The Unexpected Career Podcast

Bili Davies-Moir: Geologist, Operations Exec, Real Estate Entrepreneur

• Megan Dunford • Season 1 • Episode 4

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Bili is an entrepreneur in global real estate and hospitality, but started out as a geologist whose career journey took many turns through audit and finance and operations and strategy on the way.

Check out her beautiful property in Italy: www.casapoliti.com

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Welcome to the unexpected career podcast, where we share stories of real people and the twists and turns they have taken along their career journey. I'm Megan Dunford. And as someone who found myself in the payments industry, largely by accident, I'm fascinated by how people's careers unfold and how they've gotten to where they are today. It's also why I am passionate about reducing the pressure on young people around going to university. What to take in school and on getting that right. First job. Today, I'm talking to Bili Davis more about her career journey from geologists to audit and finance on to operations and strategy. And now as an entrepreneur in global real estate and hospitality. Chatting with Bili is always a pleasure issues. So full of warmth and enthusiasm, but it was such a privilege to hear her story and the drive and determination that propelled her forward at every step of the way.

Megan:

Thank you for doing this. I really appreciate it. And I'm really excited. iT's funny cause when you know someone already, you don't necessarily look at their LinkedIn profile. But of course I did that before I reached out and I've been looking at it again and it's really interesting because there's all these other things I didn't even know about that you've done and you've had such an interesting journey and yeah, so I'm really excited to hear about it and talk about it.

Bili:

Yeah it's been. An experience. I think for me, sometimes I'm not sure how much I like it because, I think there's still that mentality. You're supposed to stay at one company till you die. Yeah, and I always wish I had that, but I'm not at that pleasure. So,

Megan:

yeah, I think the world doesn't really work that way. It's pretty rare now for that to happen. But Yeah, I think we start our careers thinking that's the way it's supposed to be.

Bili:

Especially because our parents did that, right? Parents were in the corporate world. They were, what they considered loyal. They crop you sometimes right out of high school. If you're lucky to have gone to college right out of college, your pension is there, your life insurance is there, you everything is there. Yeah. It's either out of the fear of losing it all or out of being comfortable. They stayed forever. So when we leave, even us, we hear from our parents, are you sure this is a good idea? And sometimes I'm like, it's not even my fault that I'm leaving. I've been told to leave. I've been asked to leave. It's not our choice

Megan:

all the time.

Bili:

Exactly. One, one time that has been my, okay. Twice. When I changed my first degree, and I think when I got the opportunity to work for the company before Western Union, and I saw the opportunity and the progression at Western Union, no, I've always stayed.

Megan:

Me too for the most part. So should we start at the beginning? When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Bili:

Oh, what did I want to be when I grew up? I wanted to be a petroleum geologist. My dad, yeah, because my dad was the chauffeur for Chevron oil, so he had this privilege. I saw it as a privilege of driving all the Chevron CEOs for about 20 years. And I was always front and center in their world. Every CEO that came from Santa Barbara, my dad. drove them FG and they called my father because he drove so fast he thought he owned Nigeria. So because of the situation in Nigeria too, sometimes you need somebody that can drive as maddening as possible. That was my dad. So I was surrounded by A bunch of petroleum nerds, whether petroleum engineers, exploration geologist, hydro. It was always in that world of oil and gas. So I saw my dad struggling as a chauffeur because my parents didn't go to school, even though his work was appreciated, we really didn't have anything, but I was exposed to that world of these men. That could do whatever they want in Nigeria, they have everything. They have a chauffeur, they have the house, they're financially secure. So I was like, huh. That's what I want to be, to do this and and surely sometimes too at home, growing up, as a girl, you, my family was very much into education, we were blessed with that, but sometimes as a girl too, and also being Nigerian, you're either a doctor, a lawyer, or, some kind of Geologist or because of oil and gas in Nigeria, but it was sometimes still seen more for the boys than for the girls. So I wanted to be there to be secure in my future, but also because I wanted to say, hell, the boys can do it. I got this too.

Megan:

Oh, how that doesn't surprise me about you.

Bili:

Yeah, so that's what I wanted to be vintage, oil and gas in. I'm a geologist.

Megan:

So did you pursue that?

Bili:

I did. I did. So I started out I went to University of Minnesota. So I moved to the United States when I was about 20. So you picked like one of the

Megan:

coldest states in the U. S.

Bili:

You know, just like those other things of wherever they pick you. So I applied to UCLA and a few other schools and I was either rejected or waitlisted, by University of Minnesota. I think that's where I was supposed to be and we saved that story for another day, but University of Minnesota took me in. I really didn't believe there's a place on earth that cold because I've never been outside of Nigeria in a place that cold and where I've been. They were either summer travels or they were warm. So I was like, how bad could it be? Oh my God, Minnesota is so cold, but with so many lovely people. And that's part of why I said I believed whether it's faith or destiny or whatever we want to peg it to, I was supposed to be. At the University of Minnesota. It was meant to be. It was meant to be. So I did study geology and geophysics. I did that. And yeah, and that was where I started. And instead of actually drilling oil I ended up being on the environmental side of oil and gas. One, because I couldn't drive. And in the United States, you have to be able to drive to do a lot of things. So the daughter of a chauffeur, can you imagine the daughter of a chauffeur that hated driving? I was so afraid of driving, so I didn't drive. So I was in the lab. So what I ended up doing was testing for everything oil and gas related and, united States Corps of Engineers and things like that. So I got to do that. And then I got to either do oil rig counts and oil rig processing, but I never actually stepped foot on the oil rig during my career as a geologist. So got to do that as a kid, but never got to do it as a professional. So

Megan:

Sometimes funny how that works out of it gets you into the industry, but you end up in a part. Either you didn't know existed or completely different part than you imagined.

Bili:

Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. So I ended up doing the environmental side and, instead of the getting it out of the ground, it was after it was out of the ground. How do we make things better? Which is. The complete industry, right?

