Society Watch
How time flies!
Lanre Olaniyan, Managing Director, Omnicom Solutions Limited, started on a very eventful note upon his appointment 14 years ago. The news of his appointment didn’t come as a surprise to any. It was well deserved and applauded by all stakeholders.
He distinguished himself in various capacities. As a result, stakeholders were confident that he would keep up the momentum that the leading telecommunication firm is known for.
But to the surprise of many, Olaniyan left the company recently, a development that has left tongues wagging.
However, contrary to the rumour in some quarters, it was confirmed that Olaniyan did not quit the company, but only decided to “step aside” to focus on other interests.
Confident that he has given his best to Omnicom, he believes the stage is set for a new hand to run the company and take it to greater heights, while he remains on the Board and gives advisory support.
It was further revealed that his decision to step aside had been reached a while ago due to several reasons, but was only made official in March 2022.
The decision, he was quoted to have said, is “the latest good news from his over a 15-year career in the Nigerian telecom sector,” while expressing gratitude to God for the successes the company achieved under his leadership.
Speaking further, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alumnus also provided a brief insight into Omnicom history, saying, “Omnicom is my brainchild; I came up with the idea in 2007, and I invited some of my friends to join me, and since then, I’d been the managing partner responsible for the day-to-day operation of the business. I like to see this new development as part of our growth as individuals and as a business.”
Olaniyan led Omnicom Solutions from its start-up years into a multibillion-naira company with several projects in Nigeria and across the West African subregion, as revealed during its 10th anniversary in 2018.
He has poured his ideologies about how a company should be into Omnicom, and they have given the firm amazing results.
Omnicom grew from a Four Million Naira company to a multibillion Naira company, and he believes the company can only go higher and get bigger.
On his next move after Omnicom, Olaniyan said: “I am involved in many projects and other ventures, and some of those ventures need attention. They need nurturing, just as I did for Omnicom. So those are what I will be dedicating my time to, moving on.”
Olaniyan is passionately working on a tech solution that will help the Nigerian economy retain the foreign exchange that many of its over 48 million SMEs spend on retail software developed in other countries.
With a background in Electrical Engineering, Olaniyan is also an alumnus of The University of Texas at Austin, where he got a postgraduate degree in Data Science and Business Analytics.
