Tag: student club



Olin Africa Business Club (OABC) was the brainchild of Ony Mgbeahurike. As a first-year MBA student, Ony saw there were few students at Olin from the African continent, and there was a dearth of information on Africa and the rich opportunities it has to offer. Africa had been buried in the conversation, an afterthought–and he wanted to change that.

He wanted Africa to become the narrative; to be part of the conversation.

“While applying to Olin, I realized there were many student clubs, but none related to business in Africa,” Mgbeahurike recalls. “I realized there was an opportunity to create an organization that could promote Africa and be a partner in achieving Olin’s mission and vision as a truly global school.”

Mgbeahurike recruited fellow students from Africa to conceptualize and launch OABC. Matilda Thomas, Sharon Mazimba, Chioma Ukeje, Eric Ontieri and Ubaka Ogbunude, are all founding members and officers of the club.

Among OABC’s ambitious goals is the mission to increase awareness of business opportunities, culture, politics, and the economic potential of Africa. Here a just a few facts that may surprise non-Africans:

  • Africa’s consumer spending to be $2.3T by 2025 (McKinsey report)
  • The United Nations predicts that one-fifth of the world’s population will be living in Africa by 2050, with over 40% being youth.
  • Uber, McKinsey, GE, P&G, Nestle, Danone, Unilever are among many companies currently investing in Africa.

While the overall theme is to raise awareness on campus, we believe that OABC can add value to the rich tapestry that is Washington University in St. Louis. We aim to help with recruiting by supporting the admissions office and serving as a resource to prospective students from Africa. We want to infuse Africa into the curriculum, encouraging professors to include the economics and business landscape into the classroom conversation.

We plan to encourage graduates to explore career opportunities in Africa. Collaborating with and leveraging the WCC platform and alumni network, we plan to extend the employment network for Olin graduates outside the territorial United States. Also, we are positioning to be a resource to Olin’s experiential learning opportunities on the African continent (e.g. CEL Practicum in Madagascar and Global Management Studies).

To learn more about OABC, please visit our CampusGroups page or visit our room at the One World Event on November 3, 2017 in Simon Hall, 6:30 p.m.

 

 

 


OABC Officers

Ony Mgbeahurike, President
Ony was born and raised in Owerri, Nigeria. He moved to the U.S at age 12 where he completed his undergraduate degree in Manufacturing Operations at University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Having worked at General Mills for over 3 years in various roles, Ony’s passion and ambition is to increase global food supply, especially in Africa. He plans to use his MBA as a springboard to realize his ambition.

Chioma Ukeje, VP Finance
Chioma was born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria where she completed her undergraduate degree in Accounting with Honors from Covenant University, Ota. She has worked in various functions since then, her last stint being in Guaranty Trust Bank, PLC Nigeria. Chioma is passionate about finance and strategy, especially in the technology space, and is using her MBA as a platform to realize this career path; she is also passionate about youth development in Nigeria.

Matilda Thomas (VP Programs)
Matilda is an architectural designer with experience working in both the United States and Nigeria. Originally from Nigeria, she earned her BA degree with honors in architecture from Baylor University in Texas in 2014. Matilda is a career switcher interested in working in strategy and consulting. She takes special interest in issues affecting the developing world, especially Africa, and hopes that through a career in consulting, she would be equipped to tackle some of the most pressing issues affecting the continent.

Sharon Mazimba (VP Programs)
Sharon is a first-year MBA hailing from Lusaka, Zambia. She has traveled and lived in various places, which has exposed her to the different views and perceptions people have about the continent. She is therefore extremely excited to be part of a club that is bringing Africa and all the amazing opportunities the continent has to offer to the Olin and broader WashU community.

Ubaka Ogbunude (VP Social)
Ubaka was raised in Eastern Nigeria in a middle-class family. He has a bachelor’s degree from University of Calabar and Post Graduate Diploma from National Open University of Nigeria. Ubaka has about 9 years of career experience from Zenith Bank Plc- a leading retail bank in Sub Saharan Africa. Ubaka’s interest rests on emerging and developing financial markets.

Eric Ontieri (VP Communications)
Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Eric pursued a BSc. in Actuarial Science at St. John’s University before doing a stint on Wall Street. He then moved to Kenya to start an ISP targeting the lower half of the pyramid. He came to realize he was insufficiently skilled to scale the business and enrolled at Olin. He has an interest in technology, finance, and social entrepreneurship.