Blessing Oladeji

Blessing is a senior analytics and commercial professional skilled in defining strategies and optimal operating models for AI and Big data analytics. With over 16 years of experience in commercial and marketing strategy development and execution, his expertise covers areas such as market modeling, data mining, knowledge-based systems, lifecycle management, large customer bases management, customer analytics, data science, customer value management, business intelligence, pricing, and proposition/product marketing offers and data management across the consumer and business segments of emerging markets.

Mainly, he gleans insights from vast and complex sets of information to help clients make data-driven decisions and discover opportunities for value creation while staying focused on incremental revenue, commercial strategy, and customer experience. At Octave, he focuses on helping clients to define ML and AI strategies for Customer Value Management for voice and data convergence, Geo (spatial) marketing, Pricing, and Data-Driven Market Research. Blessing has set up analytics and AI capabilities and teams for clients at different levels of AI maturity; monetize big data and analytics across multiple use cases including revenue assurance, network optimization, and interconnect cost efficiency. He also functions to define and execute commercial and marketing strategies to stimulate top-line growth within strictly regulated telecom and financial markets.

His competencies also include developing data management capabilities to enhance clients’ data ecosystems; delivering future-proof and scalable solutions to enable the successful execution of multiple use cases in order to monetize client data assets both internally and externally with 3rd parties

Exceedingly resourceful, with a proven track record of managing and growing customer base, revenue, and other metrics. Having worked with various operations to generate significant incremental revenue across footprints from targeted cross-sell, up-sell, churn, and customer experience initiatives, He demonstrates a specific and detailed understanding of developing, nurturing, and driving profitable results. He creates plans to capture various customer segments in the markets/sectors using best-in-class modern Machine Learning approaches, tools and technologies, identifying optimal pricing per opportunity for ideal campaign creation.

Blessing holds a Bachelor’s and Masters of Science degree from the premier university in Nigeria and professional certifications from IIBA, Oracle, CISCO and the Data Science Council of America. He regularly conducts training sessions for client operations

RELEVANT CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

• Oversee the execution of AI, Data and Analytics and CVM strategies for various clients through the relevant functional divisions, driving incremental revenue and ARPU growth with reductions in customer churn across all touch points.
• Managed the bonus efficiency drive with an operator with a recovery of $55m annual leakage from conflicting product configurations and ~$6.9m interconnect savings
• Developed clients’ analytical data store (ADS) with a robust business opportunities/business risks (BO/BR) model at the individual customer level, a fundamental platform for one-to-one marketing methodology and approach 
• Leveraged the rich customer data across the enterprise to build a robust churn prediction model that allowed customer clients to predict customers with a high likelihood to churn at a particular time, helping to target those customers with appropriate retention offers.
• Developed and implemented different Machine Learning models – resulting in the revenue growth (share of wallet - SOW) of clients by at least 20% month-on-month and a significant reduction in operating interconnect costs
• Developed and implemented a High-Value Detection Model (HVDM) – detect high-value customers within their first two weeks on the network to enable tailored treatment – this has resulted in 25% revenue growth of the targeted customers
• Executed Clients’ Data Clean–Up project – Cost Savings: saved 5m active customers and over $80m in value recovery
• Developed and implemented an unsupervised Deep Packet Inspection (DPI) model – a source for proposition/offer development and data revenue growth for network convergence and consumer segments
• Provided insights and models for the most successful launch of bundle offer in the market positioned for high-value customers with a go-to-market strategy strictly BTL, which accounted for ~11% and 23% of the overall customer base and revenue respectively within the first 6 months of launch.
• Developed and implemented a Value Extraction Model (VEM) in a telecom customer base which resulted in ~$150m - ~$200m incremental usage revenue from the existing base month–on–month for the past 12 months.
• Project managed the Next Best Action (NBA) project for financial service providers that leveraged the inbound channels by offering targeted offers to inbound customers. Generated incremental revenue of ~$25 million monthly
• Reduced churn rate from 8% to ~3.5% by leveraging on robust analytical tools and campaign management across the enterprise. This reduction in churn translated to the growth of the customer base from 11 million to ~23 million in 4 years.
• Developed and managed clients’ loyalty programmes for high-value segment customers with the view of increasing the revenue and elongating the lifetime of this segment.
• Develop a robust customer base strategy responsible for the YoY growth of customers and usage revenue by a minimum of 30% in the Nigerian market

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 

Jan 2017 – Present      Director, Analytics and Customer Data Sciences,                          Octave Analytics Limited | West-Africa

