In Conversation With
Jane Egerton-Idehen
Overview
Jane Egerton-Idehen has recently been appointed as the Head of Sales, Middle East and Africa for Facebook, based at the headquarters in Dublin. Her story is both remarkable and inspirational.
Born and raised in the slums of Lagos, Nigeria, Jane is one of four children. Her parents sacrificed in innumerable ways to make sure their children received a good education, and in school Jane was exposed to stories from girls who came from more wealthy families, awakening her to other possibilities. Never one to follow the ‘norms’ Jane went on to study Electronics Engineering at the University of Nigeria, one of only a couple of women in her year.
Jane’s book. “Be Fearless – Give Yourself Permission To Be You”, based on her life and career experiences, was released in March 2020. On the first day of release, it appeared on seven Amazon best seller lists, and took top ranking in several career and leadership categories, including the Business Ethics and Knowledge Capital categories.
Jane has an MBA from Warwick Business School and has attended programmes at both Harvard and Yale. Recently she was celebrated as one of Nigeria’s “50 Leading Ladies in Corporate Nigeria” by Leading Ladies Africa and earlier this year, she was featured as one of their “Change Makers” by the University of Warwick. She is the founder of the global platform womenNcareers, and co-founder of IEEE Women in Engineering in Nigeria, an international professional organization for promoting women engineers and scientists, and inspiring girls to embark on a career in engineering.
With her typical high energy and humour, Jane’s story, reflections and advice will make your day!
About Jane
Jane Egerton-Idehen was born and raised in the slums of Ajegunle, in Lagos, Nigeria, one of four children. Her parents wanted a better life for their children and were willing to borrow and sacrifice in innumerable ways for them, and education was a priority. When she was accepted at a federal girls’ college, her father borrowed the money to get her in. Here stories from girls who came from more wealthy families exposed her to new career possibilities, and inspired aspirations for a better life.
She went on to study Electronics Engineering at the University of Nigeria (having heard this was a difficult course) and has subsequently obtained her MBA from Warwick Business School in the UK and attended executive education programmes at Harvard and Yale.
Jane is the founder of womenNcareers, a platform that supports women globally in growing their careers. She is also a co-founder of IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) in Nigeria, an international professional organization for promoting women engineers and scientists, and inspiring girls to embark on a career in engineering. Recently she was celebrated as one of Nigeria’s “50 Leading Ladies in Corporate Nigeria” by Leading Ladies Africa and earlier this year she was featured as one of the “Change Makers” by the University of Warwick.
On the first day of release in March last year, her book “Be Fearless – Give Yourself Permission To Be You” appeared on seven Amazon best seller lists, and took top ranking in several career and leadership categories including the Business Ethics and Knowledge Capital categories.
She is currently Head of Sales Middle East & Africa at Facebook.