Interviewer: Grace Warrior (GW)
Interviewee: Obine Adoh (OA)
One weekend in November I was lucky enough to be able to interview Obine Adoh over dinner. Mr Adoh works in the government’s CyberSecurity sector, and in my eyes he is an inspiration and we can all learn a lot from him. As well as having a successful career he is also able to run a company, and help out with charity whenever possible. I think we can all learn a lot from his many triumphs and attitude towards whatever gets thrown his way.
GW: How would you describe yourself in 5 words.?
OA: Focused, quiet, a visionary and a problem solver.
GW: What is your greatest strength?
OA: The ability to listen
GW: What are your hobbies?
OA: I like music, which has led me to DJing, and I also enjoy playing golf.
GW: Do you think that the school environment has changed since you were little?
OA: I didn’t know about The Abbey when I was little; but ever since my daughter enrolled there, I have seen a great increase in parent/school engagement. The methods of teaching have changed over the years from when I compare my learning method as a young child.
GW: What’s your favourite time of the day?
OA: The end of the day, after work when I can put my feet up, get some dinner and hang out with my family.
GW: Do you like your present job?
OA: I love my job and the challenges it comes with. I am an IT consultant with a focus in Cyber Security. I help organisations secure their systems from Cyber Attacks.
GW: What’s the biggest learning experience you’ve had?
OA: It never stops. There is always something new to learn. I constantly have to keep improving in my job to understand what needs to be done to protect organisations. I learn new techniques when DJing to produce smoother sounds and I keep learning to get better at golf. Every learning experience is a new challenge and gives me a sense of fulfilment when I conquer that and move on to the next phase of learning something new.
GW: What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received?
OA: That I am relaxed, unassuming and down-to-earth.
GW: What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done in your life?
OA: Nothing too interesting. The best I have done is being my daughter’s caddie during her golf competitions. Her temperament on the course makes it an adventure 😀
GW: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received
OA: Never give up. It doesn’t matter who you are, where you come from or how weak/strong you are; you can achieve whatever you set your heart to.
GW: What’s something you notice about someone when you first meet them?
OA: Their persona. How friendly they are from their smile.
GW: What’s the one talent you wish you had?
OA: Singing! I can’t sing to save my life 😀
GW: What’s one thing you had to learn the hard way?
OA: Never ever make your own cycle ramp without the supervision of an adult. I must have been about 10/12yrs at the time and have a BMX bicycle. I had a plan as I had seen on TV; plus I was already good at the time in creating technical drawings. So I designed and built a ramp for me to cycle/fly over. Let’s just say I am lucky to be here today.
GW: What is your idea of a perfect vacation?
OA: A sunny Island vacation where I can chill on the beach with the family and DJ in the evenings.
GW: What did you want to do with your life at age 12?
OA: I wanted to be either an Engineer or a Scientist. I found Chemistry very interesting and had a little lab at home. I also had a huge collection of Lego puzzles with batteries and automation to pass my time as well.
GW: What advice would you like to give to us about overcoming obstacles?
OA: People become successful when they learn from their failures/mistakes. The more you pick yourself up and understand what you could have done better, makes you a better, more resilient person and chances are that, no obstacle becomes too great for you to overcome. Just keep pushing.
I was very lucky that I was able to talk to Mr Obine, and I think that he shared many valuable pieces of advice that we can all reflect on and keep in mind. I hope that you take just as much from this as I did.