Megan:

So that was your first kind of job out of university.

Bili:

Yes, the real job out of university. Yeah, yeah. First job out of high school. But yeah, that was the real job out of university.

Megan:

Amazing. And of course, we know each other from the payments money transfer world. So how did you get from oil and gas environmental lab into financial services?

Bili:

Yeah, so that one is also from a very conservative way of thinking, or maybe having everything safe, for lack of a better word. I had my daughter. My three months into my first year of college, right? So financially, that makes things very difficult when you don't have anything and you're raising a child. So in as much as I enjoyed being a geologist and all that, my husband was also in the same field. But I always had this fear of, if we both keep doing the same thing, what if something bad happens? I, sometimes that's not a good way to think

Megan:

But there is risk of having all of your sort of family eggs in one basket.

Bili:

Exactly. So while doing that, I realized my, all the female in my family, from my great grandmother to my mother, They were all entrepreneurs, so they managed the money in the family. They did their own business. So while doing all of that and growing up in Nigeria, I was always at the back of my mind of how can I own my own company one day? How can I sustain my family financially in every way possible on my own terms? To be able to do that, at least in my head, you have to understand business. You have to understand finance. You have to understand accounting, not just from the world of adding and subtracting, but what does it take to form a company? What is that structure? So I spoke to my husband and I said, you know what? You continue being a geologist. You love it. I wanted to drill. I'm not necessarily drilling. So what if I go back to learn the business side? Because oil and gas is still the business, right? Of course. Look at some of the biggest companies in the world. They're oil and gas companies. So I went back and I went to get my MBAs in finance, accounting, and international business. And that's what propelled me into the world of finance and business and, business development and all that.

Megan:

Amazing. That's that can be quite scary though, to go back to school after you've started working already.

Bili:

Yes. But I figured the hardest part was already having the kid while moving to the United States, right? Yeah. That's a lot. Yeah. I had my child three months after moving to the United States and three months is in my freshman year, and I still graduated with three undergraduate degrees. So I figured. If I've already done that, and I can pretty much handle anything at that point. Yeah. And now the kiddo was, she wasn't grown still, but she was taken care of. Now I have my partner. I have my husband. I'm not a single mom anymore. With. Financially kind of okay, because all this is still tied to financial security, right? Let's not kid ourselves, we came from nothing. And for us to get to the next level, I needed that more education. And sometimes as a black woman, for you to also get your name in the door, you need that education as your backing. So it was, Thinking of that or mystically. But yeah, so this time he wasn't necessarily raising a child and going to school. This time it was raising a child going to school and working because I still have to keep my full time job as a geologist to pay to become, a finance guru. Wow.

Megan:

That's pretty impressive that you juggled all of those things at the same time.

Bili:

It takes a village. That saying is not a lie, except that village was a whole big one.

Megan:

That's good. It's good that you, built that village. That's amazing. So what did you do after you finished your MBA?

Bili:

Yes, after my MBA, I got the opportunity to Deloitte and Touche, they come to universities to recruit for first year students to see who they'll keep on or have internships and things like that. And while I was at Regis University in Denver, one of their recruiters. Came and she liked my personality and my drive and what I was studying as well. And Deloitte gave me the opportunity to come in and be in the audit group and that gave me access to still in my oil and gas field rather than now drilling or working in the lab. Now I was auditing their books, which opens you to a whole new world, right? Cause if you're drilling, you're just drilling, right? Maybe not just, but that's what you're into. And if you're in the lab testing, what is coming from the ground, that's what you're doing. So I know those two, but to be able to audit the books and see how. Corporations truly function. Deloitte Touche gave me that opportunity to see the full, so it was as if my world was now connected. Yeah. It came full circle that I was the geologist that was auditing oil and gas companies and understanding that whole business world. So Deloitte Touche introduced me to the world of full business and how corporations function.

Megan:

That's amazing and amazing. That you did have that connection where you started auditing, oil and gas. Yeah, that's pretty cool.

Bili:

And Deloitte and co those, the consulting firms, I think to give them credit there's always that period of time too, where they ask you, what field do you want to be in? Sometimes that's not a good thing because you get yourself pigeonholed. Yeah. Yeah. But because I had the oil and gas background, it wasn't necessarily easy, but it was a softer landing for me to start from there. And then I got into. Audit in financial firms, audit in manufacturing companies, and then my career went from there.

Megan:

Went from there. Amazing. Yeah, it probably would help to start with at least, that understanding of the industry when you're going into audit. So it would be a nice place to get started.

Bili:

Yeah, yeah. It was, I enjoyed it. It didn't last long. That was so after being a geologist, when I then decided to go for my MBA, I walked away from my geology world willingly, right? Again, be careful what you wish for, because I wanted to learn more. And I went for my MBA and started working for Deloitte, but it's a consulting firm. So if the money's not coming in, then there's restructuring. And so that was when I got the first taste of, you don't get to walk away on your terms every time. So that was the first time I was part of that. Okay. Thank you. Now it's time to move on from you. So, yeah,

Megan:

That's hard. When you went through that, those layoffs, what did you do next? How did you decide what to do next?

Bili:

Yeah, that first one was scary for me because it was not necessarily planned. And it was at the height of, getting the family to grow and raising our kiddo. So that one was hard. And I. Just wanted to take whatever job came next. Let's not lie. It's like, okay, girl, you need the money. You need your family to be secure. You're still raising a child. So just get what is next and go from there. And I did. I did do that. Ended up moving, to banking and I became a teller for a short period of time working at a bank and getting all of that going. And again, that came full circle, right? Been in the world of payments and banking, but, so it was a desperation job, but I guess it was still almost calculated or it fit into where I was going or where I thought I needed to go. But, yeah, I just took a teller job and.

Megan:

sometimes you need to. Do what you need to do in the short term.

