Oshoke Abalu

Oshoke Abalu is a Nigerian-American architect and futurist who has been credited by TIME Magazine with “breaking down walls” for rejuvenating and transforming MetLife’s global work culture through the delivery of human-centered spaces.[1] She is the co-founder of the Love and Magic Company, a startup studio.[2][3][4]

Oshoke Abalu
Born
Oshokenoya Abalu
NationalityNigerian American
Other namesPamela Abalu, Pamela Abalu-Broadwater, Oshokenoya Pamela Abalu
Alma materIowa State University
Occupationentrepreneur, design leader, architect
Known forMetLife

Early life and education

Abalu was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and spent her early childhood in Kano, Northern Nigeria before attending an all-girls boarding school at the age of 10.[5] Her father's work with the United Nations[6] on agricultural economics introduced her to the globe, relocating her to diverse locales around the world. She graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Iowa State University, located in Ames, Iowa.[6]

In 2005, Abalu obtained her architecture license.[1]

Career

Abalu landed her first internship in architecture after her freshman year in college at the New York firm of Perkins Eastman.[1] She has worked with many premier brands, including Bloomberg L.P., L’Oréal, and Goldman Sachs. She became the Chief Architect at MetLife in 2011, overseeing architectural design across the company’s 1,500 properties in nearly 50 countries for more than 57,000 employees.[6][7][8]

Abalu pioneers innovative design solutions that infuse awareness and humanity into global workplace transformations, including a bold new signature solution for the future of inclusion: Superpowers & Symphony.[9]

Abalu is a gifted design thinker and inclusion advocate who has moved the needle, shattered glass ceilings and enabled a broader conversation on the future of work.[4]

Oshoke is a co-founder of The Love & Magic Company,[4] the faculty at The Inner MBA, and a Crain’s 40 Under 40 honoree in 2016.[6] Oshoke and her work have been featured in Smart Planet, Real Simple Magazine, Domino Magazine, Interior Design Magazine, ABC, NBC, Fast Company, TED, BOLD TV and more.[10][11][12][13]

References
  1. Porter, Jane (2017). "There are Fewer Than 400 African American Women Architects in the U.S. Meet One of Them". Time. Retrieved 2020-12-30. to work at the firm Perkins Eastman as an intern the summer after my freshman year...You got your architecture license in 2005
  2. "Crain's New York Business 40 Under 40". Crains New York. Retrieved August 3, 2017.
  3. Bracken, David (2015). "MetLife hiring faster than expected at Cary campus". The News & Observer. Retrieved 24 April 2018. “The whole building is a workplace,” said Pamela Abalu, MetLife’s chief architect and global head of design and construction.
  4. Moss, J. Jennings (November 29, 2017). "We're only human: Open offices get a much needed do-over". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-12-30.
  5. Audrey Quinn,"Facilitator Pamela Abalu, head of global design and construction, MetLife". zdnet.com. 12 October 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
  6. "Designer You Should Know Pamela Abalu". contract. 2017-05-17. Archived from the original on 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2020-12-29. The daughter of a United Nations diplomat, Abalu is a graduate of the College of Design at Iowa State University and a licensed architect. With previous experience at Perkins+Will and Vollmer Associates, Abalu joined MetLife in 2011 and was named to the Crain’s New York Business 40 Under 40 list in 2016.
  7. "Morris Arts to host "Great Conversations" Thursday". Daily Record. 2017-04-24. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  8. O'Daniel, Adam (March 21, 2014). "Sneak peek: The CBJ's private tour of MetLife's new Charlotte retail headquarters". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-12-30. Pamela Abalu-Broadwater
  9. "Metlife opens world-class global technology campus in Galway". Galway Advertiser. 2017. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  10. "Symphony: A New Language for Diversity & Inclusion". ted.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  11. "We need a new language to discuss diversity and inclusion". fastcompany.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  12. "How to create a new blueprint for inclusion in a COVID-19 world". fastcompany.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  13. "4 things you can do right now to make the future of work (and life) more inclusive". fastcompany.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
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