Dr Fin Dittimi’s voice carried the calm certainty of someone who had seen the world from many angles, yet remained deeply connected to his roots. From his current base in Canada, far from Nigeria where he spent his early years, Dr Dittimi reflected on a career that spanned continents, industries, and technologies.
His story was not one of linear success but of resilience, vision, and an unwavering commitment to transformation—both of systems and people.
“It’s been 15 years,” he began, a wry smile hinting at the weight of those years. “Fifteen years of learning, failing, growing, and building things that mattered—sometimes only to find out why they didn’t.”
It was a reflection typical of Dr Fin Dittimi, whose humility belied the scope of his achievements. Over the course of his career, he has developed 30 groundbreaking products, led global teams, and shaped the lives of countless aspiring technologists. Yet, for him, the journey was as much about the mistakes as it was about the milestones.
His beginnings in the IT world were unremarkable—a degree in hand and a head full of questions.
“Like everyone else, I started by learning the basics: how technology could reduce costs, automate tasks, and improve revenue. But I always wondered, could it do more? Could it solve deeper problems?”
That curiosity propelled him into roles where he observed a fundamental misalignment between technology and value.
“Back then, people saw technology as a cost centre,” he explained. “Something you paid for but didn’t expect much from beyond routine tasks. I knew that mindset needed to change.”
Driven by this insight, Dittimi pursued a Master’s in IT Management in the UK, where he deepened his understanding of systems and processes. His academic journey coincided with a professional awakening: the realisation that technology was not just about tools but about people, decisions, and outcomes.
I saw early on that scaling technology meant moving beyond individual effort. You needed structures, processes, and systems that could reduce the barriers of human intervention.
One of his most transformative discoveries came during his early forays into data analysis, what we now call artificial intelligence.
“Back then, we didn’t even call it AI,” he recalled. “It was just pattern recognition. We were tracking behaviours and trying to interpret them. It wasn’t glamorous, but it worked.”
This work marked the beginning of a lifelong fascination with data and its power to reveal truths.
“Imagine a company with a thousand employees,” he said, his tone growing animated. “How much of what they do contributes to the bottom line? And how much is just noise? Data helps us answer those questions.”
But Dittimi’s career was not without its challenges.
One of the defining moments came during his tenure as a Chief Product Officer, where he worked alongside a visionary CEO with big dreams but little discipline.
“The CEO was a genius with ideas,” Dittimi admitted. “But he didn’t know how to stop, focus, and see one project through to completion.” Despite having a million-dollar budget, the project ultimately failed—not because of technical flaws but because of leadership missteps.
“I was too young to hold him accountable,” Dittimi confessed. “I couldn’t make him pause long enough to let us finish what we started.”
The failure left its mark and taught him a lesson that would guide his approach to leadership and consulting in the years to come.
Building products isn’t about the next big idea,” he said. “It’s about execution, validation, and delivering value to customers before moving on to the next thing.
As Dittimi’s career progressed, so did the complexity of his challenges. Working with Bombardier Airlines and other major enterprises, he refined his ability to build systems that operated at scale.
His work with the Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN) became another defining chapter, where he launched multiple products, including Obsidi, and managed diverse teams across Africa, the US, and Canada. Leading teams spread across continents required a new kind of agility.
“It wasn’t just about time zones,” he said. “It was about understanding cultural differences, learning when to step in and when to step back, and building processes that could function without me.”
Yet, Dr Fin Dittimi’s impact extended far beyond technology. As a black immigrant navigating predominantly white spaces in Canada, Dittimi quickly realised the significance of representation.
“I would walk into rooms, and I was the only one who looked like me,” he said. “It was lonely, but it was also an opportunity.”
Over time, he became a vocal advocate for creating pathways for underrepresented minorities in tech. His efforts culminated in the founding of FandF Consultancy, a firm that combined his technical expertise with his passion for mentorship.
FandF is more than a consultancy, it is a lifeline for immigrants and aspiring technologists, many of whom are struggling to break into the industry.
“When I first moved to Canada, I saw so many people like me—smart, capable—working in warehouses or driving for companies like DHL. They weren’t in tech, not because they couldn’t do it, but because they didn’t have the tools or the confidence to try,” he said.
Dittimi set out to change that. Through tailored training programmes, he has helped participants bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical skills, preparing them for six-figure careers in fields like product management, data analysis, and software development.
“Take Queen,” he said, recounting one of many success stories. “She came to us after struggling through interviews, unable to move past the theoretical. We put her on a real-world project, taught her how to apply her skills, and coached her through the interview process. Today, she’s thriving at Indeed.”
For Dittimi, stories like Queen’s were proof that the barriers to entry in tech were surmountable with the proper guidance.
His work is not limited to individuals. Dittimi has a grander vision for Africa’s role in the global tech ecosystem.
“Look at India, the Philippines, China,” he said. “They’ve built systems that export talent and bring foreign currency back home. Africa can do the same, but we need to focus on skill development and infrastructure.”
He lamented the focus on the so-called “japa” syndrome—Africans leaving the continent for better opportunities—and argued instead that the real challenge was a lack of scalable systems to support those who stayed.
His solution is ambitious: build a pipeline of tech talent in Africa that could serve global markets without leaving the continent.
“It’s not just about training people,” he explained. “It’s about building trust, creating systems that businesses in North America and Europe can rely on, and removing barriers like electricity and internet access.”
Asked about the future of FandF, Dittimi’s eyes lit up. The firm is expanding its offerings, launching virtual assistant programmes, self-paced learning courses, and even technological products to streamline hiring processes. But his most ambitious goal is the creation of an ecosystem to rival those of India and China—a system that would place African talent at the centre of the global tech economy.
Through it all, one theme remained constant: transformation. Whether he is designing software, mentoring a young professional, or reimagining the future of work in Africa, Dr Fin Dittimi is driven by the same question he had asked himself at the start of his journey: how can we make things better? In his life and work, he has found countless answers—and yet, one can sense that this is only just the beginning.
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