Bili:

Yes. Yes. And while doing that, I had the pleasure of then diving into investment banking because I watched everybody at the bank and what they were doing, and I got to go for my series 6, series 63 and all that to then understand what are the types of licensure because by then I wasn't exposed to the world of licensure outside of the science world. Yeah, and so getting into the. Licensure in the financial world. That's serious business, too. Oh, my God. Those exams are hard, but it got me to at least explore that area. And it's good because while you're doing that, the companies support you with, payment here and there to help you get those certifications. Yeah. So it's good to get into that.

Megan:

Oh, amazing. So yeah, I didn't realize you also had certifications in finance and investments.

Bili:

Yeah. Cause I figured if I was there, even though I knew it was, I needed that job, I still wanted to be into it. Right. Yeah. Those opportunities don't come too often. And in case that job was to last, I was going to be prepared to say, Oh, look at that. I actually have the, requirements and maybe above and beyond sometimes of what you need against myself because, Once again, you have to try three times as hard to make sure that you get there. So I wanted to have those licensures on my hand as well. Even if the job was not going to last, I was going to be prepared.

Megan:

Yeah, you were going to be prepared for whatever happened.

Bili:

Yeah, yeah.

Megan:

And so that was your entry into, official entry into baking and payments.

Bili:

Yes. Yes.

Megan:

So yeah. What happened next?

Bili:

Yeah. I didn't then go full in because that did not last. Cause it was temporary. It was filling the gap and I ended up at a manufacturing firm. So I ended up at Gates Corporation, which is a tire and bicycle and hydraulics for oil and gas manufacturing firm. There are all these little connections. This Nigerian girl and oil and gas is the problem. I tell you, I just can never break away from it. So I ended up working for Gates Corporation and growing up as a Nigerian kid, right? And like I said, watching my dad drive some of the most powerful men in Africa in oil and gas, I knew the world was big. So I always wanted to travel the world. So that was what took me to Gates Corporation because on the job posting, it was like, okay. You get to travel 70 percent of the time and travel. It's like, oh, my God. So it's finance. It's oil and gas, not, manufacturing. So we actually manufacture parts for all the oil rigs. In the Middle East, in the United States, and I get to travel the world. I was like, I'm in, if you hire me, this is And I think, Megan, like I said at the beginning sometimes I wish my career had gone better, but if I'm honest with myself, The things that I've done in my career, they've always been the things that I love, or they've gotten me to do some extraordinary things in my life, right? So I Gates Corporation, I then dove into finance. I was part of the finance group. And what we did was do all the books and everything for the global Gates Corporation, and I got to travel the world. I went everywhere for Gates to manage the books, work as a controller, work as a finance analyst, whatever it was that was needed in the finance world I was in. I didn't really enjoy accounting when I got into the accountants. Accounting is now my cup of tea with all due respect to accountants. Give me finance when we're forecasting and planning for the future because I'm the future kind of girl. And I loved it. So I got to do that. And I went from Brazil to China to India to the UAE. Wow. Everywhere. I still I saw the wall while counting,

Megan:

such an amazing opportunity.

Bili:

It was priceless. It's it wasn't anything glamorous. If, it wasn't a big title job, but I was. Doing what I'd loved to do, which again, it's connected to where I started, got to see the world and I could take my family with me when I traveled. Ah, that's

Megan:

nice.

Bili:

That made it so worthwhile. And that was Gates Corporation for me was such an amazing place to be for, nearly five years or so. And yeah, yeah, it was quite incredible. It was quite incredible.

Megan:

it sounds amazing.

Bili:

Yeah. We did that. That was, yeah. I liked it. And my bosses were great. I had some amazing men and women that supported my career and that love of learning and traveling. Mm-Hmm. And participating.'cause I wasn't just, even though I loved traveling, I wanted to see how things were done. In the other parts of the world, because I'm an American kid, I'm an Nigerian kid that had the privilege of getting to the United States, but there's so much more that happens in the world of business and Gates Corporation allowed me to see cultural how cultures work in business, how personalities work in business, how language works in business. And then you get to the money part of the business, but yeah. That's such an

Megan:

amazing. On the job education, because to your point, every culture approaches decisions differently. They have different expectations, different approaches and to get to see that firsthand it's just really amazing, not to mention, getting to experience all the great food everywhere and all of that as well. But from the business education of getting to see it firsthand and on the ground is, that's priceless.

Bili:

Yeah. And it being a manufacturing company a lot of times, even though you are in countries like Brazil and Co and Co, you're still not in, The glamorous parts of those. Yeah, you're not in

Megan:

the big capital

Bili:

cities. No, because it's manufacturing. So you want to be in a place where there's space and there's workers that you can get. So that also filled my energy of seeing people that were like me, right? The kid that grew up with nothing. And I'm there working and seeing how they've been hired and how they've been employed, empowered and getting their family to grow. And so that was amazing to, to be a part of that and say, okay, it's still who I am. I'm coming from the US to come work here for the time being, but it was, yeah, it was everything that's really

Megan:

cool. So eventually you left the Gates Corporation.

Bili:

No, I did not leave. They asked me to leave again. We went through the transformation. And what needs to be done and not done at counts and then went to the corporate restructuring and that one was really hard. For me, I was like, what? No, this is like,

Megan:

Yeah. Cause it sounds like you really loved your job there.

Bili:

I loved my job there. I loved the people that I was working with. I loved it. It was one thing to travel, but it was just one thing to be in the company. I really did. But yeah. Yeah, the day we found out it was still a, I still remember it and it's still a, no, this is not happening when calls and it ends. And I actually cried. I sat in the, I remember the HR lady calling me. She's okay, we need to put you into a room separately. We need to talk to you. And that packed up my things and I found myself, because the scene is, you know, supposed to cry in the office or whatever, but I was in an office behind closed doors and I just bawled my eyes out. Yeah.

Megan:

It's an emotional experience, especially when you enjoy the job, you have great managers, All of those things are so important. it'd be really hard. And again, it wasn't your choice. It was a restructuring.

