Who is Olukayode Odebiyi?
I am a real estate development & finance professional with 20+ years in consulting, banking & real estate industries. I have a knack for taking on difficult development challenges. I am a Christian, the second son of a second son, and married with two children.
Your colleagues think you’re a stand-up guy, how does that make you feel?
This is quite humbling and interesting at the same time as I would probably choose someone else if I was asked to choose. Having said that, it is good to know that in my time here my teammates see me this way.
Describe yourself in three words.
Introspective, Persistent and Compassionate
Working in Property Development must have its fair share of experiences, what would you say has been the highlight of your career?
There is a creative process that requires the meshing of many different professions to bring a building to life. My drive has always been to bring ideas to life. To see a building or facility that existed in someone’s mind become brick and mortar and to see it impact lives and change the built environment is an exhilarating feeling.
Two key developments highlight my career. The first is being a key player in a benchmark 150ha gated community development in Lagos from concept to occupation and being part of the trans-Atlantic transaction that led to the execution of residential development in College Park, Atlanta U.S, the first of its kind for 50 years.
Your colleagues described you as unassuming, why is that?
If I were to hazard a guess, I reckon it’s because I try not to have any airs, what you see is what you get with me. Also, probably because I don’t fluster under pressure easily…
What drives you, the work you do and the man you’ve become?
I want to leave an impact on the built environment and that attracts me to challenging and iconic projects that push the boundaries of human invention. With regards to what drives the man, I am and hope to continue to evolve into, it is to leave a good legacy of honest effort and a strive to be the best version of myself.
How long have you been an HH Person and what would you say have been the highlights of your time at HH Group?
I have been here now for ten months. There have been some serious highs and some rather funny ones. I think for me the high, definitely has to be the Falomo Towers Sod Turning event and all the work that led to that point. A funnier one though was the Chairman’s forum which happened in my early weeks and was great. I recall everyone asking me to loosen up and dance at the party, yet all I could think of was, ”Kayode you better respect yourself you have not even been confirmed and you want to be dancing”. As much as I tried, I just couldn’t break that thought, I had so much performance anxiety that carried so much so that a few weeks after that I walked in to see my CEO to ask how she felt I was doing and what I could do better.
What’s one thing you’d want people to know about you?
I am an ambivert. I have a keen sense of humour, though only within my inner circle.
What do you do in your free time?
I love to read; I have tons of books on a great many topics. I also love football, probably too much my knees would attest. I am a member of a football club where we play weekly and play the odd tournament.
Are there other stand-up men you look up to? Who are they?
My Dad is my number one guy.
What’s your watchword and why?
My “watchword” to life is “it is what it is”, keep moving forward, you don’t fail until you stop trying if you must stop to calibrate, do so but keep moving forward. Never marinate in the lows, learn from it, and don’t get high on the successes, celebrate if you must, take time to breathe, unplug or relax but keep moving forward. Life will deal us differing hands throughout our time here, we cannot afford to be swept by each dealt hand into unending euphoria or despair as the case may be.
What would you like other men to know?
Never lose focus, keep the bird’s eye view always. In the bustle of this maze of life, sometimes we can lose perspective and just keep grinding. Always keep your eye on the bigger picture, especially through the stumbles.