Responsibilities

• Manage and develop team managers and lead multiple teams to deliver best in class data analysis practices to enhance business management, executing key initiatives, and processes across products and lines of business
• Plan, coordinate, and execute primary and secondary market research projects or results-oriented intelligence that support each of the different lines of business within a major Wells Fargo business division
• Engage and influence most experienced leaders in a client company to communicate and provide strategic consultation
• Provide support for designing, testing, evaluating, implementing, measuring, monitoring, and data analysis practices and strategies across acquisitions, account management, and collections
• Determine appropriate strategy and actions of Analytics team to develop business or finance policies, approval or denial strategies, business line assignment methods, collections, and recovery strategies
• Head multiple AI, Data & Analytics functions across different entities and responsible for organizations’ data strategy and data governance 
• Prospect new CVM and Analytics opportunities within the West African and Emerging Markets
• Develop and implement an effective analytics strategy across different organizations, demonstrating the power of analytics to drive effective problem-solving and strategic decision-making.
• Provide analytics planning leadership for Octave clients through market analysis, forecasting, and identifying new growth opportunities in clients’ data.
• Help organisations to change the culture to embrace data as a strategic asset
• Lead various teams to evaluate the profitability and viability of new product lines, markets, and partnerships through advanced data analysis.
• Collaborate with clients’ cross-functional teams to develop and implement strategies to increase revenue and share of wallet through data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence concepts.
• Develop and maintain dashboards and reports to monitor key performance indicators and track progress against goals.
• Communicate insights and recommendations to leadership and other stakeholders to inform strategic decision-making.
• Lead commercial annual budgets, business plans, and quarterly performance reviews.
• Provide technical leadership/advice in the formulation and development of AI, Analytics, Business Intelligence framework, policies, and guidelines.
• Support organizations in defining and implementing holistic data policies, improved data processes, analytics roadmap and robust data governance framework.
• Drive an increase in shareholders’ returns by ensuring that marketing processes are aligned with achieving all elements on the business scorecard.
• Provide strategic direction to the team in areas such as methodology, market sizing, price elasticity, customer usage, product management, and customer insights, and provide oversight on the monthly forecast.
• Provide function-related support for external stakeholders and regulatory requirements.
• Ensure the client’s data integrity and enterprise information by conforming to accurate business rules, and data governance policies and determining the impact of any amendment 
• Develop advanced analytics strategies and initiatives to meet targets in alignment with the commercial strategy and in response to events or changes impacting departmental activities.
• Ensure continuous research on various analytics-related topics of value to the business, including customers, products, pricing, networks, devices, marketing products, markets, competitors, etc. and offer value-adding insights and analysis.
• Ensure that clients’ Finance functions are provided with a monthly actual and forecast to indicate the achievability of the projected revenue to margin and other non-financial indices
• Innovate and provide support initiatives that will ensure cost savings and reduction of Interconnect cost in order to drive EBITDA growth for the organization savings.

Aug 2014 – Jan 2017      Head, Analytics and Customer Insight, Marketing Segments & Strategy Division        Etisalat | Nigeria

Responsibilities

• Developed and executed the commercial customer value management strategy that resulted in consistent revenue and subscriber growth within a very competitive market for consumer and enterprise segments. 
• Developed and implemented analytics strategy resulting in improved data efficiency, reduced time-to-insights and accelerated revenue growth and profitability. 
• Worked with all members of the commercial team to develop, apply and oversee the customer value strategy, including the process for realistic and accurate scenario planning, forecasting, seasonal initiatives and business analysis. 
• Responsible for implementing the CRM strategy in the circle in order to achieve the target ARPU and churn control, and high-value market share, resulting in the realisation of the financial objective of incremental budgeted revenue.
• Managed the CVM team and sets team and set individual goals that aligned with department and function goals. 
• Worked collaboratively across the enterprise with multiple business units to define strategies, develop implementation plans and deliver customer-specific offers across various channels, with a focus on customer retention and loyalty.
• Proactively identified segment business opportunities through analytical interpretation of data/information and developed a robust campaigns strategy with the aim of leveraging on the identified opportunities.
• Leveraged analytical marketing tools to create effective churn reduction campaigns and identify quick wins and programmes that were responsible for the enhancement of customer usage and lifetime value.
• Achieved targeted business customer and product churn numbers by making continuous improvements to retention, pipeline and win-back. 
• Developed and executed a continuous improvement programme to make reactive retention, including turnaround, pipeline and win-back, better performing and more effectively measured by churn, efficiency and subsequent decay. 
• Managed multi-channel direct marketing programmes and user data to ensure that the right offers were developed for the right customer at the right across time on all consumer touch points.
• Responsible for cross-functional customer analytics, with a focus on mining and exploiting the rich transactional data at the individual level to solve business problems and exploit value-driving opportunities.
• Drove fact-based customer analytics insights and behaviours across the business and ensured that each project delivered measured value.
• Developed predictive and propensity models and used these for segmentation and target base identification.
• Successfully led the team that identified and delivered all analyses for leavers, joiners, customers at risk and those in the early stages of their relationship with the business to give an informed direction to campaign development through robust business opportunities and business risks model (BO/BR). 
• Responsible for the key events in customer lifecycle management reflecting high investment points from the business and being core to the achievement of key business targets, such as net additions, churn and ARPU. 

