The CLEAN Conference 2025, themed around Connect, Learn, Energise, Achieve, and Network, brought together hundreds of ambitious Nigerian professionals at the prestigious Lagos Marriott Hotel, Ikeja, delivering a powerful wake-up call: in today’s hyper-competitive job market, hard work alone is no longer enough. To achieve exponential career growth, young professionals must urgently master artificial intelligence, build unapologetic digital visibility, and cultivate strategic networks. Organized by career transformation advocate Olayinka Oyetunji, Associate Partner at Ernst & Young and founder of the CLEAN initiative, the one-day intensive event featured high-impact talks from industry trailblazers who shared battle-tested strategies for turning potential into performance.
Key Highlights from the StageOlayinka Oyetunji (Convener, Ernst & Young) – In her session Commanding Influence through Strategic Visibility, Oyetunji revealed that professionals with strong personal brands earn up to 25% more than their peers. “Personal branding is personal leadership,” she declared. “Visibility is a gift – to yourself, your career, and the people you serve. Hard work without intentional presence limits you to linear growth.”
Tosin Ojo (Partner, Sahel Capital) – Speaking on Turning Audacious Goals into Strategic Wins, Ojo recounted starting her career as a mobile sales officer at Stanbic IBTC – far below her dream roles at Unilever or Nestlé. By shifting mindset, owning her environment, and aggressively prospecting clients, she transformed the role into a and beyond. Her core message: Start where you are, play to your strengths, and bloom exactly where you’re planted.
Julius Omodayo-Owotuga (Group Executive Director, Geregu Power Plc) – In Architecting Your Career Transformation, he stressed the difference between financial reward and true fulfillment. After high-paying international roles left him unfulfilled, he took ownership of his growth story. “Career transformation is about evolving your capacity, mindset, and value – moving from potential to consistent high performance.”
Femi Bejide (CEO, STATISENSE & Clan Afric) – Delivering the closing fire-starter The Future-Ready Professional, Bejide warned that formal education is increasingly becoming a threat in an AI-driven world. With jobs being tokenized and skills rapidly commoditized, AI literacy and superior social skills are the new currency. “The methods that worked yesterday won’t work tomorrow. Master AI now, build digital visibility, and network like your career depends on it – because it does.”Attendees left energized, armed with actionable frameworks, new LinkedIn connections, and a clear realization: the future belongs to those who combine technical adaptability with bold, visible personal leadership.
As Nigeria’s economy evolves and global competition intensifies, the CLEAN Conference 2025 has set the benchmark for career empowerment events – proving once again that when ambitious professionals connect to learn and network intentionally, extraordinary achievement becomes inevitable.
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