Meet The Team – Kemi Sangowawa, Account Manager

Despite joining our team in the middle of the Covid lockdown, one member of Interdirect hasn’t slowed down, in fact, a global pandemic seems to have spurred her on as she keeps dancing, eating delicious food and travelling all over the world.

Kemi Sangowawa has studied music as well as having a degree in architecture and a dream of being an interior designer (her fabulous clothes are a testament to this talent!) On top of that, she also has a master’s degree in design studies with marketing.

Right now, Kemi is one of our top account managers, but she’s had not only a full career history but a fascinating life journey to this point too. Kemi said:

“I have a somewhat mismatched career history, as I’ve worked both in-house and on the agency side. In my last two roles, I worked on everything from branding and creative to tone of voice and individual marketing.”

Kemi has worked in a host of different industries too and boasts African brands, banks, NGOs, and fashion as well as pet brands, food and drink and wineries in her impressive portfolio. She said:

“I don’t specialise in a particular area. I know what I want to do and that’s a lot of different things – that’s what attracted me to Interdirect; the variation.”

During her time with us, Kemi has already worked with some fantastic local businesses including The Parks Trust and Whittlebury Hall, and as brilliant a job as she’s doing, she admitted it was hard working remotely and missed not getting to sit down with a cup of tea with her friends and co-workers.

“One of my favourite things about a job is getting to know the people. Going over to someone’s desk with a biscuit (and a request for some work.)” Kemi said.

“I love actually meeting with people face to face because that’s what gets results and helps me to understand things. I love sitting around a table discussing ideas, and it’s been good to get out and start doing that with the team.”

Now the world is back open again our fabulous foodie is looking to explore even more of the world. Already, she’s been to a host of amazing and fascinating countries, including her personal favourite – Cuba. She said:

“I’m not a fake foodie. I love cooking and actually creating dishes rather than just going to a restaurant and eating it.”

 

“The food in Cuba was amazing. The whole country was the same, the sun, the sea the people”

 

“I’m from West Africa, I’m half Nigerian and half Ivorian, and I went to Mozambique – a part of Africa I’d never been to, and the food there was amazing too.”

In the future, Kemi’s got big plans to see even more of the world, with her dream locations being Japan, Brazil, and Argentina. She said:

“I was supposed to go to Japan in 2020, but Covid ruined that plan, so I’ll definitely get there eventually. The mix of tradition and technology is incredible.”

 

“In Brazil, the migrations of different cultures are fascinating, plus the Latin and African dancing I love is part of their day-to-day.”

Already, we’re painting a picture of someone who’s incredibly interesting, right? Someone you’d love to have a cup of tea (and biscuit!) with in the office, but that’s not all.

When asked what her superpower would be she said she’d want to travel back in time – but with no consequences, of course.

In the here and now, if you want a cuppa with Kemi then make sure you set aside some time because she’s sure got a story to tell.