Gift Ajimokun
This interview took place when Gift Ajimokun was an Early Careers Co-ordinator at Penguin Random House. The first thing she wanted you to know is she was born and raised in South East London, and will probably live there forever if she doesn’t move to Amsterdam. With a tendency to get bored if she wasn’t being challenged, Gift found school frustrating, and left before finishing her A Levels to look for apprenticeships.
She took part in ‘any work experience that would have me’, including placements at PWC, a local nursery and Penguin Random House. When she landed an apprenticeship at Unilever, it was an interesting experience: ‘I’d never worked in an organisation that big. The free stuff was nice, the gym was nice, but they treated me like an apprentice not an employee. They assumed my abilities only went so far even though I was showing them I could do more.'
Nine months into the apprenticeship, Gift left and started looking for jobs in companies where she’d enjoyed her work experience, including Penguin Random House. ‘I thought I was a shoe-in because I’d done work experience, but I obviously wasn’t because I was rejected a lot. Then I applied for this job co-ordinating the work experience. It’s not something I normally would have gone for but I thought if I loved the work experience placement maybe I’d love organising it even more.’ She is proud of the changes she has helped action, including the portal which allows applicants to be selected randomly and for inclusivity data to be captured, as well as introducing a work experience induction day to help build confidence before people started their placements. Now, Gift is Early Careers Co-ordinator alongside being co-chair and founder of Penguin Random House’s BAME network Colour[Full], which she created in response to feeling ‘other’ in a predominantly white industry.
Gift has since left publishing to pursue other opportunities.
'People don’t often get to hang out with people who are different, which is why when they’re all talking about the same thing.'
Can you tell us a bit about why you created Colour[Full]?
My partner is a white man, and he’s able to walk into a room with a level of comfortability that I don’t have. I’m not afforded that luxury. He doesn’t have to think about what his hair looks like or what he’s going to say. When I came to publishing I had a bald head and I was so conscious of it. I wondered if people would ask me awkward questions, like whether I was part of a tribe. There probably weren’t eyes on me but I felt like a conscious other and I didn’t see people who looked like me. At Unilever people touched my hair a lot. At my team away day everyone got a certificate about their achievements – mine were my enthusiasm and my ‘dynamic hairstyles’. I was very much other there, and then I came to Penguin Random House and there were even fewer people who looked like me. I didn’t want it to be the case. I didn’t want other people to walk in and feel like that. I wanted to be the person that changes it.
Even when you’re having chats in the kitchen, people talk about the places they grew up in the countryside, or going to chalets – it’s such a different world. I’m asking if anyone has listened to the latest Giggs album. I say things and people have no idea what I’m talking about! It reminds me that I’m different and also that other people don’t often get to hang out with people who are different, which is why when they’re all talking about the same thing, I come in talking about the latest stuff on black Twitter and I get ‘what are you talking about?’ When I try and explain what’s relevant in my life nobody gets it, which makes it a hostile environment because they feel awkward for not getting it. Colour[Full] is a place where you can have those conversations and learn to navigate the industry.
'Don’t say something out loud if you’re not going to do it.'
You came into a new industry and had the confidence and drive to turn an idea into a reality. What advice would you give to someone in this position?
I see something and it’s mine. I go for it with unfaltering energy. There’s no limit on the energy you can put towards a good idea! My passion is such a forceful thing that people realise ‘this is probably bigger than one person’. It’s not just about what you say but how you deliver. I stutter when I’m anxious and because of that I try and keep what I say simple: I don’t add flowery language, I am very direct. With Colour[Full] the conviction is also backed by my lived experience.
Don’t say something out loud if you’re not going to do it. It’s fine to have ideas floating around but only say it if you’re going to do something about it. That’s why I was taken seriously on Colour[Full]; everyone knew that because I’d said it I would deliver it. So when I said I wanted to create Colour[Full] they said ‘OK Colour[Full]’s coming, we’re just waiting for it to arrive.’ Obviously things change and the idea might not match the final project, but the intent needs to be there. I’d been thinking about it over and over since I joined – four or five months of thinking – before I spoke to a few senior people of colour in the company. They said ‘do it, do it now.’ I set up a brainstorm and before the meeting I asked everyone for a picture of someone who inspired them, and a reason they were proud of their heritage. I plastered these all over the walls so everything started with a different energy, and that made the ideas in that brainstorm so good. Those ideas were the foundation of what Colour[Full] is now.
'You need to know and share what your strengths are as a leader, but you need to know and use the strengths of your team just as well.'
You are leading a network and being led in a team. What does good leadership look like to you?
A good leader is aware of how powerful the minds around them are and uses them well. I used to hate delegating work – I like to be left to my own devices to get things done well and fast. But when I’ve asked someone else to do something for Colour[Full], I’ve always been glad I did. People have different strengths and if you identify those early and encourage them to develop them, they can make it their area of expertise. You should know everyone in your team. What are they talented at? What are they enthused about? My team leader asked what I was passionate about and for me I have always loved creating communities and spaces for people, and Colour[Full] has been my most successful to date. I’ve been gathering and collecting people for different causes since primary school; Colour[Full] is a bigger version of that. You need to know and share what your strengths are as a leader, but you need to know and use the strengths of your team just as well. Otherwise they won’t be doing all the positive stuff they can do and they won’t feel like they’re succeeding.
I really believe in saying ‘thank you’. Anybody who helps on any project for Colour[Full] gets a thank-you card because I really am so grateful. That goes a long way to making people feel valued. Even if it’s their job, they’re doing it well and you should acknowledge them for that.
'If you’re on an apprenticeship and it’s not working for you, if they’re wasting the resource that you are, then leave.'
You have co-ordinated hundreds of work experience placements, and taken part in some too, what advice would you give to someone about to start a placement?
The biggest thing is to talk to as many people as possible. Be ready with the questions you want to ask – the worst thing you can do is come to a meeting without any questions. It’s useful for you, but also for the other person as they know where their time is going. It feels more valuable than a chat. So, meet as many people as you can but have an agenda. Do you want CV tips? Is there a connection they can help you make? You only know what’s out there if it’s visible to you, so talk to loads of people and discover what’s out there.
If you’re on an apprenticeship and it’s not working for you, if they’re wasting the resource that you are, then leave. I’m a big advocate for leaving. If I hadn’t left my apprenticeship when I did, I wouldn’t have had the amazing opportunities that I’ve had since. Obviously assess your bills and your living situation, but don’t waste your time because you won’t get that back.
Remember that just because you’re young doesn’t mean you don’t know anything. I’m 20, and I wish I’d told myself earlier ‘you know a lot, and you know things that people in the company are paying market researchers to find out. Be proud of that.’ I started Colour[Full] because I knew how important it was. I wish I’d known that other people didn’t know as much as I thought they did. Basic things that you don’t see if you’re in a different circle, which I can help with. With Michelle Obama’s book I was able to help inform the campaign because they were speaking to black women.
Can you tell us about another woman working in publishing who inspires you?
My co-chairs Sian Pratley and Asmaa Isse. They are so passionate and Colour[Full] wouldn’t be what it is without them. I also have to say Candice Carty-Williams. She is a fantastic black woman and I can’t even lie, since she met me she has been my biggest cheerleader. She’s not only spread the word about Colour[Full] but has also talked about me to so many people outside of Penguin Random House. She’s a well-connected person so I’m grateful but I also feel so privileged that she’s put me on to a lot of opportunities. The best thing about the black community is that we put our mates on. Everyone buy her book Queenie, it’s out now.
