Sharon Ogunleye, a 37-year-old former Chief Producer of Thomson Reuters in Nigeria, who currently works as a Television Producer at Turkish Radio and Television Corporation in Istanbul, tells KAYODE OYERO about her rise to the international scene and experience with male bosses
Tell us about yourself.
My name is Sharon Ogunleye. I am a native of Delta State, though I am married to a Yoruba man. I was born in Lagos and attended primary and secondary schools in Lagos but my university education was in Delta State. I studied Mass Communication and majored in television and film production. I love storytelling and that sparked my interest in going for Journalism. I have also dabbled into Public Relations and Advertising. I started my broadcast journalism journey at NTA (Nigerian Television Authority). I worked for a few other local news organisations before moving on to international platforms like Thomson Reuters and Turkish Radio and Television Corporation.
Journalism, like other professions, has been described by many as a male-dominated environment. How have you been able to ‘break the bias’ so far?
It hasn’t been easy in terms of my experience as a female. It is easier for men to walk anywhere and establish themselves but for females, we experience pushback. Sometimes, you get to a place to cover a story and they are expecting to see a man. That was one shock for people. Stereotyping is an issue. I don’t know if a lot has changed since I left Nigeria in 2018. But with great male bosses, hard work and determination, I was able to break the bias and rise within a short period. In my over 10 years as an international journalist, I have worked more with male bosses and they have given me the needed support for career growth. I was the first female boss that Reuters Television hired in Nigeria. That was never the case before 2012. I was in charge of Reuters Television from 2012 to 2018 before leaving for TRT.
Can you share some of your experiences with male bosses?
I’ve had the opportunity to work with male bosses who have been nothing short of great. When I joined NN24 back then in 2011, Austin Okon-Akpan, who is currently in Channels Television, was the Head of Sports then. He saw the potential and the drive that I had. He believed in me and so he didn’t waste time when he was asked to recommend someone for Reuters Television. He was patient and helped me so greatly because he believed in me.
At NN24, I earned N10,000 per month. That was in 2011 and it was difficult because I needed to pay for my transportation for the first month. At a point, I stopped because I didn’t have money to go to work. What the company did was to pay me ahead so that I could continue and I was grateful for that. I was in the Sports Department working directly under Austin and I put in my best. Some persons were like, ‘Is it not just N10,000 (salary); why do you have to put your whole life into the job?’ But I didn’t let that distract me; I was still dedicated till I left the company when the Reuters opportunity came.
Have you had to deal with sexual harassment at the workplace?
Yes, I left a company a month after I started, because of that. The boss there at the time invited me to his home during work hours. Before then, as a new recruit, I had heard stories of sexual harassment in the company but I was doubtful about it until the invitation. I resigned immediately because I didn’t want to get a second invitation. There would always be bad eggs but as a woman, you must stand your ground and not compromise your values. Exiting the company was a better option for me than compromising. Though I had no job offer when I quit, I left. I learnt that a lot of ladies also resigned after I left because they were bold enough to leave. The power to leave has been given to everyone.
Aside from that experience, I have enjoyed and I am still enjoying the gift of great male bosses who have exposed me to great opportunities. The person who was in charge of Reuters TV in Nigeria then was supposed to travel out and Reuters needed a TV producer. The outgoing producer was an expatriate and he spoke with Austin, who was my direct boss at NN24. Austin believed in me so greatly that he didn’t waste time to recommend me for the position among all the people he had worked with for over two years. I went for the interview at Reuters and that was how I joined.
In one year, I worked with Hannington Osodo, who was the then Head of Reuters TV in Nigeria before he was transferred to South Africa because international companies don’t keep expatriates more than five years in a country. After one year of working with Osodo, he also recommended me for his position, saying I can hold the fort for him. It was an expatriate position but instead of bringing in someone from overseas, Reuters chose me to replace him. I was at Reuters for more than six years. Osodo gave me that opportunity even though there were lots of men who vied for that position but he saw the potential in me because he was someone who believed in helping women. He believed that when women go into a thing, they can make things happen. I am grateful for that.
Even at TRT where I currently work, it is men who have helped me to move ahead. I’ve grown on the job because of the help of great bosses. At TRT, I started as an Output Producer in 2018 and now I am a Deputy Programme Editor and very soon I will be doing Programme Editorship. It has not been easy to rise, especially when you are a woman of colour in an international newsroom where you have people from all other continents working in the same space. You are given opportunities you work twice as hard to get.
What were some of the challenges you faced at Turkish Radio and Television Corporation?
I was employed from Nigeria as an expatriate in 2018. When I got here, I couldn’t voice packaging because of my accent, so I had to work hard on that. I can’t change the way I sound; I can’t sound foreign; I can’t sound the way other people do as I wasn’t born there. That was the first hurdle. I had to work on the pronunciation of certain words, I had to keep practicising on my voicing skills and it took me over two years before I was approved to voice stories. Before then, I was allowed to voice African stories and after more than two years, I was approved to voice stories from any part of the world. I am the first Nigerian female journalist here at Turkish Radio Television. The people here are amiable and the country respects civil rights of all individuals, regardless of gender or colour but blacks would have to deal with little racist sentiments from time to time.
How do you juggle career and family, given the demanding nature of journalism?
When I was back home in Nigeria, my family was there for me, my mother-in-law was there for me as well. I have a set of twins and I had a baby last year. When I had the twins back home, I had support from my family. It was easier but here it is not that easy but my husband has been very helpful because hiring a nanny can be pretty expensive here.
How do you think women can be supported to ‘break the bias’?
Female professionals should be given equal chances as their male colleagues. Employers should balance the pay, make it equal pay for both men and women, no matter the situation. Competence should be a deciding factor for who gets what and not gender. There should also be opportunities for equal promotions, flexible work hours and many more and not based on the fact that she has kids and she won’t be able to give her time to the job and all of those bias attitudes. Women are rising professionally, not only in journalism but in other areas and this is very encouraging for the girl-child.
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