Bili:

Yeah, it was. And yeah and, but if anything, the HR lady was so graceful. And I remembered I couldn't drive home and they. Put my, those I forget what they call them, the white boxes, right? Yeah. Yeah. The banker's box or whatever. Yeah. Banker's box. So they had everything packed up for me and they took it downstairs to the to the front desk. And I, you know, my personality, right? Megan, I, nobody goes by that. I don't. Yeah. You know, everyone. Yeah. And a security guard already knew what, what was coming. Cause they had already given him the list of everybody that I believe in the building. And he took my box. And it's like, no, no, just give me Bili's box. They went to get my car and I, because I was so distraught and put me in the conference. So when you enter our building back, then we had a separate conference room at the entrance where you could sit and wait. So they put me in that conference room. To calm down, we, and this story is to the, corporate, the human side of corporate, the emotion and ethics and caring part. And they called my husband, they took my phone and they called my husband. They're like, okay, Billie just got this news. We'll let her talk to you. She's not in a state right now. Could you come pick her up? She can come for a car later, and so my husband came to pick me up and yeah, so it was a hard day, but I'll never forget still how I was treated. Yeah, each leader was, yeah, she was amazing.

Megan:

That's good. Cause it is a hard day. So to be treated with grace and humanity means so much.

Bili:

Yes. Yes, it was. And that, yeah, that was a kicker.

Megan:

So what did you do this time? Did you take another kind of stopgap role or did you take a little bit more time to decide what was next?

Bili:

Yeah, I did a stopgap role at a telecom company, nothing too serious. It was, I went back into audit at that moment to fill in the time. And then I was there. It wasn't anything. Earth shattering. And then another, okay, the job ends. And it was at that moment that I was like, you know what? I'm tired. I'm highly educated because by that time I had three undergraduate degrees, three graduate degrees. I've been working for so many years. I mean, not to brag, but my personality can hold anything. I'm always willing to learn anything. You put me in any role or where help is needed, I step in. And I just couldn't understand. Why I'm always on the list of corporate restructuring. So I was like, I need a break. I know again, we still need the money, but I need a break. so at that same time, we were applying for my mom to come to the US. After so many rounds of application. And I remembered sitting in the basement of our house, I was like, Oh, this is too much. I cannot handle this. And we got the call for my mom and she's Hey, sweetie, I just got my U. S. green card. And I just started crying. I don't have a job. I don't know where you're coming to. When I had a job and I applied for you, nothing worked out and now that I don't have a job, you have a United States green card and you're coming to the U. S. Oh, this is a mess. What am I going to do? And I was like, you know what? Let me think about this. Take the green card. Let's start thinking about it was like a really, really cold November day. It was freezing. We had moved to Colorado already by then. So I was like, okay, I'm going to go to bed. I told my husband in the morning. And then I said, you know what? I need to go back home. Because until then I had not gone to Nigeria frequently. I would just have had lunch. And I was like, you know what? I need to reconnect. I've been in the United States. I've been going, going, going, trying to build, trying to get out of what my family history is. And I was just tired. It's okay. It's to go back to where it all started and I'll use that time to go get my mom. I'm just going to go for a period of time, go sit in Nigeria, help mom pack, see all my siblings and their kids and reconnect back to where it all started.

Megan:

Sometimes you just need home.

Bili:

Yes. I just needed to be home. I needed my mom at home. I needed to be in that space and to remember. What it was that I was trying to either build better with or grow from all I needed. I needed a reminder. So I needed to go back home. I then my husband was like, you know what, go get mom take a few months off. I'd already been off, but just leave the United States for a while

Megan:

take a proper break.

Bili:

Yes. Yes. And just be you leave. So I left our daughter with my husband and. I went home.

Megan:

Sometimes that's just what you need. You need a, you need space, but you just need to be in the comfort of home and your roots and with family and that can be so healing and recreate that foundation that lets you go forward to.

Bili:

Yeah, yeah, I needed to remember I was good enough because being back in where I was where everything started. We didn't have anything. So what was I fighting for? What was I keep going for? I needed to calibrate. Yeah. Yeah, I just, yeah, I left. At first I was like, maybe I'm running, but now I just needed to leave. Yeah,

Megan:

I just need that sometimes.

Bili:

Yeah. Yeah.

Megan:

After you had that time at home and time with your family and helpEd your mom pack and be able to come over to the U. S. as well. What did you do when you got back to the U. S.

Bili:

Yeah. So actually, Megan, right before I left I had applied for a job at Western Union with a recruiter and I was filling for one of the audit managers. And so when I got that opportunity, sometimes you're afraid, like, oh, I should just stay and keep working. I told the chief audit officer right away, and you might know who she was back then at Western Union, and I said, I really appreciate the job. And I would really like to start now, but. I'm bit and I need to go home. So I'm going to go home for at least two months. If the job is still there when I get back and you still want me, I'll take it. If not, I totally understand. And I remember she was like, you know what, go home because the hiring manager that I, the audit manager that I was going to be replacing, she interviewed me and she was like, no, Bili should get the job and grateful to her that happened. I was like, really? Okay, it's a temporary job. Again, it's a temporary job, right? Contract work. So yeah, they allowed me to do that.

Megan:

That's amazing. And I think it's a good reminder of you don't know unless you ask. So just ask.

Bili:

Yes, yes, yes. And then you can

Megan:

make a decision if you want to make a different decision. But by asking that freed you up to go without having to second guess at all.

