On Flora Uwadiegwu’s Special Day: Celebrating a Remarkable Leader 🌟
Flora Uwadiegwu is many things to many people: an entrepreneur, a leader, a mentor, a friend, and a sister. Each of these roles highlights her multifaceted personality and her impact on those around her.
Flora is one of the co-founders of Wetech, a thriving community for women in tech. With her guidance, Wetech has expanded to encompass over 2,000 members from various states in Nigeria, supported by a dedicated team of seven members who work remotely across the region. Flora has a Masters in Engineering from McGill University and began her career journey in the tech industry as a Technical Support Specialist. Her dedication and vision have propelled her to her current role as a Product Manager at one of the top global software companies.
Under her leadership, Wetech has achieved remarkable milestones. Flora has been instrumental in organizing one of the largest women-in-tech events in Nigeria, aptly named #AThousandofUsWetech 2022. This event spotlighted a startup pitch competition where the winner, a trailblazer in the Smartphone technology sector, was first recognized. Additionally, the recent Female Founders Conference 2023 aimed to amplify the voices of women entrepreneurs. This influential gathering not only displayed the skills and potential of female founders within the industry but also presented a substantial grant to the PitchHer 2023 winner, nurturing promising talent. Furthermore, through persistent efforts, Flora has successfully secured funding for numerous projects, one of which is being a recipient in part of a $20,000 grant by The Autodesk Foundation.
We can’t talk about Flora without mentioning that she makes sure everyone on her team feels important and helps them with their career growth. She’s not just a boss; she cares about her team like a family.
Hear From The Team:
No description of Flora could be complete without insights from the people who work closely with her. Here are a few thoughts shared by her team members:
One of the most memorable pieces of advice that my sister Flora gave me was when I was an undergraduate student trying to figure out which university to transfer to. She gave me tips on how to write letters, deal with professors, and what to look for in programs and schools that mattered to my field of study. I remember a funny incident when I visited Flora in Montreal during winter. As soon as I arrived at her place, I saw a huge heap of snow in her backyard, and I jumped out to make a snow angel on it. She encouraged my mischief and even took a video. Our mom saw the video and started exclaiming why I would do that to myself in a typical Nigerian mom way, and Flora and I burst into laughter. Flora is a great planner and executor. We can see her hard work with Wetech, but I also think it’s her Type-A-ish personality that helps her follow all the steps and plans needed to achieve her goals. Once she has a vision of what she wants, she’s unstoppable and will get it done. I fear that even God may not be able to intefer lol. I admire how thoughtful she is and how she shows up for the people she cares about. A challenging situation for her would be staying up late to ensure that our events and programs are planned and executed well. If I had to sum her up in one word, it would be “reliable.” I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t. – Gabriella Uwadiegwu
Flora is an exceptional individual who always strives for excellence, she also has an amazing ability to multitask and excel at everything she does. One time, right before a conference, we received a bad order of souvenirs. But Flora wasn’t going to let that ruin the day or agree to give out the sub-standard souvenirs. Instead, She stayed up till late in the night with the volunteers substituting the already packaged souvenirs and making last-minute changes. In total, Flora is unstoppable and whatever you give her, she refines and turns it into something much better. My most memorable moment is realizing how tall she is in person and getting a warm hug from her. My word to sum up Flora would be “unstoppable” because she would stop at nothing to bring her ideas to life. Her superpower is being able to transform raw and unprocessed items into gold! – Oyindamola Dawodu
There are program managers, and then there are PROGRAM MANAGERS. Flora embodies what that title truly means. Her proactiveness and communication skills are top-notch, and she can easily deliver a 5-minute voice note to clearly articulate her point. I won’t lie. There was a time when we were working on a medium-sized program, and I was surprised to receive her message at an odd hour. I scrolled through our chat, calculated the hours, and thought, “Does this lady sleep at all?” That’s when I realized she is someone who aims to get things done and doesn’t stop until they’re perfect. She’s hardworking, proactive, and calm. When you see a hardworking lady, Flora is it. Happy Birthday, Flora! It’s been rewarding working and learning from you. – Bernice Omiunu
I have worked with Flora and I can attest that she creates an environment where everyone’s voice is heard and ideas matter. Her superpower is her ability to adapt quickly to any situation. She is a great problem solver and always comes up with solutions to even the most complex problems. I recall a time when we were having trouble previewing posts on our social media platform, and she suggested creating a test platform, which I hadn’t thought of before. This made previewing much easier. Flora is also very detail-oriented, and she has taught me the importance of being thorough. I admire her resilience, as she never takes no for an answer, especially in tough situations. She has also been a great help to me personally, supporting me and giving me the chance to represent Wetech at a speaking engagement. This was my first speaking engagement, and I was proud to have achieved this milestone. Flora is not just our leader; she is our greatest advocate. She ensures that we have the tools and support we need to succeed. – Omotayo Olasoji
Flora is very goal-driven. With Flora, almost all ideas are executed. I admire her dedication to Wetech and how she’s all about empowering women in the tech space. I’ve learnt so much from her, some of them being paying attention to the littlest minute details and always giving your best, it’s either that or nothing. I’ve always felt comfortable with her, right from my behavioural interview with her and till this very moment. Anytime I get a voice note from her, I play it and subconsciously say along with her “Hi Adenike…..” and she always goes ahead to give feedback on my work in the calmest and most encouraging way. If you look up “Proactive” in the dictionary, I’m pretty sure there would be a picture of Flora right next to it lol. Working with and alongside her has been really rewarding and I look forward to all we’re still going to achieve as a team. Happy birthday Flora. – Adenike Adedokun
Flora’s dedication to making a real difference inspires me most. She dreams big, but always keeps her focus on impactful actions that truly change lives. Having her as a guide is a privilege. – Oluwapelumi Eweje
We have a special video birthday message for Flora that was contributed by everyone in the team. You can watch it by clicking on the link here.
As we celebrate Flora today, we recognize more than her achievements; we celebrate the impact she has on our lives and the tech community. Her commitment to helping others and promoting women in tech is truly inspiring.
Let’s all wish Flora a Happy Birthday on Instagram, Twitter, and on our Slack channel! 🎉 🫶🏽 Here’s to many more achievements and years of inspiring leadership. 🥂
This piece was written by Omotayo Olasoji, and the whole team at Wetech contributed from the designs to proofreading. The video editing was done by Chioma Mmegwa.