Aug 2012 – Aug 2014   Senior, System Integration Analyst                                                                                   MTN Plc | Nigeria

Responsibilities

• Reconstructed accounting and business records and provide the detailed analysis necessary to uncover essential facts and insights for Business plans & Forecasts. 
• Provided support to ensure implementation of systems integration objectives relating to MTN Nigeria’s financial and Business planning applications
• Utilized a range of analytics skills to advise the business on managing its Treasury performance and executing investments & deals relative to regulatory compliance. 
• Developed complex code and queries using PL/SQL to mine large data sets to discover transaction patterns, anomalies, and target information;
• Determined data format specification required for data exchange across all applications
• Participates in events that relate to strategic data requirements and definitions; to minimize the effect of security breach and ensures alignment of systems to business processes and procedures.
• Provided effective ways of proper integration of Hyperion and ERP application to other financial systems including Oracle-E-Business Suite and Hyperion Applications;
• Participated in the development and review of user requirements and/or functional specifications and PPPs that relate to systems implementation and appropriate use.
• Developed and executed a robust retention management strategy to achieve the management roadmaps as regards subscriber churn, subscriber growth and non-financial revenue-impacting KPIs
• Leveraged the outbound campaign management solution (OCMS), inbound campaign management solution (ICMS), analytical tools and data warehouse for the development of robust and tactical subscriber engagement across all touchpoints, with the aim of increasing base revenue and usage and of reducing churn.
• Performed day-to-day evaluation of the impact of various promotions and campaigns on the business plan, provided decision support and established and managed formal processes for propositions approval.
• Developed financial models that depicted the financial viability of the product, rates to be applied and revenue shares while incorporating business rules within the financial models to enable the effective evaluation of the product.
• Automated the promotions and campaigns of the marketing and strategy unit by developing over 60 retention and loyalty campaigns below the line (BTL) on the promotion engine.

May 2010 – Aug 2012    Projects Manager/Application and Software Engineer                       Huawei Technologies | Nigeria

Responsibilities

• Planned, designed, troubleshoot and resolved problems in order to stabilise and optimise the network to meet customer requirements for both software and hardware;
• Configured and integrated different nodes and solutions in new and live customer networks.
• Identified and troubleshoot faults by applying standard resolving processes in the shortest possible time
• Business Analysis & Project management by technically and commercially responsible for the project implementation and maintaining customer relations
• Developed innovative services with the use of modern technologies in the areas of Data Analytics and Big Data
• Advising clients in the strategic and technical conception of compliance, risk and business processes
• Key projects include but are not limited to MTN Nigeria Voice Mail System Deployment, MTN Nigeria WiMAX Network and deployment, support and maintenance of Huawei Authentication and Charging Systems for GSM and LTE Mobile operators

Apr 2009 – May 2010          Assistant Manager, Infrastructure & Database                                              Veritas Insurance | Nigeria

Responsibilities

• Established and maintained  data interpretation processes involved in predicting claims and visualization for risk assessment as well as customer acquisition
• Maintained a solid knowledge base of the functional capabilities of the Customer Insights processes. 
• Worked with datasets from multiple sources and used statistics, data mining and machine learning techniques to develop algorithms that analysed customer usage patterns and made actionable recommendations.
• Carried out robust competitive analysis and performed analytical and detailed oriented pricing tasks.
• Migration, Integration & Reconciliation of Cut-over balances from 3 legacy insurance companies.
• Data Quality Assessment and automation of backlog data migration and Underwriting Data Cleansing.
• Ensured alignment of systems to business processes and procedures.
• Ensured the smooth working of the HO Data centre and all associated maintenance activities.
• Participated in the development and review of user requirements and/or functional specifications and PPPs that relate to systems implementation and appropriate use

Oct 2006 – Nov 2009          Database Analyst                                                                                          Basix Latins Solution | UK

Responsibilities

• Led Unity Bank Nigeria Post-Merger Data Cleansing Project
• Managed Unity Bank’s data cleansing and Data Quality Assessment.
• Developed models and tools for data integrity enhancement and security of transactional data. 
• Implemented the migration and creation of data marts from legacy banks comprising of 9 banks, 246 branches and 13 different applications.
• Isolated inconsistent, incorrect and incomplete data in a post-merger database consisting of 1,117 tables, 23,789 fields and over 230 million records
• Isolated sources of revenue leakage and suggested recommendations on data/application referential integrity.
• Automated the Reconciliation of Cut-over balances in the post-merger database.
• Developed and implemented a model for isolation of Violations of Basic Banking Rules and other operational integrity issues. 

In View                                               Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)                                                          University of Ibadan, Nigeria                          

December 2016                                  Certified Business Analysis Practitioner (CBAP)                               IIBA, Canada

October 2012                                     Master of Science (MSc) Computer Science                                 University of Ibadan, Nigeria

October 2008                                      Oracle Certified Professional (OCP)                                                   Oracle, USA

June 2008                                           Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)                                        Cisco Inc.

April 2006                                           Bachelor of Science (BSc) Computer Science 1st Class              University of Ibadan, Nigeria