The grit behind Alex Okosi's rise at Google Africa

He played a key role in landing YouTube's $100 million (Sh12 billion) multi-year Black Voices Fund in EMEA that spotlights and grows black creators and music artistes on the platform.

Before joining YouTube, Mr Okosi was the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of ViacomCBS (now Paramount) Networks Africa and BET International (Europe, Asia, and Africa).

Born in Nigeria and educated in the US, Mr Okosi graduated magna cum laude with a dual major in Business Administration and Economics from St Michael’s College in Vermont. Now at the helm of Google Africa, he is still smouldering with ambition.

If I asked your children what their father does for a living, what would they say?

They’d say, Daddy works at Google. They know YouTube is part of Google, they’d say I work at Google to make all the search answers appear. I have a 17-year-old and a six-year-old who think I come up with all the answers to the searches that people go to Google for. They also think I am working with all the YouTube creators…

The youngest (a son) has incredible handwriting. And he draws. My daughter is always creating videos. We had friends over to the house, and this morning I got a video; she and another friend had created a little dance.

She is always talking to the camera, but we don’t post online. My eldest son had a YouTube channel at some point, but where did it go? [chuckles]

You’ve traversed the world with your family. How is that like?

It’s incredible because they enjoy travelling. The most exciting part for them is getting on the plane, watching TV and eating on the plane. My eight-year-old researches the good airlines, so we have to manage that, haha! We have been fortunate to travel all over which exposes them to other places and cultures. It gets them excited. They like going home, but they love the holidays.

And that holiday has to have a pool. They can swim.  But as for me, I can swim to survive [chuckles]. If I had ample time, that is the one thing I would take: swimming lessons.

Did you also grow up footloose?

I went to five different high schools. I left Nigeria with my parents to visit my elder brothers in the US when I was 12. When I got there, I told my parents I wanted to stay behind, and my mother said, "Over my dead body! "[chuckles].

Education was such an important part of my family background. I was the lastborn of seven. To be honest, I was an Oops! child—my eldest brother is 20 years older than me, so he could have me as a child. The thing is that Nigerian parents at the time sent their children to the US to get their university education so they could come back home and do better for the country.

I had three brothers in the US, so I lived with them at different times. I was fortunate for the opportunity, but I ended up raising myself, and I wouldn’t want my children to go through that; I would never want to not be with them. I enjoy my children.

Having grown up everywhere, do you ever feel “identity-less”?

Because I had a purpose and because I was grounded in being an African, and  specifically Nigerian, I always felt rooted. I can go to the US and feel comfortable because I can understand the culture, ditto Nigeria. I feel grounded in who I am, for I was never in doubt of where I come from. As a family, we moved from South Africa to London and now to Nairobi.

I don’t know if I want to make too many other moves, even though it is part of the journey to build a career. Man, you are asking some deep questions, haha!

What do you say to your wife to get her to move from place to place?

We always talk about "what’s the goal"? And that is, can we give our children an environment where they can thrive? Will they be around people who are welcoming, a community of people? It starts there. We are trying to build a future for them. She works; I work—is this a good career opportunity for us as a family? It can’t just be about me.

And if that’s the case, what does that mean for us as a family? Will she also have an option to do the same? Then we get the decision. What has driven this move is my passion to leverage technology and drive impact on the continent, and this role requires that I am on the continent.

It became then: Where shall we live? We’ve done South Africa and Nigeria, why not Kenya? It’s a growing market, the people are welcoming, and the tech community is strong.

Working for the world’s most valuable brands, are you ever scared of what comes next after this?

I am excited about what I am doing now. I never obsess about what comes next. I think I have worked hard to make an impact in the roles I have held. Of course, there will probably always be an opportunity for me to do something that makes a difference.

I was in the creative media space before I dabbled with technology, which is the intersection between creativity and technology, leading YouTube in emerging markets. I am not a software engineer, but I can be in a room and connect with engineers and build and inspire ideas into the work we do, and that excites me.

Were these the dreams that kept you up growing up?

It's funny because my family was more business-oriented compared to the typical Nigerian family that leans toward a child being a lawyer, doctor, et al.

My father was a civil servant; my mother was a housewife but a businesswoman with side hustles. I dreamt about playing football, but it quickly became, "how can I be successful in business." When I got to the US, there was a moment I dreamt of being a basketball player.

But those are all aspirations. I only knew I wanted to be successful.

Where does your instinct for business and style come from?

From my family. They are hardworking. Everyone had a hustle, and education was non-negotiable. My oldest brother is successful, another one is an entrepreneur in Nebraska, US—we’ve always had that creator’s mindset—how do you create opportunity? How do you make stuff happen? I have that work ethic from my parents, and I am hoping my children will have the same thing.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing my eldest son self-motivated.

