Open to opportunities

fikayo babatunde

@fikayobabatunde

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Senior COO/Strategy leader driving deals, operations, and business growth.

Nigeria

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What I'm looking for

I’m looking for a role where I can lead strategy and execution end-to-end—structuring priorities, driving high-stakes deals and fundraising, and scaling operations with measurable commercial impact.

I’m a commercially astute senior executive with 8+ years of experience at the intersection of strategy, deal execution, and business operations. I work alongside founders and leadership teams to bring structure to complex environments and ensure critical details don’t fall through the cracks.

As Chief Operating Officer and Acting CEO at The SME Mall, I led strategy, operations, and product execution for a digital SME enablement platform serving 10,000+ businesses. I built OKR frameworks, managed end-to-end fundraising and deal advisory, negotiated commercial agreements with financial institutions and partners, and coordinated across CEO, finance, credit, compliance, and engineering to translate outcomes into executed actions.

I also scale go-to-market and operational performance—at Iyewo Clinic, I helped launch and scale a mobile healthcare platform, delivering measurable growth through data analytics, targeted grassroots marketing, and partnership expansion. Earlier, I served as a strategy and operations lead for technology-enabled businesses (fractional COO/embedded chief of staff), driving revenue growth, client retention, and repeatable business-case execution.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Chief Operating Officer

The SME Mall

Aug 2021 - Dec 2025 (4 years 4 months)

Led strategy, operations, and product execution for a digital SME enablement platform serving 10,000+ businesses, partnering with leadership to structure priorities and drive execution. Reduced operational costs by 20% through workflow automation and improved platform activation/engagement by 30% via funnel and lifecycle optimization.

Deal Advisory Fundraising Financial Modeling Stakeholder Management Negotiation Business Operations Workflow Automation Project Delivery

Strategy and Operations Lead

iSixty Media

Dec 2016 - Feb 2025 (8 years 2 months)

Advised technology-enabled businesses as an embedded chief of staff/fractional COO, providing strategy, commercial positioning, and operational execution. Built go-to-market strategies and product delivery plans, achieving 90% client retention over three years and supporting new launches with business cases and financial models.

Go To Market Strategy Product Development Business Case Modeling Financial Modeling Stakeholder Management Client Advisory Market Analysis Coaching & Mentoring

Director, Business Development

Iyewo Clinic

Mar 2023 - Apr 2024 (1 year 1 month)

Oversaw launch and operational scaling of a mobile healthcare platform from MVP to revenue-generating product. Drove acquisition of 100+ paying patients in the first year, improved patient experience by 40%, and increased revenue by 25% through partnerships and targeted community marketing.

Business Development Healthcare Operations Partnership Management Data & Analytics Performance Optimization Community Marketing Revenue Growth

Project Manager, Design

Carnival Calabar

Apr 2016 - Dec 2018 (2 years 8 months)

Led cross-functional teams to design and deliver Africa’s largest street party, driving sponsor brand visibility. Secured over $3 million in sponsorships through negotiations and marketing, and increased attendee participation by 15% through improved event planning and management.

Event Project Management Sponsorship Negotiation Marketing Strategy Cross functional Leadership Creative Operations Logistics Planning Vendor coordination Stakeholder Engagement Risk Management

Communications Assistant

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control

Jun 2016 - Jun 2017 (1 year)

Managed nationwide digital public health campaigns, growing social media followers from 100 to over one million. Coordinated crisis communications during the Lassa Fever outbreak and delivered advisory campaigns generating 54 million social media impressions.

Public Health Communications Crisis Communications Digital Campaigns Social Media Growth Content Strategy Media Analytics Audience Engagement Community Outreach

Quality Assurance Intern

British American Tobacco

Jan 2008 - Dec 2008 (11 months)

Conducted inspections, audits, and quality control activities to ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations. Collaborated with cross-functional teams to address quality issues and implement corrective actions that improved product quality.

Quality Assurance Auditing Inspections Compliance Cross Functional Collaboration Quality Control Regulations Process Improvement