Visa is a global payments technology company working to enable consumers, businesses, banks and governments to use digital currency. “We will remain focused on ensuring that Visa is a diverse and inclusive environment where different perspectives are valued, and all our employees feel comfortable coming to work every day to do their best.” Alfred F. Kelly, Jr., CEO says.
Sitting as Vice President for the West African region at Visa is Oluwakemi Okusanya. Under her leadership, Kemi has recorded key milestones including the launch of Visa on mobile in Ghana and its expansion in Nigeria to more partners and thousands of new merchants across the country.
Since she joined Visa in September 2017, Kemi has facilitated and expanded access to new strategic fintech partnerships including Flutterwave, Konga and Paystack and has been instrumental in the growth and adoption of Visa Direct by driving her team towards adoption of new use cases.
Kemi’s career has been about bringing the benefits of financial services to more people and places in Africa.
She not only has a huge amount of operating experience in emerging markets and payment systems, but she also demonstrates strong relationships with financial institutions, fintech associations, regulators and government agencies in West Africa.
As Head of Anglophone Africa at Moneygram International, she was responsible for the health and welfare of the company’s brand, people, agents and consumers. She was general manager for a 23-country region, 23,000 brick and mortar locations & ATMs, overseeing the management of diverse partner relationships and continuous performance of the team.
As Regional Director, she was responsible for the overall business across Anglo West Africa. Ensuring effective coordination of the multi-functions to achieve set goals. She was also responsible for the design and actualisation of the business strategy and was principal contact for government/ regulatory interactions in the region.
As Regional Manager, she was accountable for the overall development and implementation of the business, operations and marketing strategy of the region. This she achieved through effective partnerships with the local and regional teams.
Her responsibilities also involved spearheading profitable transaction volumes and ensuring market penetration opportunities are maximized.
She saw to the achievement of these tasks amid an efficient management of the region’s P&L and maintaining a healthy line management of the team.
Kemi worked in Mobil for 1 year 11 months and at Zenith bank for 10 years. At Zenith bank, she was head, Customer Service group, where she led, managed and motivated the customer service team to deliver excellent and exceptional customer service and grow the customer base. She also ensured top-notch customer service was delivered at all times at the front desk by constantly reviewing the workflow patterns and proposing new and improved options where necessary.
As Business/Sales Group Lead, she led a business team consisting of sales, operations and support units which was responsible for delivery of growth and revenue targets, efficient branch operations and key customer relationships. She ensured brand dominance, loyalty and customer retention within the immediate marketing environment.
However, presently at Visa, Kemi says “we constantly strive to reduce reliance on cash, and encourage the development of a digital payment ecosystem for both individuals and businesses.”
Kemi is a tested business manager skilled in the area of business strategy, key account management, business leadership/team management and project supervision. She is a natural team player with unique leadership, communication and interpersonal qualities. She holds about 18 years of work experience across various roles.
