It would be really easy to feel envious of Dupsy Abiola. Her academic background isn’t shabby – top A’s in school before reading law at Oxford University (New College), Then there’s the fact that she was an elected JCR committee member, an active public speaker and already bagged a job before graduating. Oh, and her career as a barrister working on some of London’s most high profile and complex cases, not to mention the fact that she recently advised the government about youth unemployment and was shortlisted as one of Britain’s most influential black people under 40. Hear her talk about her latest endeavour, Intern Avenue and it’s hard not to be completely enamoured by her.
Personal successes aside, in launching Intern Avenue she’s resolutely focused on giving back. The whole premise of the business is to make it easier for companies to help graduates with the right skills to be quickly and easily headhunted for paid opportunities and internships. It’s one of the know brainer ideas that you can’t makes it impossible to understand why nobody else had thought of it sooner and was inspired by Dupsy’s younger sister and her friends who were struggling to find the right opportunities. We caught up with her earlier this year to talk about being a minority at Oxford, dealing with competition and what she’s most proud of.
EARLY INFLUENCES: I grew up in North London in a big family environment which was certainly very different from that of my peers. I think that I was very fortunate to have been instilled with a firm belief that anything is possible. This concept was extended to any challenge (personal or professional) and has been something to which I credit much of my past achievements. The most difficult part of starting your own business is the uncertainty and the many setbacks that you will face. There is a resilience in my parents which has always given courage in my own endeavours. I am very grateful for that.
ON LEARNING WHAT YOU WANT TO DO THROUGH INTERNING: Initially when I was young I wanted to be a doctor but I knew that work experience was important and am pleased that I invested a decent amount of time doing internships even when I was at school. I found that the practice of medicine might not be a great fit for me during a surgical internship in the US. I did however like helping and advising people and loved doing work experience in chambers during my A-Levels. I adored school, loved my education and had a wide range of interests. Law is a great subject for someone who embraces variety and challenges. It is philosophy, social science, and history combined with debate! When I left school I was knew I wanted to be a barrister and I wanted to learn at the best possible place.
ON STUDYING AT OXFORD BY CHANCE: I am ashamed to admit that I would never have thought of applying to Oxford even though I had straight A/A*s and a strong academic record. I had an empty space on my UCAS form and my head of sixth form suggested that I give it a shot. I did not lack the confidence or feel intimidated. There just seemed to be an intangible preconception in my mind that Oxbridge students were different than me. The sort of people applying seemed a bit serious and aggressively bookish to me. In hindsight, I really had no real frame of reference. I knew nothing about the application process and didn’t know anyone who had ever gone there. I am very glad that I ended up at Oxford. I loved being at New College. The experience of applying served as an early lesson about not letting perceived barriers prevent me from putting myself forward.
ON BEING AN ETHNIC MINORITY AT OXFORD: David Cameron recently condemned the lack of diversity at Oxford and Cambridge. The Sunday Times (unhelpfully) quoted him stating that “A black man is more likely to be found in prison than at an elite institution”. I am not sure how such observations promote positive change. It is however true that the entrance statistics for black students at elite institutions are shocking and should be raised regularly. In 2014, there were 27 undergraduate places at Oxford offered to black candidates. To place that in context, there were over 22,000 students studying there at the time. I think that the reasons for the lack of diversity are complex. Many of the people who self-select or self-identify as potential Oxbridge candidates are positively encouraged (at school or at home) and extensively prepared. A great start to the process would be to encourage more BAME applicants to apply and also to help demystify the idea of Oxbridge. Finally, it would be great to increase the visibility of the diversity of Oxbridge alumni in the media.
THE TOM FORD STORY: He came to speak at the Oxford Union and I was so excited to get the chance to meet him. I love fashion and have always been a big fan of Tom Ford. I chatted to him briefly before his speech and we instantly hit it off. He is just the most wonderfully magnetic person. I had put together a combination of materials to make a layered dress which I wore with a very bright pink jacket. I love experimenting with clothes and pulled together something a bit different. During his speech, someone asked about his thoughts on style and beauty. In front of the overcrowded chamber in the Oxford Union, he suddenly pointed at me and explained to everyone how he loved my outfit and personal style. He said that I was beautiful. I do not fit a classic aesthetic of beauty so I was completely stunned that he would single me out. I felt really touched. He also demanded that I get up and show everyone what I was wearing. It is not every day that an international fashion icon suddenly points at people like that so I was interviewed by the fashion press. It was one of those magical spontaneous moments that you might watch in a movie.
ON DEALING WITH COMPETITION FOR JUNIOR ROLES: It has always been competitive to get the best roles. I did work experience before I even started at university and I was very fortunate to have secured a guaranteed position before I even started Bar School. I would say that the competition for internships and work experience in today’s graduate job market has increased exponentially. In some industries, up to 80% of their graduate intake is filled internship or work placement programs. This effectively means that without an internship or relevant work experience you basically cannot get a graduate job in some industries. I think the best way of the coping with the pressure of the competition is to be incredibly proactive about the process of applying. I think it is also advisable to be as prepared as possible. In my case I was incredibly fortunate to be able to lean on and gain support from a number of people who were happy to help me go through the process of applying to be a barrister. One of the key reasons why I decided to found my company Intern Avenue was in order to help young people negotiate that very difficult transition between leaving education and getting a firm foot on the career ladder.
