Wunmi Duyile

Account Manager

New York, New York, United StatesMid-Level

Open to New Opportunities

About

Wunmi, pronounced woo-me, means "Child that I love, with whom I'm well pleased." A heartfelt declaration of my parents' love for me through a traditional Nigerian name from our tribe of the Yoruba people. Unfortunately, because my name was different and unfamiliar to my classmates and friends in my neighborhood in Bowie, MD, I didn't always appreciate this proclamation from my parents. I found it did not allow me to blend in in the way I wanted as a young girl who wanted to be accepted by others. However, as I've grown, I realized that that distinction that's been bestowed on me from birth helped shape me and prepare me to be the woman I am today. Blending in was never in the cards for me with a name like Wunmi, instead I've learned to celebrate my uniqueness and show up as my authentic self in all spaces, encouraging others to do the same by reminding them of the power in being yourself.   Growing up in gorgeous Prince George's County, MD, I look back and feel blessed to know that I didn't feel like an 'other' because of my skin color. I lived in a county that was predominantly Black, which allowed me to see that with hard work, I could be anything I wanted to be because I had so many examples of people who looked like me embodying those words. However, when it came to my name, I wasn't always able to relate to those around me, and there were questions and scenarios that would occur yearly that I would dread until elementary school like first day of school roll call and attendance taken by substitute teachers. My name is not a common name that my classmates grew up hearing, thus for most of them I was the first Wunmi many of them met. It became my duty to educate on the meaning and family significance of my name. Third grade Wunmi felt this was overwhelming, but by high school, it was second nature to embrace my differences and  and showcase my roots as a Nigerian-American to my peers. I was proud of my heritage and excited that I had the esteemed honor of sharing about my Yoruba culture and how amazing it is to fuse it with American culture. Though my name was different, they knew I was similar to them except with a slight twist. Thus, those questions I once dreaded from my classmates soon became beams of pride and joy. I now embodied a confidence of being different, I took it as my responsibility to embrace being the "only," living as a self-appointed brand ambassador for Nigerian-Americans. By the time I found myself in high school on the other side of town, at a predominantly white all girls' preparatory school, I was prepared to embrace my differences in an even more drastic way. High school was the turning point as my identity as a Black woman spoke before I did. Sitting in classes at Cornell University to interning at Meta,  I soon saw my life as a testament of to whom much is given, much is required.    I keep that word of wisdom top of mind at every moment in my career. In my first year as a full time employee, I had performed exceedingly well that when I pitched to support my African counterparts in the EMEA region on their activations in Lagos, Nigeria, I created a segment for the team that focused on teaching small business owners how to leverage Meta advertising tools to grow their businesses. The success of this session led to future opportunities to lead similar workshops in Johannesburg, South Africa. It all clicked for me. The resilience and confidence developed in those moments where I was had no choice but to embrace my differences prepared me for moments like these. They prepared me to take feedback to product managers in North America and reveal how people in different countries use our platform differently and thus value certain products of the Meta suite like WhatsApp more critical for growing their businesses. It allowed me to speak to leadership and advocate for clients to be held to a code of conduct when a teammate came to me disappointed that a client denied working with him due to the color of his skin and wearing his hair in locs. Scared to risk team metrics or reprimand from our Team Lead, I advocated for the wellbeing of my colleague and all Account Managers' psychological safety. Though I had not experienced this, I remembered that to whom much is given, much is required. The company was lucky to have him just as he is, and the partner was, as well. It took me back to third grade me that wanted to blend in because I saw it as burdensome to be different. I wanted my colleague to feel confident embracing his differences and showing up as his authentic self. Moreover, I wanted all Account Managers to feel comfortable doing by having tactical structures in place that hold all partners accountable, as well.  That year, I won Meta's Global Business Group's Greatest Strength Award. Although, I exceeded revenue targets consistently, I know it was truly for my commitment to ensuring that my teammate felt supported, seen and value, and my boldness in ensuring Meta held partners to a standard of accepting differences, as well, no matter the levels of investment in the platform. When I think of my purpose and the impact I want to have on the world, I want to uphold a standard of kindness and respect while embracing the curiousity of others. I want to empower underrepresented communities to be confident being themselves in places where we might feel like 'other' and affirm them that they are where they are meant to be just as they are. It is not our duty to blend in, for it is our duty to show up authentically, as doing so will expand the horizons of those around us and push others to embrace the same diversity that we embody.   So who is Wunmi Duyile? I am a problem solver, avid advocate for those who have ever felt like an 'other,' sister, friend advertising guru, and digital marketing haven. I genuinely love people and I love that advertising allows you to tell the human story. Advertising runs through my veins. From modeling for adverts for my daycare as a child to working with the top brands to build their strategy for their creative and advertising efforts. Advertising chose me and I choose it right back.

Wunmi Duyile

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