Jessica Uche, currently the Sales Development Director (formerly Country Director) at Native Teams, has become a standout leader in fintech and business development across Africa.
Her trajectory—from linguistics to people operations and then to orchestrating cross-border scaling strategies—is a masterclass in adaptability and strategic innovation.
Originally trained in Linguistics at Obafemi Awolowo University, Jessica entered the workforce in Human Resources and interned with iRecruiters Africa before the COVID pandemic reshaped her career ambitions.
Amid dwindling HR opportunities, she wrote a viral Substack post that marked a career pivot into technology and business development.
Her first formal BDM role came at TruQ, a logistics-tech startup, where she demonstrated her capacity to navigate tech-driven growth.
Unable to stay idle, she immersed herself in LinkedIn masterclasses and tech upskilling, even adding HTML, CSS, and JS to her toolkit.
Jessica’s move to Native Teams, an EU‑founded fintech platform, put her at the helm of establishing the company’s Nigerian operations as the first and only native staff in Africa.
She built market-fit strategies, tailored the European-first product to commission-based Nigerian users, and hit critical revenue milestones across twelve countries, closing deals worth over $723,000.
She shares a key lesson:
“The most interesting… Nigeria is about 90% commission‑based market than subscription‑based… we found our way around our target audience after several pricing model iterations.”
Jessica’s experience spans communications, logistics, consulting, and revenue growth—skills honed through cross-industry adaptability.
Her insights position her not just as a revenue leader but as a systems thinker capable of bridging global ambition with granular execution.
As remote work and digital payments reshape Africa’s economic landscape, leaders like Jessica Uche bring clarity, direction, and grounded innovation to the transformation.
Her career reflects a new generation of African women who navigate global systems and local markets with equal dexterity—delivering growth, compliance, and real change.
Image Credit: TechCabal
