Originally from Nigeria, Ozii’s now an account manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS) in Silicon Valley, helping the world’s brightest young entrepreneurs set up their businesses in the AWS Cloud.
He works with machine learning startups, mobile apps, big data analytics and biotech firms; data-crunching companies at the cutting-edge of tech. And with AWS cloud computing technology, he’s making dreams come true, providing startups with the IT infrastructure they need to grow.
It all started with an MBA at Temple University’s Fox School of Business. Previously, Ozii worked in marketing and sales, and even started his Texas-based online media marketing company. In 2011, he relocated to Philadelphia for his MBA.
Three weeks before graduation, he landed a role at tech giant Oracle, profiting from the power of the Fox MBA career service which - in 2015 - placed 97% of its MBA students into graduate jobs.
In four years, he worked his way from Oracle, to consulting in South Africa, managing a blog, and joining AWS in August, where he finds himself among a number of high-flying Fox MBA grads at Fortune 500 firms in Silicon Valley.
It's no surprise Ozii's career has taken off since completing his MBA. After all, no one outsmarts a Fox.
Why are startups taking their businesses to the cloud?
Businesses that are born in the cloud can go global in minutes.
When I talk to startups and they tell me the kind of businesses they’re launching it’s pretty amazing. Before the cloud was a reality, it would be so difficult for them to launch their businesses because of the capital expense required to set up or gain access to a data center.
A lot of customers are excited to talk to AWS account managers because of the successes other customers have achieved on our platform, and how fast we are innovating. That’s the aspect of the job that I’m excited about; I get to help people speed up their success on our platform.
What do you look for in MBA job applicants for your organization at AWS?
What’s different about Amazon is really how committed we are to our leadership principles. We have fourteen, but all point to customer obsession. Everything starts with the customer and we work backwards from there.
The interviews are based on Amazon's leadership principles. If you want to join AWS, you need to be able to embody those leadership principles and have examples of how you’ve displayed them.
How much do you credit your Fox MBA for where you are now?
The Fox MBA helped develop a broad international mind-set; it enabled me to think broadly on a business aspect but also a cultural aspect. And with the Fox MBA, I was able to get a graduate job at Oracle.
The career consultation really challenged me to think broadly about my network. I reached out to people, got introduced to someone at Oracle, and I was able to get an interview. I told them my story - about my experience during the Fox MBA and what I had learnt - and I got the job.
You cannot underestimate the power of networking. There are so many cliché things out there about your network determining your net worth, but it has a lot of truth to it. At Amazon too, networking played a key role in how I got the job.
Why did you decide to pursue an MBA at Fox?
There was just so much about business that I didn’t know. And I’m always curious about what else is happening around the world. I wanted to experience the world out there, and not just be restricted to the classroom.
Fox allowed you to study a little bit in Philadelphia, about four months in Paris, and then a three-week tour of China, India, and Japan.*
What makes Philadelphia an attractive location for MBAs?
I enjoyed Philadelphia. It has some great schools, and I got a chance to network with a lot of students. It’s a bustling city and has a lot of history to it, so there’s a lot to learn.
And it’s in a great location, from where you can easily get to New York, DC and some of the other hubs on the East Coast.
What should applicants think about when deciding to do an MBA?
You need to know exactly how the MBA fits into your overall story and how it can get you closer to your goals. Knowing the schools and their strengths is key; know what the schools’ alumni are doing and where they are located.
A lot of the time, the ranking is not the only thing; you need to be able to understand the other complementing factors of the school and how it’s unique.
*Ozii participated in the MBA before it was restructured two years ago, students now participate in two two-week residencies during their 21 month time in the new and improved Global MBA.
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