Bili:

Nope. No, no worries. It was either. I was going to be back and there was something waiting for me. I was going to be back, but I was going to be the same situation as before. I left. I might be in a better mental state of mind to then look for other jobs. Luckily, they said no go when you come back. The job is there. So I told mom, and my mom is a very spiritual and, her and God are like bodies, so yeah. So I told her, she was like, don't worry, sweetie. This is where you're supposed to be. That is why this is happening. And they know you need this. So the whole universe is working. To make sure this happens. I was just like, yeah, I just need to rest. The universe has kicked me up and down. I just, yeah, mom. Yeah. Yeah. I'm like, it might not even be there by the time I get back. They might not keep their word, you know? So went home, packed up for mom, did everything. So the whole family got to remember. Where all this started from, got mom to the United States to start living her dream and find her own space. She was happy. And I think also by that time, having my mom back with me after all of her struggles, give me some more peace than before, because we're building all these things in the US, right? We're raising our kiddo, we're working. But things at home are still. The family is still struggling. So to have my mom at that time, gave me some more peace to that. Yeah. To

Megan:

know she's taken care of and settled and happy.

Bili:

Exactly. Exactly. After all, we were doing all this to make someone like her happy and whole and, healthy. And, so when I brought her back, I was in a better frame of mind. Whether the job was there or not, I was going to be able to take care of my mom and the job was there.

Megan:

Amazing.

Bili:

I called and they were like, yep, coming on Monday, the job is yours. And that was April, May of 2013. And I started as a consultant contract work at Western Union back in audit. So

Megan:

audit then was, your connection back into financial services.

Bili:

Yes. Yes. And I had been using, I think, you know, the story, right. I've been using Western Union since I came to the United States, because that was a means of sending money to Nigeria. So working for the company, for me again, like I said, sometimes I'm too driven to forget that I forget how things connect and what is happening in my life. But when I slowed down, I realized everything I do, even when I don't think it's for a purpose or it's connected. When I slowed down and I think about them, it's like, okay, everything I do is always linked to who I am as a person.

Megan:

And to the larger purpose. It's funny. sometimes you don't really. Realize that until you look back, it's hard to see those connections when you're in the midst of it.

Bili:

Yeah. It's get your head above water. It's like, Oh no, Kent. So exactly. And I swim that same way. I don't like water. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So Western Union took me in while I was there. It's at some of the lowest of what my career was going to be and where I was going to go. And it also had a moment where I was like, you know what, whatever is going to happen is going to happen. My mom is here. Okay, we're good.

Megan:

And so you started as a contract and, but you were there for a really long time.

Bili:

Yeah, I was there for nearly 10 years. The longest company yet. When I was carefree about whatever the universe wants to throw at me, bring it on. Yeah, I started and the, that audit manager, she was amazing. She's still my friend till today and probably will be till the end of whatever we are. She was like, no, Bili's not leaving after our contract. Yeah, she is ridiculous. We should, no, we should make room. And she went to the chief audit. Officer SVP, and she was like, no, let's create something within the organization for her and wherever she wants to go in the company, we'll go from there. And yeah, they offered me full time a few months after that. And I was there full time for 10 years.

Megan:

Yeah. Amazing. And I know, because obviously we worked together at Western Union, I know you expanded out of audit and did operations and strategy and a whole bunch of things.

Bili:

Yes. Yes, I did. I love the world of audit. But like I said, I, the accounting part sometimes it's not sometimes accounting is like just not my cup of tea. I can do it, but it just doesn't bring me joy. So when that I knew I was at the pinnacle of where I was going to get to an audit, I went to the SVP and I said, I would like to grow cause I'm a very driven person. I'm not going to be shy about that. So I like to look at other opportunities. She wasn't necessarily happy with it. Nobody likes losing their employees. Right. But she was like, if you find the role, you go for it. And that was when I stepped out of audit. Permanently knock on wood and started moving into this strategy and operation side because I love, I mean, operations and finance, you have to be good at those things to make the company run and wanted to see the underbelly of what that was like. From the audit department. I went into the more of the privacy side because Western was going to privacy department. Then my SVP from privacy came and is like. You're not going to stay long because I know where you want to go. You like to go back to the Middle East so you can continue with your world of learning and get back into the operation side of things and strategy. And I got a great mentor. One of the best mentors I've had I need to find another one. And he was amazing. So I would talk to Tim Langley Athon, I'm just going to stop his name. And Tim is like, I know, I know you're. Just stay focused, write down your goals, we'll meet weekly and we'll see where we can drive to get you to. So just put my head down and did everything that came at me and still got to travel for audits, right? And still got to travel for privacy. So there was still, there was no complaining there. I knew what my North Star was while I was still doing what I loved. One day we were standing, you know, our cafeteria in the second building and Tim Langley athlon was in that building and I finished my mentorship meeting with him and I was coming out and he usually would get me my cup of hot chocolate with, The whole can of whipped cream, they knew me at a cafeteria there. So we're getting that and our very dear lot of path back. That was the many changes that question. Yeah. But one of those changes when. Alex, but Alaska moved to Dubai and he became the head of the region that was in Dubai and she was leaving, and she wasn't a building, to do all the endovers and she was moving to the US and Tim Langley, Athens saw her and he was like, Oh, Laura, didn't you just come from Dubai? She's like, yes, yes. And, we got, she's like, oh, hi, Bili. How are you? I'm like, oh, I'm good. And we just joked and we're like since you're coming to Denver, get Bili to Dubai so she can get back into our international operations. She just, we just, finishing all our leadership training. And Laura was like, Oh, my God, we can totally do this. I was like, I can't just say that, we don't call the shots here. What are you talking about? And no matter what happens after that, until then, I would never forget what Laura Patak did, because she's like, sweetie, meet me outside. So I get my hot chocolate and Tim Langley. I thought he's like, just go tell her, what's on your mind? Don't sugarcoat it. She knows your track record for work, but let her understand why she should be a sponsor for you. Why should she champion you? Because it's a reputation that's going to be on the line, right? You're going to another country, new leadership, everything is changing, you know what to do. So I take my hot chocolate. I go outside And she's like, tell me. What is going on? What do you need? And I was like, well, this is my track record. As you know, this is what I would like to do next. And with all the changes coming up, I believe I can be of great contribution to Alex and help Alex manage his world and grow and see how, I can help him be successful while I'm also back in my world of learning internationally, my knowledge again, and she's like, let's see what we can do. She goes to her office. I was still. Making my way and I check my phone and it's dinged, she had already emailed Alex.

