Say hello to Smith Utubor, Engertiq's VP of Finance and Administration! Smith leads our finance team and also oversees the IT and HR functions. He has been here for over 9 years and has seen a lot of our companies growth. We spoke with him recently to talk about his favorite things he has seen while working here, as well as the industry as a whole.
For sure it’s the people and the culture. I love the laid-back atmosphere and that you are encouraged to be you. Furthermore, we want to be an innovative company and I love that it’s engrained throughout the business as a whole. While we’ve grown significantly, the startup mindset of being creative still very much exists which is great to see. From day one the VP of Operations always entrusted me with producing ideas as she understood I was a problem solver. So, I was able to spread my wings. I was encouraged to take ownership and make improvements where I see fit and I like to pass that on to my team. Granted, there’s a limit as the company continues to grow but ideas continue to be welcome.
Hmm, there’s a lot but the one that comes to mind is that I started a nonprofit years ago called the Utubor Sports Foundation. It was launched in 2012. I’ve always believed in giving back whenever possible. I’m passionate for soccer and believe in the power of education. The foundation was a way to merge both of those things. The Foundation provides school supplies and soccer equipment to a local village in my native country Nigeria. Soccer is intended to be used a motivator to get the kids to stay in school. I’m not as active these days in the foundation as I’d like to be, but I’m hopeful I can re-engage in the future. Whenever I go back to Nigeria, I make it a point to take supplies back and visit the school.