Doyin Abiola-Tobun (Keswick, 1999-01) is the CEO of the technology company, ARK, which supports business clients in storing, managing and distributing their inventory in Nigeria.

She has a background in real estate and banking which spanned over 15 years before she took the leap to become a dedicated and successful entrepreneur.

1. What is your favourite memory of Roedean?

I remember walking back to my room after my last A-Level exam. I had a great feeling of accomplishment. It felt great to know I had done my best and was still alive to tell the tale!

2. What was the best piece of advice you were given whilst at School?

I remember being quite concerned about public speaking and was encouraged by my Government teacher to face that fear. It led to winning a prize in a debating competition and today I have to speak publicly quite often. I’m thankful I got over that fear!

3. When you were at Roedean, what did you want to be when you ‘grew-up’?

I wanted to be an economist. It didn’t really matter what that meant in terms of a day job, but I simply wanted to be an economist.

4. What are you now you’ve grown up?

I’m an entrepreneur, which involves using a lot of what I learnt from economics.

5. What does your job involve?

My company supports business clients in storing, managing and distributing their inventory in Nigeria. My job involves interacting with investors, clients, prospects and partners while managing a growing team of professionals who make it possible for us to deliver value in the marketplace.

6. What have you done that you are most proud of?

Building a life that is true to my individual calling. When I look back, I have chartered a course that might seem contrary to the norm, but I am proud of being bold enough to make choices that were right for me at each phase. At this phase of life, I’m most proud of my journey as an entrepreneur with a stable family life.

7. What are the three objects you would take with you to a desert island?

i. A Bible

ii. A phone for journaling and playing music (hopefully I can connect to Apple Music)

iii. A picture of my family

8. What books have had a significant influence on you and why?

i. A Journey by Tony Blair – I loved Government and was studying it for A-Levels while Blair was Prime Minister. It was fascinating to read Blair’s personal account on how he moved the Labour party to the right on the political spectrum under the “New Labour” mantra.

ii. Source Code by Bill Gates – I read this recently and was intrigued by the many events in Bill Gates’ life that led to the establishment of Microsoft. “Source Code” is essentially a reflection of how each person has innate talents and is unique.

iii. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – As a Nigerian, I remember we did not learn a lot about our recent history in school for political reasons. Chimamanda did a great job of depicting the Nigerian Civil War through fiction.

iv. The Bible – It serves as my manual for life.

9. What is on your bucket list?

I love travelling and experiencing different cultures. I would like to explore Asia extensively and to visit Israel.

10. If you had one year and unlimited funds, what would you do?

If I have had one year to spend unlimited funds, I would ask God how He would like me to deploy the funds and to know if I could save any for life after the unlimited funds expire!