udo okonjo

Udo Okonjo has had extensive experience negotiating and advising on multi-million dollar real estate transactions on behalf of clients, including Multinationals, Listed Corporates, Privately Held companies and High Net-worth Clientele. Under her leadership, the West African office of Fine and Country has won multiple local and international awards over the years. Udo is an alumni of the Said Business School, Oxford Real Estate Programme, the Oxford University High Performance Leadership Programme and the Judge Business School, Cambridge University where she recently completed an executive management certificate focused on Complex Negotiations, Ethics, Strategic Marketing and Branding over the course of two years. She was admitted to the Nigerian Bar Association and New York Bar in 1991 and 1994 respectively and pursued a successful legal career for more than a decade, in addition to having acted as Senior Special Adviser on Legal and Constitutional Matters to the President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and being Partner at a leading local law firm, Templars Barristers & Solicitors. Having emerged best graduating female student at the Nigerian Law School, in 1991, she was awarded the prestigious British Chevening Scholarship to study at the University of London, Kings College School of Law, where she graduated with a Masters degree in Law (LLM) specializing in Corporate and Commercial Law. She also earned a certificate in Effective Real Estate Marketing from the National University of Singapore in conjunction with the Dubai Real Estate Institute amongst several real estate and executive courses at the Lagos Business School, Pan Atlantic University. Udo Maryanne Okonjo, a distinguished Chevening Scholar and member of the Oxford Real Estate Society is currently the Chief Executive Officer/Vice Chairman of Fine and Country West Africa. Her passion includes mentoring next generation champions to excel at all professional and entrepreneurial levels. You are a survivor of breast cancer. How old were you when you discovered you had the disease?

I am indeed a fortunate survivor of the dreaded C word. I was about to turn 36, when I discovered a lump during the summer holidays in Dubai sometime in august. as you can imagine, it was not my best vacation. My first diagnosis was called a stage 0, what was referred to as calcification. In london, they referred to it as a stage 1. however for some weird reason, by october when I was scheduled for and did start my treatment, it was assessed as a stage 3 based on certain parameters. What was your initial reaction when you heard the news?

My first reaction was a combination of numbness, some measure of calm, perhaps borne out of ignorance of the seriousness of the diagnosis, but to an extent, having my husband, right there when I was given the diagnosis and him immediately swinging into action with research, questions and making arrangements, had a great impact of insulating me from what may have been a more serious reaction. In addition, my faith seemed to somehow kick in - I honestly felt insulated in a way through out the process. stage 0, means it appears to be pre-cancerous until they get a proper biopsy. honestly I can’t answer that question accurately, it’s been 11 long exciting years as since those horrible words .... ’I have good and bad news’ which is how the doctor broke the news to me after I went back a few days later for the biopsy result. How long was your treatment, and do you still have to do any more checkups?

My core treatments, which included surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, lasted approximately nine months. subsequently, another course they referred to as the “gold standard” because I apparently had a rare form of breast cancer that responded to this particular treatment. This lasted another six months or so. I like to joke to my friends that I’m a ‘rare breed’, and even my diagnosis and treatment had to be unique. of course, ultimately you have to choose what interpretation you put on things. I could have allowed it scare me, or accept it as something special. I chose the latter. My check ups were initially bi-annually but have now reduced to annually for routine female checks not necessarily for the past cancer. Mentally though, you always still have a “check up” in some way. But it’s been 11 years now, and the memory gets more distant by the day. It has also been said that chances of survival are higher when surrounded with abundant love and care, which makes logical sense but realistically, how true is this?

I honestly believe this makes a lot of sense. I don’t doubt that it is no guarantee of survival, but think about it. Facing your mortality, and not have love and care around you must be the toughest thing ever. In my case, I had it in abundance. My husband, god bless him, was a solid rock, his practical approach to the diagnosis, the treatment, including the surgery left me with not much room for self-pity or self-doubt. I’m not even sure he did it for me. he’s just such a pragmatic person, and even said, ‘listen, this stuff is as common as malaria”. It has a treatment. what’s the big deal? he even showed me an article to that effect and said we should focus on treating it like any other illness, malaria or whatever and all this in a matter of fact way.

whether he was faking it or meant it, I’ll never know. But it worked. My children (at the time between ages 6-11 years and now ages 16-21) were busy with growing up and doing what kids do, loving me, but making mummy demands. having them with me helped distract me from over focusing. My siblings were totally amazing, closing ranks to make sure I didn’t feel alone, contributing financially also, my spiritual mentors, Pastor Tony and Mrs. rapu, were incredible. I was totally surrounded with abundant love. and I honestly believe, it made a difference. While convalescing, you must have had plenty of time to reminisce and promise yourself to pursue certain goals in future. What was your major goal?

one of my major goals was to live fully and on purpose. I promised myself that I would absolutely take life as a project to be executed with utmost intentionality. no more randomness. no taking things for granted, no assuming I had 100 years to live but to treat each day as a massive opportunity, an incredible gift, to leave a trail of me through the lives that I enlighten along the way. I determined to use my gifts, sharing, teaching, showing people what truly matters in life is a life lived purposefully in the service of others. I started an international women’s network to help other women find their sense of purpose and to become contributors to society. The Inspired women’s network is now in its 7th year. we not only inspire and empower women to become more purposeful about life, family and work, but to recognize that only in serving society and the world do we truly live. The aBCD Zumbathon which has held over the years, has focused on raising awareness and supporting people/families who have been affected by autism, Breast Cancer and Depression. In addition, annually we run the global Possibilities summit as a platform to inspire women and men to gain more confidence and competence as leaders, professionals and members of the society. Inspiring confidence, democratizing success through the various platforms I’m involved in, from service at my local assembly This Present house, to the biweekly newsletter I personally write to encourage business people, and the books I’m currently in the process of publishing (three at the same time! laughter). To answer your question, my major goal is to “live By Design”, and to “Die empty” as my long distance mentor Myles Monroe famously said. living fully and confidently (with faith and not fear), and inspiring others to do the same is my life mission. Is this how Fine and Country came about?

Interestingly Fine and Country west africa was birthed through adversity. I spotted the opportunity while going through my recovery period. It’s my idea of never giving up until it’s over. It represents for me, the fact that impossible is nothing. That I would go and negotiate a master license for not just nigeria, but the whole of west africa while I was completely bald from chemotherapy. I, of course, had on a scarf to cover my hair. I recall calling and subsequently meeting the amazon, linda erasmus, Ceo of Fine and Country africa region and asking her if they would consider a nigerian license, even though what I had seen advertised in the saturday Times of the Johannesburg newspaper was licensing for sandton and other local regions. her initial curiosity and amazement at my guts in asking for something not on offer, and for which frankly, they had not considered because of the associated risk, later gave way to the excitement after I made a compelling business case following their extensive due diligence both at the african office and U.K. global office level. once they agreed to offer us the license for nigeria, I asked why not for west africa, and after much discussion, we ended up signing the Master license for the region in 2007, 13 months into my fight with Breast

I believe, when you essentially get a second chance at life, something inside you super sizes the sense of urgency. Your zeal, passion, everything basically is ignited. I don’t want to miss any opportunity to give everything within me.