Joining us for this week’s episode is a true trailblazer in the corporate world. Our guest this week is Justina Omokhua, currently the Global Head of Content & Lifestyle Strategy at Apple.
Justina, who is of Nigerian descent, was raised in Toronto. She has held senior positions at major corporations including L’Oreal, Nokia, PepsiCo, Verizon, and Wal-Mart. She’s currently the highest ranking black woman at Apple. In her position, Justina oversees marketing for all of Apple’s content and lifestyle platforms. She told us that her job is to enable meaningful engagement with Apple’s millions of content consumers on their various platforms.
In our interview, Justina talked about her early education, and how she had thought to become a lawyer. When she went to college, she realized that although she enjoyed the debate element, the application of law was just too rigid for her. She switched to Psychology, and then ended up shifting to Sociology with a focus on business.
Justina started her career as a Business Analyst at L’Oreal, then rose to become an Account Manager. It was in this position that she honed her brand management skills and her understanding of consumers and the market. Career progression led her to New York, where she eventually landed in tech with Nokia. Justina had always had an interest in technology, and working for the company that spearheaded the development of mobile phones was the ideal place for her.
Her experience at Nokia really got her to pay attention to the marketplace and study technology trends. That’s why when the first iPhone launched in 2007, she saw what many didn’t — the potential for the iPhone be a force to reckon with. It wasn’t long after that when she got the call from Apple asking her to work with them.
“Rewrite the rules that don’t sing to your soul or speak to your spirit. Create the environment that will foster your personal growth. Transcend the expectations foisted upon your life. Surround yourself with the people that will always encourage you to be your best.” – Justina Omokhua
Justina shares how her consistent expectation for greatness and excellence from herself has driven her to achieve and exceed her goals. She tells us about the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people — people who look out for others, and who recognize their position of privilege. This has led Justina to where she is now as a trailblazer.
Join us and listen to Justina’s amazing journey, and how her ventures have led her to the coolest places and events, including meeting and hanging out with people like Oprah, Mary J. Blige, and President Barack Obama!