Growing up in a highly motivated family, how did you step out of the shadows and be your own man?

Sometimes they still think I am the young child. What’s good about our family is that we complement each other. I have many nephews and nieces, so the thinking is how do we all help and ensure the next generation is fine in their own way? Because I am also closer in age to most of my nephews and nieces, they come to me for advice, which is an incredible responsibility.

They want to know the formula, but there is no formula, no guarantee that because you work incredibly hard at a company  you will rise to the top. But it’s foundational. You can’t cheat hard work. Then you have to be a people person, to care about people. It’s not about being a Mr Nice Guy, but having principles. That’s how you give yourself a shot at success.

I like asking people during interviews, ‘Are you a good person?’ I am sure when they leave, they think 'That guy is nuts'. The point is that  you can have an amazing, talented cast, but if they are not nice or collaborative, you’ll never win. I learned that from sports.

Where does your motivation stem from? Are you intrinsically or extrinsically motivated?

My motivation really comes from being that person that people feel  they can count on, by making a positive difference. When I went to the US and people would ask me, 'did you come from a hut?' I carried that for years.

Well, did you?

Yes, I did. And that was my motivation. I wanted to show the world the Africa they don’t know, a vibrant youth culture, the freshness, dynamic nature, and not what they saw in the news.

I wanted to make sure we use this platform to create a generation of incredible talent. I couldn’t have scripted a better growth part for myself.

Are you an easy person to live with?

I think I am because my family know how to pressure me to do everything for them. They know my weakness. I naturally want things to be better, which can be a little irritating, and I carried that across my work and personal life. I am a lot more chilled now, so my wife is a great balance, and I enjoy being home, but I also have to learn to push in the right ways.

Do you have it figured out?

Not even close.

What questions are you looking for answers to now?

Am I doing enough? Do I understand this enough? Are we making the right decisions? Is the impact we are making as big as it needs to be? What can I do to get better? Am I inspiring people enough? Is my leadership resonating? These are questions you must always ask yourself if you want to be better. I am far from the finished product, and I am comfortable with that.

I think about work a lot—one of the things I need to be better at. Mindfulness, they call it.

This will come across as a gendered question. Most men tend to get their sense of meaning from work and achievement. Where does yours come from?

I am careful about the gender stuff because often it does a disservice to women. I just want to be the best father, husband, and leader that I can be. Those are the goals. If I had to rank them, family comes first.

Nothing I have done surpasses the time I sat and listened to my son getting accepted to school, I don’t think I have had a prouder moment than that excitement; all the years of work and sacrifice paid off.

Being a good father and husband is everything because I work hard at work. I don’t need to be the smartest guy in the room, but I want to be the loudest cheerleader, motivator, and team player for my family.

Where does your blueprint of fatherhood come from?

My father. I didn’t spend a lot of my teenage and adult years with him, but I spent a lot of my formative years as a child with him. He was a pusher, you had to be doing something—homework, sweeping the floor, you just can’t be idle [chuckles].

You heard him coming and you got busy. He worked incredibly hard, he was a civil servant, then a landlord, and he raised seven children and was always with our mom, sitting, talking, and laughing with each other. His sense of duty, taking care of his family, and how he loved his wife—my mom—that was part of the blueprint for sure.

He was a solid pillar of strength, you knew where he stood. Every day he would wake up, and every day he would work. He was that guy.

Is it easier to lose yourself when you are successful as you are?

Humility is everything. I know it is an oxymoron to say you are humble, but being humble is one of the things I am always trying to make sure that I am. I am in my head a lot, so I may not see you, but don’t think I didn’t notice you, just that I didn’t see you, so poke me and get me out of my head. I don’t have it all, I am grounded.

There is no success I have achieved without other people. I lived with my high school coach’s aunt, who has been like my other mom for the last 32 years.

What is the most important question anyone can ask you?

How are you doing? Because more often than not, people are asked about business strategies and whatnot, but really, how’s life? It’s an opportunity to connect and share because one’s life, whether you are a CEO or not, is complex, and community and strength come from people being able to share. That’s the thing people don’t ask, especially from my perspective—an authentic, How are you doing?

Are you a good person?

I believe that I am because I am always well-intentioned. That also comes from my spiritual grounding and Catholic upbringing, I don’t want to upset God.

I believe I am a good person in that regard, I have my faults, yes, but I don’t wake up to do someone in. And for that reason, I give myself a lot of credit.

What are you searching for now?

The freedom to create and make stuff happen. How can we do more? That’s freedom—being able to create.

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