A chat with Redtech’s Oluwatobi Alao on building people and workplace culture

Africa has incredible talent, but attraction and retention are only the first steps. The real differentiator is how intentionally capacity is developed, how execution and discipline are strengthened, and how people are prepared to scale with the business as it expands continent-wide.

This is the mindset that has shaped Oluwatobi Alao’s nearly decade-long career. Today, her focus is on building leadership depth and scalable people systems that can sustain growth beyond the present.

As a Human Resources Strategist and Operations Manager at Redtech, Oluwatobi has spent over nine years managing people, process, and performance across industries, including fintech, oil and gas, and consulting. 

Redtech is a technology company delivering trusted payment solutions that empower individuals, businesses, and industries across Africa.

Her journey into HR began in 2013 at Grand Cereals Limited in Jos, where she started as an HR Assistant. What seemed like an entry point quickly evolved into a career defined by movement across roles, across sectors, and across increasing levels of responsibility.

Over the years, she has stepped into leadership roles that required her to build from the ground up, supporting C-level executives, driving people operations, and contributing to strategy within matrix organisations.

Each transition demanded more of her, stretching her capacity and sharpening her ability to lead within complex, fast-changing environments.

“Stepping into leadership early exposed me to decision-making beyond people processes, and it taught me to speak the language of growth, revenue, risk, and scale. That mindset has allowed me to partner effectively with executives, align people strategy to business outcomes, and consistently deliver impact across every environment I’ve worked in,” Oluwatobi said.

She added that this mindset matters because bold ideas will not just define the future of Africa’s tech ecosystem, but also the strength, sophistication, and maturity of the leaders and systems driving them.

Beyond her experience is her perspective on understanding that strong organisations are not built on vision alone, but on people who are equipped to execute it.

Her strength has been in identifying gaps to streamline inefficiencies in systems and processes so that the team can focus on meeting the needs of the most valuable assets, leaders and team members.

Oluwatobi Alao

How Oluwatobi’s leadership journey started

Oluwatobi has a bachelor’s degree in Ecology and has mastered it. But her leadership journey has been shaped more by experience than by discipline. It is a story of opportunity meeting preparedness. 

In an interview with Technext, she reflected on stepping into roles she did not always feel ready for, but embraced because the work demanded it and growth required it. 

“From my earliest internship as an Environmental Intern at the Ministry of Environment in 2012, where I chose to stand out through excellence and continuous learning, to leading people operations across fintech businesses today, each defining moment has been shaped by courage, the belief of mentors who saw substance in me before I fully saw it in myself, and my decision to rise, learn through the process, and own every platform I was given,” Oluwatobi said.

Stepping into her current role marked a defining transition point. It was a moment of alignment where executive leadership saw her potential clearly, and she saw in their vision a bold, pan-African ambition she wanted to help build. 

“I saw in their vision the kind of bold, pan-African ambition I wanted to help build. That alignment has shaped my daily drive to position Redtech for scale. From strengthening people systems ready for expansion and capital raise conversations to leading the work that earned us Great Place to Work certification for 2025–2026, affirming the culture, trust, and leadership maturity we are intentionally building,” Oluwatobi added. 

Beyond people strategy, Oluwatobi credits much of her effectiveness to strong business acumen, which is the ability to understand how the business truly works and contribute beyond a functional role.

This has allowed her to operate not just as an HR leader, but as a strategic partner, aligning people decisions with business outcomes and long-term growth.

Major challenges Oluwatobi faced in leadership

One of the most challenging seasons of her journey came when she was navigating a career transition at the same time as becoming a new mother, while confronting subtle biases about what that meant for her capability. 

“Re-entering the workforce required me to prove that motherhood was not a limitation but an expansion of my capacity. It strengthened my resilience, sharpened my focus, and deepened my ability to lead with empathy and strength. It taught me that circumstances do not define me; I define who I am, and I get to choose how every season shapes my growth,” Oluwatobi said.

In between all of these, Oluwatobi stays relevant by refusing to let her role define the limits of her learning. So she intentionally studies and learns about the business, not just HR. 

“In a fast-changing fintech landscape, HR knowledge alone is insufficient; true relevance comes from deep commercial awareness. I intentionally study the mechanics of our business – from unit economics and regulatory shifts to product cycles and capital raise dynamics,” Oluwatobi said.

By learning the language of revenue and scale, I ensure that my people strategies aren’t just administrative, but are strategic levers that drive the company’s bottom line. I don’t just stay updated on labour laws; I stay obsessed with how our business wins in the market.

Final thoughts

“Taking on leadership roles earlier than I felt ready for has had the biggest impact on my career trajectory. That decision fundamentally shifted my trajectory. It proved to me that my value isn’t based on a linear, perfect schedule, but on the strategic impact and resilience I bring to the table,” Oluwatobi said.

Her advice to any young woman in tech navigating something similar is this:

Embracing that discomfort was the catalyst that moved me from being a functional specialist to a strategic business leader at Redtech. In hindsight, those moves and decisions didn’t just change the narrative for me; they revealed the leader I was capable of becoming.  So build depth before chasing titles. Master your craft, understand the business beyond your role, and don’t wait to feel “ready” before stepping into bigger opportunities. 

Read also: 7 women in tech who are inspiring the next generation for growth