About Akinmade
Design taught me to see. Product taught me to decide. Leadership taught me to build.
My work sits at the intersection of strategy, product leadership, creativity and organisational thinking — whether I'm advising a founder, helping an organisation navigate change, or writing about the systems behind successful products.
The question that guides the work
How can better thinking lead to better decisions?
My Journey
I didn't begin my career in product management. I began as a designer.
That foundation shaped how I approach every challenge today.
Design taught me to understand people before processes. To simplify complexity before adding technology. To ask better questions before proposing solutions.
Over time, my work expanded into business analysis, project management, product leadership and digital transformation. Working across government, healthcare, higher education, telecommunications and venture building reinforced a simple truth:
Technology alone rarely solves meaningful problems.
The organisations that thrive are those that combine thoughtful leadership, clear strategy and disciplined execution. That perspective continues to shape my work today.
How I Think
I'm less interested in chasing trends than in understanding the systems beneath them.
- 01
Artificial intelligence will change how we work, but it will not replace the need for sound judgement.
- 02
Digital transformation is not primarily a technology initiative; it is an organisational one.
- 03
Strong products rarely emerge from better roadmaps alone. They emerge from healthier decision-making environments.
These ideas influence both my advisory work and my writing.
How I Work
Meaningful work begins with understanding before action.
Whether the engagement is with a founder, a growing business or a larger organisation, I start by bringing clarity to the problem before discussing solutions.
My role is not to provide all the answers.
It is to help organisations ask better questions, make more informed decisions and build with greater confidence.
Beyond Client Work
Outside advisory engagements, I continue to explore ideas through writing, research and product development.
Current areas of focus
- 01Product leadership
- 02Organisational capability
- 03Strategic execution
- 04Artificial intelligence readiness
- 05Innovation in African markets
- 06Better decision-making
These themes inform my books, essays, workshops and public speaking.
A Few Principles I Try To Work By
Four lines I try to keep.
Clarity before complexity.
Good strategy should simplify decisions, not complicate them.
Execution reveals intent.
Plans are valuable only when they influence action.
Products reflect organisations.
Most product problems begin long before development starts.
Learning compounds.
Every project should leave behind better thinking, not just better deliverables.
Timeline
Not a résumé. A through-line.
- 01
Design
Learning how people experience products and systems.
- 02
Business Analysis & Project Leadership
Understanding organisations, processes and transformation.
- 03
Product Leadership
Connecting customer needs with strategic outcomes.
- 04
Writing & Speaking
Sharing ideas that help others think more clearly.
- 05
Today
Advising organisations while building a growing body of knowledge through books, frameworks and research.
Closing
I'm still learning. Still writing. Still building.
The goal has never been to have all the answers. The goal is to keep asking better questions — and to help others do the same.
Continue the story