When Omotayo Omodia was named Canon Central & North Africa’s People Leader of the Year in 2024, it affirmed what many across Africa’s corporate landscape already knew: a quiet force of leadership was steadily reshaping the game. As Regional Sales Manager operating from Canon’s Dubai office — but fully embedded across Nigeria and Ghana — Omotayo hasn’t left the continent behind. She’s scaling its influence, anchoring her leadership in values forged in Lagos, and building cross-market bridges with the same warmth, rigour, and clarity that made her a standout at home.
Her leadership is present, hands-on, and immediate. She continues to lead Canon’s operations in Nigeria and Ghana — two of the brand’s most commercially dynamic and strategically vital African markets. Whether meeting with top-tier retailers in Lagos or aligning with Ghanaian creatives to drive Canon’s imaging innovations, Omotayo is not managing from a distance — she is leading from within.
Purpose Over Position
Omotayo leads with clarity of purpose, always centring people in the process. “Leadership is not about being in charge. It’s about taking care of those in your charge,” she’s been known to say, a philosophy that has shaped every stage of her journey. Whether onboarding new team members in Accra or leading regional sessions in Dubai, she brings a consistency of character that transcends geography.
Her People Leader of the Year recognition was not simply for hitting sales targets, but for cultivating a culture where people flourish. At Canon Central & North Africa, she championed mentorship, soft skills development, and wellness not as corporate afterthoughts, but as strategic levers for performance. Today, she continues scaling those same human-centred systems across the region.
Systems That Breathe
Omotayo doesn’t believe in leadership by control. She creates systems that empower, equipping her team to take ownership, make decisions, and drive results. Her work rhythm is purposeful: Monday morning check-ins to reconnect teams with strategy, structured feedback loops that fuel growth, and an open-door policy that keeps the pulse of her people close.
In an industry often driven by short-term metrics, she’s building long-term capability, embedding leadership, not just performance, into Canon’s commercial structure.
The Business of Innovation
Canon’s product ecosystem is vast, from professional-grade cameras redefining African visual storytelling to multifunction printers transforming how businesses operate, to imaging technologies used in education, healthcare, and security. It is a portfolio that touches virtually every sector, and under Omotayo’s leadership, it is becoming increasingly contextualized to meet local needs.
Her approach to sales is not transactional. It’s transformational. Whether enabling a startup studio to scale its production quality or advising an enterprise client on document management, she bridges the gap between product capability and customer reality.
A Feminine Model of Leadership
Omotayo’s leadership model is proof that feminine energy, when fused with commercial precision, is a strategic advantage. She blends emotional intelligence with business acumen, and balances structure with humanity. She doesn’t just meet KPIs; she develops people who exceed them.
She’s also committed to advancing gender equity within and beyond Canon. From her work with the Women Who Empower initiative to being a member of platforms like WIMBIZ (Women in Management, Business and Public Service), she’s creating visibility, access, and opportunity for more African women to lead confidently at the highest levels.
The Way She Works
Omotayo’s calendar is full. Her inbox is likely overflowing. But her compass is clear: build people, and the business will follow. Her days begin with intention and end with alignment. Her teams are not just employees — they are co-creators of a vision rooted in excellence, purpose, and accountability
So how does she stay on top of it all?
Here are five productivity anchors Omotayo Omodia swears by:
- 1. Clarity Meetings on Mondays
Every week begins with team alignment, not just task reviews, but a reset on purpose, performance priorities, and internal wins. - 2. Digital Discipline
With operations across multiple countries and time zones, Omotayo relies on a combination of structured calendars, real-time dashboards, and colour-coded project boards to eliminate chaos before it starts. - 3. Intentional Time Blocks
From focused strategy sprints to walking one-on-one meetings, her schedule isn’t reactive. It’s designed to give both her team and her room to think, create, and deliver with precision. - 4. Stay Close to Market Pulse
Whether she’s visiting a key retail partner or sitting in on a creative shoot, Omotayo never lets leadership pull her too far from ground-level insight. Staying close to market shifts keeps her decisions informed and agile. - 5. End-of-Week Reviews
On Fridays, she reflects. What worked? What didn’t? What needs escalation? This ritual of review keeps her from operating on autopilot, and reinforces her commitment to continuous improvement.
A Company That Feels Like Home
Omotayo doesn’t just see Canon as a workplace. She sees it as a family, one with enormous room for growth, inclusion, and innovation. Her ambition is to keep pushing that vision forward: opening doors for more women, more local talent, and more human-centred leadership within one of the world’s most iconic imaging brands.
She actively encourages women across the continent to step into leadership, especially in sectors where they are still underrepresented. “There’s space,” she says. “Not just to work — but to lead, to shape, and to leave something behind.”
How She Works is a new editorial series by Techsoma Africa, spotlighting women in leadership — especially in the most unexpected industries, geographies, and roles. It is a celebration of rigour, vision, and the subtle power moves shaping Africa’s future from boardrooms, innovation hubs, and frontline teams across the continent and beyond.
Up next? Watch this space.
