For those who don’t know her, Bozoma Saint John is Uber’s Chief Branding Officer and before that, she was a Marketing Executive at Apple Music. She’s Ghanaian and the absolute definition of confidence.

She is definitely doing for all female leaders, creatives, and entrepreneurs. In my mind, we are practically, friends who drink wine. Am I crushing on her? Guilty!

So as I was saying before I started drooling, the two things that hit me deepest were her perspectives on Fear and Choices.

As someone who recognizes the physical limitations of fear, it resonated with me deeply when Bozoma talked about learning to accept that fear is an inevitable part of living and still choosing to take the plunge anyway.

“And sometimes with my eyes closed”, She said. She made it clear that underlying every choice, was fear. However, it was more rewarding to make a move when we ask the questions that matter.
“Will it be good for me and my daughter [family]?
‘Will I love it?”
Will it make me happy?”

As simple as this sound, people very rarely take risks based on happiness and adventure. We are constantly plagued by family dependency, stress, debts, and most importantly change. It’s very easy to be stuck in an unsatisfying place when it becomes our sole source of livelihood. The older I get, I see that this is no way to live. It’s a sure bet, you will live a highly unsatisfied life.

I remember back in 2012, I chose to quit my job to live and work in a country I knew next to nothing about. Leaving behind what’s familiar was daunting. Change can be so disruptive. But I can say now that it was truly one of most enriching experiences of my life.

On choices, Bozoma challenged the audience not to settle or live with regret because of our decisions. Every decision, good or bad, ultimately teaches us something, which, in turn, makes us better for the future. Things don’t always turn out the way we planned, but the great thing about the outcome of every story largely depends on our mindsets. We control how those lessons shape our future, going forward.

Now if you follow the “Boz” on any social media platform, you will know she is constantly living her best life yet has been quite open with the death of her husband and her journey recovering from loss. She recognized that she had to choose happiness for herself and her daughter. She shared how important it was to be action-oriented when it came to be available physically and emotionally for her family during that difficult time.

“It created a sense of urgency and we needed to do everything we wanted before he [Her Husband] was gone”.

It makes you wonder how fortunate we are to have SOME time to be our best and live life to the fullest. Imagine having to act and live against TIME.

Listening to Bozoma, was simply another inspiring reason to not wait, choose to take a plunge on that business idea you are thinking about, that healthy lifestyle you keep dreaming about and that project you’ve been yearning to share. Fears and choices will always be a struggle through life’s phases. Bigger opportunities will bring bigger fears. At the core, the winner is the one who feels the pressure behind her ears and still dives in, “with both eyes closed.”
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By: Kwakyewaa Owusu-Nyantakyi

A writer and podcast host of weekly series The Grey Poscast.
You can find more of her work at www.sometimeskywrites.com

The post Bozoma’s thoughts on Fear and Choices appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The event had the Chief Brand Officer at Uber, Bozoma Saint John as the guest speaker.

Dignitaries including Austrian-German-Ghanaian actor, Boris Kodjoe, Board Chairman of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, CEO of Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Kenneth Ashigbey, Esther Armah, British-born playwright, radio host and political commentator, and a host of others graced the event which was held at the Labadi Beach hotel.

The guest speaker, Bozoma Saint John, used the opportunity to talk about her life story and how she was able to climb to such a revered position at Uber, a global company that uses technology to connect people to taxi services at an affordable rate.

She opined that the future will certainly be brighter for businesses such as Uber that can connect people together using technology to make it easier for them to do their work.

“Uber is a future company. It is where technology is impacting not just what we do every day, but how we do it. For me, as I look at the world of Silicon Valley and corporate America and the larger world in general from a corporate and business standpoint, there are lots of ways in which communities are being shaped. I felt very strongly that Uber has a very large part of how that’s going to work and I want to be a part of that,” she said.

She also interacted with patrons of the event answering their questions.

About ALIWA

ALIWA was launched in 2006 as a joint venture of the Aspen Institute, LEAP Africa (Nigeria), Databank Foundation (Ghana), and Tecno Serve.

ALIWA captures the energy, talent and the resolve of an emerging generation of leaders in Africa by employing time-tested method of text-based dialogue modeled after the Aspen Institute’s renowned Henry Crown Fellowship program.

About Uber

Uber Technologies Inc. is a global taxi technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, operating in over 630 cities worldwide.

In Ghana, Uber is present in the national capital Accra, and the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi. Hundreds of drivers have jumped onto the platform to make a living either on full-time or part-time basis.

Founded in 2009, Uber  develops, markets and operates the Uber car transportation. In some cities, Uber also engages in food delivery mobile apps.

In recent times, there had been arguments about whether Uber was a transport company or a technology service provider.

Within Europe, that argument has been settled, after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Uber is a transport company.

Uber said the verdict would make little difference to the way it operated in Europe, but experts say the case could have implications for the gig economy.

About Bozoma Saint John

Bozoma Saint John is the Chief Brand Officer at Uber, where she is tasked with telling stories of over million of riders and drivers partners across 600+ cities.

Over the course of her career, Bozoma “Boz” Saint John has earned a formidable reputation as a trailblazing marketing and advertising executive.

Most recently, Boz was the Head of Global Consumer Marketing for Apple Music and iTunes.

Before Apple,Boz was the Head of the Music and Entertaintment Marketing Group at Pepsi-Cola North America.

She also served as VP of Ashley Stewart, a women’s fashion brand as well as managed accounts at advertising agencies Arnold Worldwide and Spike Lee’s SpikeDDB.

