Nseobong Okon-Ekong
He is one of the most sought-after authorities in the Nigerian gaming environment with deep knowledge of how to make the processes work. There is hardly any critical meeting in the gaming industry that he is not invited to share some knowledge. Those who have observed the unparalleled enthusiasm of Oyindamola Michaels, Country Manager of PariMatch Africa, may not know that it is inspired by the good foundation from earning a first class in Computer Science from the Houdegbe North University, Republic of Benin. To underscore the importance of his initial career as an educationist between 2012 and 2014, he records it as a period he engaged himself in “grooming our future leaders.”
This background hints at why he loves to be in front of the room, postulating his opinion.
“I derive pleasure and possess a great interest in ideas, their workability, and the eventual potentials of ideas that can evolve in reshaping human living,” he stated.
You may be forgiven for thinking Michaels has been in the gaming industry for the better part of his life, whereas his first job was in 2016 when he served as online operations, product development and social media manager at BetBonanza. He stayed on that assignment for three years and one month: his longest employment so far.
Since then, he has been on a roll, working as a product manager at Cloudbet and country manager/COO at Paripesa. He even had a seven-month stint at Jarabet.
The assertions on his Linkedin page are true because Michaels has proven that he is capable of “taking on projects and joining teams in effectively building interesting and successful business models and creating opportunities to contribute hands-on within projects, startups and ventures remain my next best interest.”
For instance, when he posits that “I have extensive knowledge and experience in working within the gambling industry, which includes running very large Digital/Online and Retail businesses.”
Who can challenge it?
The new designation, which he assumed in March 2022 as country manager of PariMatch Africa, has offered him the biggest opportunity yet to demonstrate “Proven expertise encompassing Digital, retail, project management, and benchmarking industry best practices. Experienced leader, negotiator, and operational director, heading a team of people and embedding a clear corporate vision whilst empowering individuals at all levels to fulfil their potential in a pressurized target-driven environment.”
