RELATIONSHIP: With My Husband By My Side, My Career Growth Had A Smooth Sail – Says Taxation Expert, Titilayo Fowokan.

Dr. Titilayo Fowokan.

Dr. Titilayo Fowokan’s story in both marriage, family life and career, is one every woman must read, especially for those pursuing careers at different levels, and as she clocked 50, it would be fine to say that where she is now was orchestrated by the choice she made in choosing a life partner who supported and still supports her career and made her a woman admired and emulated by all as she kept soaring in a male dominated field of Taxation.

 

With the kind of upbringing she had, growing up with a mother like hers in an environment where the girl-child is revered and with some sense of belonging, especially in a family of six girls and a boy, Mrs. Fowokan couldn’t, but make the best she had offered.

It is usually said that for every successful man, there is a woman, but in the case of Dr. Titilayo Fowokan, the reverse becomes the case, as there is always a very good man behind every successful woman who has made as much impact in her career as she has made. So, in finding a husband, all she needed was a man who would allow her freedom to pursue, overtake and conquer in her workplace and this she got from her husband of many years, who has been nothing but a good man who has not only given her peace, but has made her life peaceful, which is why today, she has risen to an enviable position in an industry exclusively reserved for men alone.

Today, she can confidently look back in excitement, over all she has been able to accomplish in the shortest of time and in marking her 50^th, she appreciates God for giving her a good man as husband, to whom she owe the successes of her life as a career woman.

As a trained educationist, Titilayo Fowokan stumbled on Taxation by chance, as her job hunt after graduation took her to a tax firm that had an opening for an auditor. This was how her career in taxation and tax related matters started.

Titilayo Fowokan.

She says: After graduation, I started looking for job opportunities everywhere. I saw job offers at Price Waters Coopers, one of the best accounting firms, the big one, now known as PWC. I was a lecturer then, I had the opportunity of going back to teach as a lecturer, but I made a decision to have a career change, so, I got the job as an audit assistant in a firm in 1994.

I have had a very successful career, Mrs. Fowokan continued, as along the line, l was introduced to task. Back in the days, I dedicated 25% of my time to audit, while 75% went to taxation and I was the first to be promoted as an auditor in the company before l even became a tax manager and had the opportunity of recruiting and training other workers. When I took in fresh graduates, I made sure they were taken in the areas of tax and corporate advisory unit, and was instrumental in developing their careers and I made sure they were all made permanent staff, this l did with 3 generation of workers before I left the firm 2005.

When I left Price Waters Coopers, I joined Oral Technology, the Lagos lottery, as head of regulatory and reporting, from there, I again joined Akintola Williams Deloitte firm in 2006 to continue my career in tax. I was the head of global employer services which is concentrated on expatriate tax management. They added tax advisory to my role. I did this for four and half years and decided to go have a feel of the real sector and in 2009; I left as senior tax manager to join Oando Plc as a group tax manager. Again, I was there for six and half years before l joined Dangote Group of Companies my current place of work as Group Head, Strategic and Compliance for both Nigeria.

In coping with the demands of the job, I keep training, learning and I'm also a member of several professional bodies. I am the First Vice Chairman and Second Vice Chairman of the Advisory Council of the Association of Forensic Accounting Researchers (AFAR ) including other related professional bodies. 

I am also a Council member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), the 1st Vice Chairperson of the Society of Women in Taxation (SWIT - Lagos Chapter), the 2nd Vice President of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (Lagos Chapter), a Board member of the International Institute of Certified Forensic Investigation Professionals (Nigeria Chapter), and Vice President (Membership) of the Professional Women Network (PWN), Lagos.

I also have my Masters in International Business Law (LLM) from University of Cumbria, Carlisle, United Kingdom and Ph.D. in Accounting with specialization in Taxation from Charisma University, Turks and Caicos, British.

Dr. Fowokan’s story shows the tenacity of a woman who was determined to make a difference in both her career and family, and succeeded in proving wrong, the impression that women are not supposed to eat their cakes and at the same time, have them. She is a role model of what being a career woman should be.

We at “Precious Eze’s Blog” celebrate with her at 50 and wish her more accomplishments as she moves to the next phase of her life.