Empowering the Transition
Nimi Oyeleye came to Northwestern's MBA + MS Design Innovation (MMM) program with her sights set on a job in a new field. As graduation approaches, that job is waiting for her.
Nimi Oyeleye (MMM ‘24) knew there was a big difference between the skills needed for the job she had as an innovation consultant and the skills needed for the job she wanted in product management.
To bridge the gap, Oyeleye turned to Northwestern's MBA + MS in Design Innovation (MMM) program — a dual-degree program between Northwestern Engineering and the Kellogg School of Management.
“MMM is a great way to build a human-centered perspective into your business education,” she said. “Because I was so steeped in the world of innovation, I was interested in a program that allowed me to continue learning in that space while also diving into traditional business frameworks.”
Oyeleye joined the MMM program after four years at Accenture, where she worked as a consulting analyst, innovation senior analyst, and innovation consultant. Thanks to her time in MMM — and the MMM network itself — she will start after graduation as a product manager at Capital One.
While some students go into a job unsure about the new environment, Oyeleye believes she already has a firm grasp on what it's like working at Capital One.
“Five MMMs were Capital One product interns last year,” she said. “Having their insights about their experiences, Capital One's product culture, and the interview process definitely helped me.”
She said that opportunities on campus helped her as well. Oyeleye joined and currently is co-president of the Kellogg Founders Club, an extracurricular offering for students looking to become entrepreneurs while earning their degrees.
Her desire to be a part of the club came from her time with Accenture.
“In my consulting experience, I was able to see how large companies drove innovation, and I was really interested in learning about how startups drive innovation,” she said. “I've always been interested in more auxiliary roles in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, so I was excited to help founders on campus gain exposure and funding.”
As co-president, Oyeleye is continuing the club’s transformation from a closed, application-based group to an open community. Her work is focused on three goals:
- Expanding accessibility to entrepreneurship
- Amplifying the successes of the club
- Integrating with existing entrepreneurship groups at Northwestern.
In addition to the Kellogg Founders Club, Oyeleye has been active in the internship world. She worked at venture capital firm Impact America Fund for three months at the start of 2023 and then over the summer as a digital product management intern with Nike.
The latter internship was Oyeleye’s first foray into the professional world of product management.
“I learned a lot about product thinking and prioritization,” she said. “I was able to learn how to map features to value and how to think about testing a solution in the context of a large organization that's also running tests for so many other business functions and products.”
Those opportunities, along with the countless lessons she learned in the classroom, have Oyeleye excited about her future.
"Part of the ethos of MMM is the ability to keep an open mind, and think about things from different angles," she said. "That's not necessarily tangible, but that mindset can be applied to how you approach problems, collaborate with other people, and build solutions. That's definitely something I'll take with me post-MMM."