LIFE AS A BARRISTER: I spent much of my time travelling around London and the South East appearing in a range of commercial civil matters. When I first started at the bar, I initially spent much of my time assisting other more senior people in chambers. After that I spent most of my time in court appearing in a range of matters from road traffic accident claims, possession hearings, employment tribunals, and other small commercial matters. Later I joined a professional Indemnity firm in the city and got the opportunity to handle much larger and more complex cases.
COPING WITH A NON-EXISTENT WORK/LIFE BALANCE: To be honest, I did not find it difficult to achieve work/life balance when I was working as a lawyer. There were definitely times where it was necessary to work long hours but this is not something that I felt was a big issue. Being an entrepreneur presents much more difficult challenges. I think that I work more now than I ever have in my entire life. There is so much to do that time flies in a way that it never did before. I think you want to work your hardest but it is hard to see your friends.
ON ENTREPRENEURSHIP DEVELOPING ORGANICALLY: It is certainly true that I have always liked taking on ambitious projects (even when I was young). I am not sure that being my own boss was ever a primary goal or motivator though. It has probably been more a by-product or necessary evil. I always wanted to be a great problem solver, an accomplished worker, and a valuable asset to my team. I am not afraid to speak my mind passionately about the things that I believe in. I think that this has inevitably resulted in taking on leadership positions but I have never particularly coveted senior titles for their own sake. I just want to be in a position to learn and produce my best work on projects I feel passionate about.
HOW INTERN AVENUE CAME INTO BEING: I started the business after seeing how hard it is was for my little sister and her friends to find the right opportunities. I could also see how hard it was for employers to quickly and easily find the right people. I have also always wanted to build up a company and give back more. I felt that this was a project which was solving a real market need. The simplest way to describe what we do is that we are have created an online matchmaker which allows students and graduates with the right skill sets to be quickly and easily headhunted for paid opportunities and internships.
AN AVERAGE DAY: I like starting the day early, and am usually up by 6am to squeeze in an hour at the gym or simply some thinking time. My days are non-stop from 9am, so a little exercise to get energised is the best way to start off. I’ll then get dressed for the day. I have always liked how the right outfit can set you up for the day. These days I am usually formally dressed for client meetings or in a hoodie for hanging out with my dev team. A cappuccino and bit of personal admin comes next. I’ll start by working through my inbox to respond to e-mails. I like to be up to date with what’s going on in the business and tech sectors, so I read through the latest articles or trending books every morning. I also use this time to get any HR or accounts stuff out of the way. I aim to make it into the office between nine and ten. I meet with the team and touch base with the projects they’ve been working on for the week. We usually do this over lunch; the atmosphere is lively and there’s a lot of banter. Our office culture is always open, collaborative and fun – it makes for better results and a positive atmosphere. From working with my team over lunch, I turn to focus on my clients in the afternoon. I spend the afternoon meeting with them at their offices or at ours.
One of the pleasures of my job is mentoring students and young graduates. I am fortunate to be often invited to talk with them at conferences and forums about their opportunities in the workforce, and how best to equip themselves for what lies ahead. I want them to be well informed and make the best decisions for themselves and their future careers. I might spend the afternoon zipping around London to attend an event or two. I did a Tedx Talk at one of the universities not too long ago. However, my job is not always work and meetings. If I have given an interview recently, it usually comes hand in hand with a photoshoot. I get to dress-up, have my hair and make-up done and smile for the camera.
I’ll finally escape the office at around 8pm. Anyone who knows me, knows that my friends and family are what keep me going. I love spending my free time with my brothers and younger sister, Joy. Joy inspired me to start my business and we are very close. Dinner with her is the perfect way to end my day. If I am not with her, I like to spend my time with my friends, many of whom have also founded businesses in London. Founders need to stick together.
ON BEING NAMED AS ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST INFLUENTIAL BLACK PEOPLE UNDER 40: It is always an honour to be recognised in a professional capacity. Any good news that I have received is always shared with my very supportive and wonderful family. I’m very close with my siblings and I’m one of six children. I am always pleased to do anything that will make my mother proud.
ON WHAT SHE’S MOST PROUD OF: I have also been very fortunate to have enjoyed some very unique experiences as part of building Intern Avenue as a company. I have appeared on Dragons Den, we have raised funding from fantastic investors, and we have been shortlisted and have won some great awards including the Europa best recruitment start-up in Europe. More recently, Intern Avenue has announced a partnership with Vodafone Foundation to enable us to expand both into mobile and across Europe. There have also been a number of very small and personal victories which have been very meaningful such as hiring my first team members etc.
ON THE ADVICE SHE WISHES SHE’D RECEIVED: Don’t try and do everything yourself. I think that it is important to ensure that you have the right people around you and the right support networks. The times when I have been the most stressed or the most frustrated have been when I have been struggling to get too much done, and not asking for help.