Remi Adeseun
5 min readDec 9, 2017

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“Which of the favours of your Lord will you deny ? (Fabi-ayyi ala-i rabbikuma tukaththibani)” Q55:13.

As I come to the end of my weeklong holiday, I can’t help but keep repeating to myself, this awesome Quranic verse, a reminder from Allah SWT, the beneficient, the merciful.

In Al-Quran Kareem, Surah Ar Rahman (Chapter 55), Allah SWT asks, 31 times: “Which of the favours of your Lord will you deny?” Fabi-ayyi ala-i rabbikuma tukaththibani.

A bit exasperating, isn’t it? That man, a constant beneficiary of Allah’s rahmah (mercy), still needs constant reminders of Allah’s faithfulness in his life.

The irony actually lies in the faithfulness attribute. While Allah SWT is forever faithful to his word, it is in man’s nature to be weak. Lack/betrayal of faith are regular manifestations of man’s weakness.

This, perhaps, explains my biggest mid-life challenge.

As a young man, confidence was one of my hallmarks, sometimes bordering on over-confidence and easy to mistake as arrogance.

Gifted with natural intelligence, I didn’t need to study much to excel in school.

I was good at sports, had good friends and a great family.

Things always went well for me, if not at first try usually due to overconfidence, then almost always at the second attempt.

I rarely ever had to struggle for anything.

I got into one of the best secondary schools (Federal Government College Ilorin) in my days, and got admission to study Pharmacy at the University of Lagos with the odd combination of Math/Chemistry/Biology. I was the only one in my first year class of the College of Medicine bound students, who did not take Physics as a standard.

I was the only one in my Pharmacy School who was on the University Cricket Team, but was denied permission to proceed to the National University Games held at the University of Ife in 1984 because my Faculty Administrators couldn’t understand how a serious student would ever consider being away from studies just to go and play games!

I grew up under the wings of Pharmaceutical Colossuses. The Late Jimi Adesanya, a suave Industrial- turned Community Pharmacist (Medville Pharmacy, Allen Avenue, Lagos), was my Boss during my Internship years, while Dr Dere Awosika (first Pharmacist Federal Permanent Secretary) was my Boss at the Military Hospital Yaba where I did my National Youth Service.

I started my Pharmaceutical Marketing Career at Sandoz in 1989, where I rapidly rose to become Product Manager within 2 and a half years, and National Sales Manager another 3 years after. I anchored the merger, in Nigeria, of Sandoz and Ciba-Geigy to form Novartis from where I was head-hunted to lead the Janssen-Cilag Team as Country Manager from 1999–2005.

The Entrepreneurship flame was kindled in me after I attended the Advance Management Program at the Lagos Business School in 2002. I subsequently started my own company, Rodot Nigeria Limited which I went on to run as Chairman from 2005 after 6 years at the helm in Janssen (a Johnson & Johnson company).

Rodot, in typical “Wa bi llahi Taofeeq” manner (my Muslim name is Taofeeq, and it connotes a certain spiritual congruence, with good things coming one’s way in what the undiscerning will term, luck or chance), became exclusive distributors of BBraun Dialysis Equipment in Nigeria, courtesy of a recommendation from one of Nigeria’s most respected Nephrologists (Dr Ebun Bamgboye, who went on to become President of the Nigerian Association of Nephrology).

The undeniable mercies of God continued to attend me, when in 2008 I was invited to run the World’s Largest Free Cleft Surgery Charity, the Smile Train. I was Regional Director for West Africa from 2008–10.

In 2014, it was time again to heed another call, to serve as Program Director for PSN-PACFaH, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funded Program for Advocacy in Child and Family Health.

At the moment, I am Country Manager West Africa for IQVIA (formerly QuintilesIMS), having responded to an invitation to serve as Country Manager West Africa, informally since August 2016 and formally since March 2017.

In ALL my previous engagements, even at General Manager level(Country Manager Janssen-Cilag), I have always had one major focus at a time. Community Pharmacist, Hospital Pharmacist, Medical Representative, Product Manager, Sales Manager, Country Manager, Chairman, Regional Director, Program Director. Whatever the title had been, focus for sure had been singular.

Enter, IQVIA. IQ what? Sorry, QuintilesIMS. Quintiles what? Sorry, IMS Health. IMS what? Well let’s get to the root of these “what?s”!

In August 2016, I had received a call (or was it an email, or a facebook message…) from Amit Sadana, the cherubic multi-talented business leader I had met some 10 years before then. Amit was the General Manager of IMS Health in the Middle East and Asia, and Africa had been added to his portfolio. He wanted me to manage the West Africa Region for IMS Health. I agreed and was providing, pro bono, representation/consulting support for IMS Health. In October 2016, IMS Health merged with Quintiles to become QuintilesIMS. Fast forward to November 2017, QuintilesIMS metamorphosed into IQVIA, the world’s pre-eminent Human Data Science Company!

Away from my historical comfort zone of single business focus, in March 2017, I fully joined as Country Manager West Africa (English-speaking), and I was immediately immersed at the deep end in what is the mother of all multi-tasking endeavors that I have ever had to manage.

From working to develop core Information Data Assets (the IQVIA Flagship of Pharma Data-at Distributor and Retail Levels; Hospital Data, Insurance Claims Data), to ensuring healthy revenue flows through Primary Market Research for Pharma companies, and carrying out projects in the Public Health Space for Donors/Development Partners. I am literally having to fly an airplane and build it simultaneously.

All of this IQVIA business has happened in classic bootstrap manner: No Office, No Official Car, and all of 1 additional staff in Nigeria, a Consultant in Primary Market Research, and 1 Key Account Manager (now Commercial Head) based in Ghana and covering both Nigeria and Ghana.

I recall my son Dotun (a young Bank Executive) asking me when I informed my family about the new job, if I was really ready to go back on the grind as a Company Executive. I laughed it off then. I guess he was trying to remind me that it had been 12 years since I “retired” from my last corporate multinational Country Manager Job in 2005.

I have to say that it has been an uphill task, very challenging on multiple fronts simultaneously!

So when I decided at the end of November to take a break in the first week of December to catch my breath and get some thinking space, I knew I had to spiritually re-connect to up my game.

Starting with my chosen travel date (1st December) being a Public Holiday in Lagos and affording me easy travel to the airport, to the pleasant stay at the Hilton Paddington, the brilliant day of “Metamorphoses” at the TEDxEuston and the delight of being with my son Folajimi in New York, it has been a great trip to connect with my past, to count my blessings and to chide myself back to unquestioning faith in God.

After all, a resounding “NONE” has always been my answer to Allah’s question: “Which of the favours of your Lord will you deny”?

Mental Strengthening, Intellectual Boost, Familial Reconnection and Spiritual Reaffirmation are some of the favours of my Lord that I can not deny.

Here’s saying Alhamdulillah Rabbil Alamin for the bliss, that this week-long break has been.

Lagos, here I come….Let’s go IQVIA!

Remi Adeseun

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Remi Adeseun

Liberal, Lifelong Learner/Teacher Originally a Pharmacist. MedTech Entrepreneur, Health Sector Leader, Public Speaker