Megan:

Wow. In that one story, there's like such a good example of mentorship and sponsorship.

Bili:

I was totally shocked. I just cannot believe that it would happen again. Maybe sometimes I do that to myself that I'm just like. Yeah, not gonna happen. I just take whatever comes. My family tells me I should stop doing that because I, again, when you look back, life has actually been good, but I'm still very, very careful and so I was like, why would she do that? She wouldn't. She just left the country. She's starting a life here. Oh, she did. Email Alex. She's like, you need to talk to Bili. This is what I believe she should be doing. This is where she can help you hear from her. Also, now I need to wait for Alex to reply. Alex replies almost immediately. Wow. And it's like, yes, of course. I know Bili because. I've been helping with all the enterprise risk management program. So I've been working with Alex and the Middle Eastern team and everything. And but again, it's one thing for your work to be good, but if people don't know you, if people cannot vouch for you, and if people cannot say your name when you're not in the room, it

Megan:

doesn't go anywhere. Yes, a hundred percent. People need to know what you're doing and then you need other people who are willing to speak your name When you're not in the room and put you forward for things.

Bili:

Yes. And that was the second time that I had experienced that. My first was at Gates and my second was at Western Union. Maybe I should have known what was coming next. Um, but, and then, our daughter was going through her life and she got admitted to university of St. Andrews. So she was to move to Scotland to go start her life. And I'm like, Trying to interview with Alex trying to reintroduce myself and because I still have to go through all the interview process. Everything has to be up the board. Nobody would just thank you the job. I'm doing all that meeting all the Dubai and Middle Eastern leadership team to go through the process. And I'm sitting at the hotel with our kiddo together, for freshers week at the University of St. Andrews. And voila I got the call from Alex that I got the job. And this time it wasn't just to work remotely or come visit. I was to move to the moving to

Megan:

Dubai

Bili:

and believe in Dubai. Wow. Yes. Yes.

Megan:

So how long were you in Dubai for

Bili:

nearly three years, two and a half to three years. I was in Dubai. So I was in Dubai and it's almost like starting a mini, you know, that period, right? It was almost like starting a mini business within this global behemoth that is Western Union. So that role. I actually grew up in that role because it was a role that was so humbling that you could not lead other people without being humble. Yeah. You could not lead other people without making them believe in you and what you're saying and why you're there. Yeah. And that was the space where I realized that I could walk into a room, And tell people, I know this is difficult, but if you trust me, we can get it done. And I was amazed by how many leaders and fellow employees that were like, okay, I If Bili's there, we're fine. We'll do it. And we'll listen to her and we'll see what we can do to help. We can all come together. It wasn't always easy, but that was amazing for me to see my own strength in people saying, because we know who you are, not just your work track record, but your own individual personality and your own cache. We'll do this together. Yeah, I mean, but it was amazing to be able to have that strength, not just to work, but to say. My name is on this and people show up.

Megan:

Yeah. Yeah. To build that trust and reputation.

Bili:

Yes. Yes. Yeah. It was amazing because that was not an easy role or an easy phase for what we were doing at that time in the Middle East. But yeah, it was, and it was fast paced. It was so funny. I sat through some me and it also that moment exposed me to a lot of leadership ranking. And leadership style of meetings and demand and deliverables only just work the Middle Eastern time or the APAC time. We worked the United States time and we had to deliver. So you have to be on top of your game then know your.

Megan:

Yeah, that's the hard thing of being outside of North America, but working for a U. S. company is you still have to interact with the U. S. time zones.

Bili:

Yes, yes, still have to do that. So we find ourselves, there'll be like six, seven of us in a conference room till midnight. Because the next morning, we needed to be able to deliver to our Middle Eastern leaders where the nomads are, and then be ready for all the changes. That will come from the North American leaders, and we have to articulate to them why we're presenting it the way it is and be so agile and so reactive and also active in delivering. I mean, the numbers just kept coming at us and the strategy and you know, our leaders back then you get on a conference call the other lungs and coins like. Speak, and you better know what you're talking about. So we are, I'm not going to brag, but we were all very smart. Because we just we knew getting into the meeting with the likes of him or Hikmet, don't stutter. You have

Megan:

to be prepared.

Bili:

You stutter once and they're like, Nope, not going to fly by doing that or take two. So we all were like, let's, it was such an exciting time. It was so fun building that it was, I learned a lot.

Megan:

To have the opportunity to work with the top executives in the business and how to, present to them get them on board with ideas. That's an invaluable learning experience.

Bili:

That's amazing. And then even our agents themselves, cause this were not like, I love our small agents as well, but what do you think about the middle Eastern agents? Oh, it's some big, big agents. With family history to back them up. Right. You know, we cannot mess this up. We were, it was such an exhilarating. We were on top of our game. I was very proud of every single one of us that was during that time. If we bought it as we screamed, we learned, we But you got it done. Like we got it done. It's a matter of go get Bili a hot chocolate. Get somebody some candy. We had so many desserts in the room. I love that. Yeah, so that was such a fun time. And that time, Megan, I wasn't even traveling. I was going One place in away from the family, just learning, just learning. I learned so much about Western Union during that time and touched every part of the company from strategy to business development to sales operations and. Oh, good Lord, accounting, even yeah.