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Photos by Godwin Akweiteh Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @AlloteyGodwin

The post ALIWA leadership series hosts Uber’s Bozoma Saint John [Photos] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the Ghanaian-American Global Marketing icon, Uber has defined that purpose by using technology and service delivery to move people from one point to another with ease at an affordable rate.

“Uber is a future company. It is where technology is impacting not just what we do every day, but how we do it. For me, as I look at the world of Silicon Valley and corporate America and the larger world in general from a corporate and business standpoint, there are lots of ways in which communities are being shaped. I felt very strongly that Uber has a very large part of how that’s going to work and I want to be a part of that,” she said.

Saint John was speaking at the African Leadership Initiative West Africa, ALIWA Leadership Speaker Series, held on Thursday at the Labadi Beach Hotel in Accra.

ALIWA was launched in 2006 as a joint venture of the Aspen Institute, LEAP Africa (Nigeria), Databank Foundation (Ghana), and Tecno Serve.

ALIWA captures the energy, talent and the resolve of an emerging generation of leaders in Africa by employing time-tested method of text-based dialogue modeled after the Aspen Institute’s  renowned Henry Crown Fellowship program.

Dignitaries including Austrian-German-Ghanaian actor, Boris Kodjoe, Board Chairman of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Kwaku Sakyi-Addo, CEO of Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications, Kenneth Ashigbey, Esther Armah, British-born playwright, radio host and political commentator, and a host of others graced the event

About Uber

Uber Technologies Inc. is a global taxi technology company headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, operating in over 630 cities worldwide.

In Ghana, Uber is present in the national capital Accra, and the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi. Hundreds of drivers have jumped onto the platform to make a living either on full-time or part-time basis.

Founded in 2009, Uber  develops, markets and operates the Uber car transportation. In some cities, Uber also engages in food delivery mobile apps.

In recent times, there had been arguments about whether Uber was a transport company or a technology service provider.

Within Europe, that argument has been settled, after the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that Uber is a transport company.

The ride-hailing firm argued it was an information society service – helping people to make contact with each other electronically – and not a cab firm.

The case arose after Uber was told to obey local taxi rules in Barcelona.

Uber said the verdict would make little difference to the way it operated in Europe, but experts say the case could have implications for the gig economy.

An Uber spokesperson said: “This ruling will not change things in most EU countries where we already operate under transportation law.

“However, millions of Europeans are still prevented from using apps like ours. As our new CEO has said, it is appropriate to regulate services such as Uber and so we will continue the dialogue with cities across Europe. This is the approach we’ll take to ensure everyone can get a reliable ride at the tap of a button.”

In its ruling, the ECJ said that a service whose purpose was “to connect, by means of a smartphone application and for remuneration, non-professional drivers using their own vehicle with persons who wish to make urban journeys” must be classified as “a service in the field of transport” in EU law.

It added: “As EU law currently stands, it is for the member states to regulate the conditions under which such services are to be provided in conformity with the general rules of the treaty on the functioning of the EU.”

About Bozoma Saint John

Bozoma Saint John is the Chief Brand Officer at Uber, where she is tasked with telling stories of over million of riders and drivers partners across 600+ cities.

Over the course of her career, Bozoma “Boz” Saint John has earned a formidable reputation as a trailblazing marketing and advertising executive.

Most recently, Boz was the Head of Global Consumer Marketing for Apple Music and iTunes.

Before Apple,Boz was the Head of the Music and Entertaintment Marketing Group at Pepsi-Cola North America.

She also served as VP of Ashley Stewart, a women’s fashion brand as well as managed accounts at advertising agencies Arnold Worldwide and Spike Lee’s SpikeDDB.

By: Lawrence Segbefia & Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana

Photos: Godwin A. Allotey

The post Uber is a ‘future company’ – Bozoma Saint John appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

“Boz has a long track record of successfully creating emotional connections between people and the products they love,” Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said in a statement to Fortune. “Her creativity and deep understanding of consumers will allow us to build the same love and appreciation for Uber’s brand as we’ve built for Uber’s service.”

Saint John was also the former head of music and entertainment marketing at ­PepsiCo, where she struck a massive $50 million sponsorship deal with ­Beyoncé. She joined Apple in 2014 when the tech giant acquired Beats, for which she led marketing.

Saint John is joining during intense scrutiny of Uber after an ex-Uber engineer published a blog post four months ago in which she said she had repeatedly complained about sexual harassment at the ride-hailing company. Then a video surfaced showing Kalanick berating an Uber driver, which prompted him to publicly apologize and openly acknowledge that he needs “leadership help.” Finally, Uber has faced a mass exodus of some key executives— the CFO, COO, CMO, general counsel, and head of engineering roles still need to be filled.

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But it looks like Uber is starting to turn the tide. Just yesterday, the tech giant announced that it has hired academic Frances Frei as a senior vice president of leadership and strategy to help Kalanick steer the company. Uber is also expected to release the findings from a workplace investigation led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder sometime this month. Holder and his team have been conducting months of employee interviews, further looking the allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination at the company.

If Saint John, who spent much of her childhood in Ghana, takes on an executive role at Uber, it will also reflect well on the company’s efforts toward diversity. Women in leadership account for 22% of Uber’s employee base, and Uber reports that no Black or Hispanic employees hold leadership positions on the technical side. “This clearly has to change—a diversity of backgrounds and experience is important at every level,” the company said in a March report.

Saint John was recognized as one of Fortune’s 40 Under 40 last year for her efforts in promoting Apple Music. She also spoke about confidence at Fortune’sMost Powerful Women: Next Gen summit in November 2016. “I couldn’t be blond, I couldn’t be white,” she said about trying to fit in at school as a teenager in Colorado. “At 13, I learned what it meant to walk into a room and not care what everybody thinks of you.”

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Source: Fortune

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