In the high-velocity world of African startups, the “Human” in Human Resources is often the first thing to get lost in the sprint for scale. Between the high-burn culture of Lagos tech and the cold precision of multinational conglomerates, a new philosophy is emerging.
I sat down with Emmanuel Faith, a name synonymous with the “relatable” side of tech leadership. From the hallowed halls of General Electric (GE) to the high-stakes trenches of Cowrywise and Big Cabal Media (BCM), Faith has navigated the “storms” of the ecosystem with a unique blend of financial literacy and radical empathy.
The Origin: From Taxaide to the “Big Boy” Era at GE
Before he was an HR powerhouse, Emmanuel Faith was a Tax Intern at Taxaide Professional Services, starting just a day after graduation. While many wait for their “dream role” to find them, Faith used his time as a Tax Trainee to study the intersection of payroll automation and people operations.
When he eventually landed at General Electric (GE), he entered a world of “packaging” and prestige—jumping danfo buses from Iyana-Ipaja to VI by 4 AM, only to stroll into AXA Mansard later that morning looking like a top-tier consultant.
“There are two kinds of people: those who know GE and those who don’t,” Faith laughs. “I was a ‘big boy’ earning in the upper echelon, but the real growth happened in the ‘bubble assignments’.”
The “Bubble” Strategy: How Personal Branding Opened Doors
Faith didn’t start in the HR department at GE, but he made his intentions impossible to ignore. He pioneered the “Bubble Assignment”—proactively asking HR managers for tasks that wouldn’t breach confidentiality.
His breakthrough came when he branded a company-wide engagement “Chat and Palley.” By leveraging his writing skills and his charisma as an “emergency Emcee,” he recorded a 96% attendance rate—the highest the team had seen in years.
“The reward for good work is more work,”
Cowrywise & The “Multipotentialite” HR
If GE was his training ground for culture, Cowrywise was where his ability was truly tested. In the fintech world, HR isn’t just about payroll; it’s about product. Faith describes this as his “best work,” largely because he wasn’t confined to a silo.
“Cowrywise tested my ability. I wore a lot of shoes—shoes I was quite capable of wearing,”
Whether he was partnering with Dev teams to build a product or supporting the marketing engine, his Economics background became his “unfair advantage.”
The work ethic was relentless. At one point, the company expanded by nearly 90% within 250 days of his joining. Faith himself was in the office for 100 days straight—a testament to the “grit” phase many tech enthusiasts romanticise, but few survive.
Navigating the Storm: Why the Documentary?
Every leader faces a season of restructuring. At Big Cabal Media (BCM), Faith joined during a “storm” where several leaders had resigned. He was tasked with “studying the ship” during a period of significant organisational change.
When BCM eventually underwent a downsizing exercise, Faith found himself among those affected. While a layoff is often seen as a “dip,” Faith used it as a moment of deep reflection. It was during this period of silence—navigating the transition from a high-profile role to the “what’s next”—that the idea for his career documentary was born.
The documentary isn’t just a highlight reel; it’s an honest, behind-the-scenes look at the pressures, trade-offs, and emotional weight of HR leadership. Faith shared the idea with his editor during this reflective period as a way to “open source” the story behind the scenes. It serves as a playbook for resilience, showing that even when a role ends, your reputation and your “Why” remain intact.
The Philosophy: “Good work gets done in a great ambience”
One of the standout phrases Faith insists on is Ambience. In his view, charisma is a tool of leadership, but empathy is the foundation.
“People come to work for different reasons,” he explains. “Sometimes it’s the person with the ‘gist,’ sometimes it’s the person who dresses well. As HR, you must recognize these diverse motivations.”
By making himself “easy-going,” Faith created a safe harbour for talent. However, he warns that this friendliness must be balanced: “It’s good for people to recognise you as an easy-going person so that when you are being serious, they recognise that too.”
Redefining the Gap: The HR Clinic Portfolios
Emmanuel identified a glaring hole in the African ecosystem: Quality HR service provision. Through HR Clinic, Faith has provided HR advisory for startups, SMEs, and NGOs—including working with high-growth clients like Nestuge. He is democratizing HR knowledge, providing a framework for startups to treat their people as assets rather than expenses.
The Takeaway: Building Your Career Capital
For the 18–35-year-old tech cohort, Faith’s story (and his new documentary) offers a playbook on Resilience:
- Don’t be shy about what you want: Ask rationally, but ask.
- Bet on yourself first: Faith missed movies and social time during NYSC to work on his “Bubble assignments.”
- Show your work: You need people speaking for you in rooms you haven’t entered yet.
Emmanuel Faith’s career proves that in the “New Africa,” the most valuable technology is the way we manage the people building Africa’s Tech.
🎥 Watch the Journey
Ready to see the story behind the headlines?
Click here to watch Emmanuel Faith’s Doing HR in Africa: Eight Years Behind the Scenes