Megan:

And then yes. Yeah. And then you went back to the

Bili:

US. I did. I did. Cause the family, so our daughter is in St. Andrews, which is great. She's living a life, but my husband could not move full time with me. Yeah. He was still working in the United States. So you were flying to Dubai on a Thursday and fly out on a Sunday or Monday. So, yeah, so we were doing that and of course we could tell some more changes coming at, coming at that time. So I was like, okay, if there's going to be another one, can I take what I've learned and see what else can happen? And that was when a kind of a new structure of global operations came about and add the opportunity. So a lot of my a lot of my roles that I've walked you through, to be honest, most of them have been Lateral moves. Yeah. Other than starting at the bottom and moving one level, it was all about learning outward. I had not gone upwards, right? And for the first time, a director role came about. So I could truly not like a, oh, we just create that senior manager role. No, this one was legit. And I can move up and there's equity tied to it, right? Yeah. So again, financial security. I'm the kid from Nigeria. I, but I just,

Megan:

it's always going to play into the decision.

Bili:

Yes. And now family could be back together. So, 2020. I remember it, I was trapped, I finally got to start traveling for my role then and going to Costa Rica, going to London, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah, dah. And this other position opened up and I gave it a shot and lo and behold, he's under my own old sponsor, the same lady that called me to say, take Bili to Dubai. She was like, I'm ready to take Bili back. And this girl is now a director. And that was a big deal. That was such a big moment for the family that. I'm finally able to move up. And so I took that job to get that opportunity to play at a different level within the corporation. So I did. So that was my really my last role.

Megan:

Yeah. And then, of course, another restructuring.

Bili:

Yes. Yeah. So we went and we did 2020 work, right? Because the day I returned to the United States, I was on a plane and everybody's like, Oh, this is like, this COVID thing. The next morning. We're on a call, like, yeah, so the world is coming to a close. I'm like, this is not happening. Wow, and yep, it is happening. So COVID happened. So I'm moving into a new role, getting my family back together. And the world is at a standstill. And, but it was also, again, Somebody needs to remind me to look at the class for it. Give us a time because everything was slow getting back home into that new role and being back home. We could take our time. To build it and dive into it. And when COVID became very serious we couldn't see our kiddo. She was in St. Andrews. She was supposed to be graduating. There was not going to be graduation. We're heartbroken. Couldn't see her. She got sick. And then we're like, why are we doing this? It's hard. So we started thinking. For whatever happens, let's find a way to be close to our kiddo. And maybe to find a place with her, see what the company can do for us. And we'll go from there while, I'm diving into my role and going with it. And I'm settling in nicely, 2020, 21. Everything is hunky dory while in open, in, this is a, Honest conversation. Yeah, that's part of what we're doing this while we're looking at on paper. We have families was living with family in the United States. Nothing is wrong with us. Everything is fine. Right now, but we started looking at, okay, what would it take to have, a house or an apartment that we can be close to her and should, God forbid, anything happens again, we can go or can we do something on our own. That is our own business. While we're supporting her and she's doing everything she's doing and by then she had moved to London. And I started noticing at work things where, you know, we could all feel something coming. But again, we're like, we're smart, we're hardworking, we're honest, we're not going to be on that list. Yeah. You should have known. I should just keep saying I'm going to be on that list rather than we're not going to be on that list. And November 2022 there about I get an email. The emails that come in the middle of the night. Yeah, them and. It's like, this is it. It's happening again, 10 years or so into being at Western Union.

Megan:

But then you're already thinking of maybe being closer to your daughter. And was that this kind of the push to do that?

Bili:

Yes, it was. But it was also Saddening. And frightening because the move or even working remotely and now whatever structure was going to be the intention was still to be with my company. One because I loved what I was doing. I love the company I was working for. And also, again. I had financial security because starting your own business is not a walk in the park. You need that support still. So yeah. So when that email came.

Megan:

Yeah. It never gets easier.

Bili:

No, no. And it was then it's happening again. Yeah. It's happening again. And so we put our list together and we decided, okay, if that is happening, then I'm going to put my Mouth, where my money, where my mouth is, or is that a saying? I think, yeah, that's a saying, yeah. Okay, good. My daughter laughs at me. She's Mom, stop saying sayings, because you say them backwards. So, thank God they're not prayers because I'll be cursing rather than praying. And so we looked at thousands of properties in Europe, and now I could put my own, what I'd learned in corporate America, I could put it to work for my family, strategy, negotiation, planning, business development, all of that, I could now put it to work, and we decided, okay, we're going to go ahead and do it. Get into the world of global real estate, preferably starting from the side of my husband is a trained chef fatality world, even though he's a geologist as well. And we would start buying properties. In the United States, in Europe, the places that we love, let's not kid ourselves, right?

Megan:

If you're going to do real estate, that's how you should do it.

Bili:

It was so selfish. It's like, where do we like to travel to? We sometimes it's not a good thing for our family because we've been everywhere and everywhere. It's like, Oh my God. So we started to do that. I got my, letter. Questioning on the employees, right? When they did the layoff, put everything together and. We realize we're still growing, right? We just finished paying college for our daughter. So you're still again, honest about what you have in hand, that is going to last. Right. So we started, when I got laid off, my last was December, 2022, January, 2023 by the end of January, beginning of February, everything had settled. So we put everything in motion. We decided we'd start our own company. And by then I'd been learning a lot about corporate structure, not just from a big company perspective. Yeah, but how you set

Megan:

up a new company.

Bili:

Exactly. So I started doing that. And after seeing so many properties from Sicily to Costa Rica to Tuscany, we found our first property outside of the United States in Tuscany, here in Siena. Amazing. And turned it into a luxury villa. And now we're receiving guests. So we have our own company. And I did set up the whole corporate structure from a tax perspective, from a business structure perspective. But even then Megan, that has not been easy. It's a small business, so it's just the two of us. We're doing everything. We're doing everything.

Megan:

Which is hard and then to be doing it in another country and

Bili:

another language. But then again, my little blessings, every little asset of what the last 20 years or so taught me. I could use it here, which helped a little bit but it still is not easy. So we're starting a third act, first was raising a child through college, and we made it. Second was going through the yo yo and up and down of corporate America and trying to build and find our space in that world. And this is the third act of us trying to build something for ourselves. If need be, get back into the corporate world to keep learning and keep growing, but as for now, we have this that we're building and knock on wood, it's gotten to an easier stage that we're now comfortable to continue to grow it and everything we've learned. We keep learning.

