of Brunel University, London where she studied Mechanical Engineering and also had her Master’s Degree program in Engineering Asset Management, Oil and Gas.

“I am an engineer to the core. My experience and career has taken me through different stages of my career that include production, operation, business and strategy. I have managed eight roles in over eighteen countries of the world and I have been successful”, she said.

On the popular misconception that engineering is hard and that women should be in more ‘traditional’ roles, Belinda pointed that it is important to change that narrative and the only way it can be done is by changing what people put out there.

“Women want to see representation so; we need more examples of women excelling in engineering. Programmes, social media, even movies that show more women excelling in these roles often help as well.

It is also important to show the flexibility that engineering brings. For instance, I studied Mechanical Engineering, because I didn’t know what kind of job I wanted to take on afterwards. But I knew it would give me a lot of options into other areas like investment banking, core engineering, accounting etc. Engineering is such a great course that helps one develop a wide range of skills applicable in many other sectors so gives choice”, she explained.

Belinda said she never gave more to her career until when she gave birth to her son nineteen years ago and decided to make some serious decisions to take her career to the top positions in life.

“My work before had only been a normal way of coming to work, go home and earn salary. After I finished my maternity, two things became clear to me that I said to myself that if I’m going to work I’m going to make a difference with anyone I interact with and in the roles I’m going to play in my work and that was when I found my purpose to make a different,

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She said it was her boss that first called her attention to the positive changes around her. “My first appraisal after the maternity leave, my boss called me and said that something has change. My job has not changed but my mindset has changed”, she pointed.

She urged people to find their Why, pointing that it is their work must be a reflection of their purpose and worship, adding that when they find that purpose to make a different, it will propel them to do more.