Megan:

that's amazing. And your journey is really cool because as we were saying before there are all these funny connections and like full 360 moments along the way, which is amazing. Which is really cool when you reflect on it. And I think also just a testament of, the universe does have a weird way of working out. Not always how you expect it to, but I would like a straight line. Wouldn't we

Bili:

all no more curve balls, no more. You're used to straight shot to the moon. Yeah. It's probably not going to happen, but it would be nice though. You know, like we started a company. Now we have five to 10 properties. Everybody can come take a holiday with us. Business is great. There's still a few curve balls that would come.

Megan:

Yeah. Yeah.

Bili:

Ready for it.

Megan:

For sure.

Bili:

Yeah.

Megan:

When you look back on your journey and think of. When you were starting out, is there like any advice you wish you could go back and give yourself the 1st 1?

Bili:

I don't know if this is politically correct. Try not to have a baby in your 3rd month of college. You cannot pick where you were born, right? That's that's an, but everything else you can almost control. Yeah, that was the 1st big big obstacle. Also a blessing. I love my daughter, but let's be honest. That is still a big shocker because you're starting at a big disadvantage. I was so I'll tell my younger self to just be a little bit more patient and pick up friends a little bit more carefully. But otherwise, to be honest with you, Megan, I don't think I've done too many of the things that I thought I wouldn't do. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that was the only curveball I did not, that was the biggest curveball was that you could ruin another human, another being. And so I was glad that even though that was unexpected and big, big factor to that question. Right. And if it happens. I own it. I owned it. Yeah. Yeah.

Megan:

Yeah. And I know you did a great job because I've met you daughter.

Bili:

It's

Megan:

a good

Bili:

feeling.

Megan:

Yeah. I think you kind of touched on it, but what's your vision for the future? The

Bili:

vision for the future is to make a hospitality business as Accommodating and as big as possible. Let's be honest. No, I'm just kidding. I'm not kidding. That is true. But it's to put together everything that we've learned, put it to work for us while we're serving others. So to be able to open a few more, because the properties that we've opened, we've done them with attention. We have libraries in our building. That's a big part of my upbringing where books are hard to come by. So we have. Reading material units that we have on our property. My husband is a chef. So that love of bringing everybody together for food. So we have open kitchen and gardens and farms and things like that. So, if I can keep doing that, until corporate America calls again, I'm okay if it doesn't, or corporate world, not just corporate America, if it doesn't, if we can continue to do this with the good intention, intentionality, I think we can make it. I think we can make it. And we can see where that takes us. For me, the end goal is, what do we need for our kiddo? What do we need for the next generation? For a girl that came from nothing, and my husband that came from. Maybe just a little bit more than I did, but still we started from the bottom. If we're to make it to the top and to stay there. What type of impact do we leave? The lives of our daughter and others.

Megan:

Yeah. I think I said it before, but I would bet on you every time. So, I'm sure you'll make a success of it. And I can't wait to come visit at some point. I'll be emailing you when I'm ready for my next holiday.

Bili:

Please do, please do. Yeah. It's I've learned how to do social media posting and build a website. I mean, I'm enjoying everything that I'm learning and empowered to do more. But I can't wait till we also have our first employees.

Megan:

And be able to share the load. And if you want to keep growing, yeah, you just can't do it all yourself. So

Bili:

no, no. I've enjoyed knowing every single corner of this. A hum of a property, And the property also has its own family history, and it's been meaningful to us that as the family came back, they've sometimes cried like, oh my God,

Megan:

that's amazing.

Bili:

If I can keep doing that, that I can keep history, I can keep family, I can keep culture, and I can keep genuine kindness in what we're doing. Why not?

Megan:

Yeah, you are genuinely kind. So I think you will be able to keep that at the center.

Thank you

Megan:

so much for this and for sharing your journey and the weaving path of it. I think it's really important. First of all, super fascinating, but I think also really inspiring to me and hopefully to other people who listen. I don't know if you could hear that, but there were just some fireworks outside My cat is terrified. Anyway, I'm really grateful that you took the time to share and I can't wait to share it with the world.

Bili:

Thank you. Thanks for helping me remember the journey and what matters because I've been in the weeds and this has given me just another moment to breathe and say, come a long way. Still some to go, but It's

Megan:

nice to pause for a second and reflect on how far you really have come. Thank

Bili:

you.

Megan:

Awesome. Thank you, Bili.

Bili:

Thank you. Good luck with the podcast. Thank you. Have a great weekend. You too.

Bili's journey is such an incredible example about how things connect in unexpected ways and how ultimately things seem to work out, even when it's not the way you had imagined. And it feels to me that Bili ultimately created those opportunities with her drive and determination. Not to mention her infectious personality. Three things I really took away from our discussion were. First Bili is very driven, but it's all in support of her values with the number one thing, being her family, her decisions always seem to be centered around supporting her family and building a great life for them. Second, Bili seems to have an insatiable appetite for learning. I don't think I've ever met anyone with so many degrees and certifications and yes, some of this is tied to the first point. As she mentioned that as a black woman, she often feels the need to work three times as hard. Which is unfortunately a reality for many. But she also has a natural curiosity about people, about cultures and about business. And she seems to seek out opportunities to learn new things. Third, the importance of having a village. Bili talked about how important it was to have a village surrounding her and her family, which allowed her to juggle going back to school while working full-time and raising her daughter. But she also spoke about how instrumental managers, mentors, and sponsors have been on her journey. Lastly bill, his advice to herself is an excellent reminder. That most decisions aren't irreversible, you do have an element of control, but of course there are a few that are truly life-changing. Thank you for listening to the unexpected career podcast, please follow, share and rate on your favorite podcast provider. The unexpected career podcast is produced, edited and hosted by me, Megan Dunford. See you next week.