Presley loves making problems go away, and his job at Eden Life allows him to do that all day. He is one of the best operators in the tech space and he leads the supply team, making sure the Eden Life engine stays alive. Also, his movie recommendations are always top-notch.
What’s Your Name?
My name is Presley Tukpe.
What do you do?
I’m a Supply Chain Analyst. I lead the Supply Team at Eden Life. I provide support and solutions to every Eden Life service.
What kind of support do you provide?
For every meal that goes out, every laundry item that gets washed, and every house that gets cleaned, my team basically provides the right materials and environment to make sure that these things happen. It could be logistics support, packing and packaging meals, picking up laundry bags and delivering them. Basically, we make sure everything works and works well.
So your team holds everything together.
Yes. I like to think of us as the gear that makes sure the entire vehicle is moving.
That makes sense. How would you describe your day-to-day?
At the start of a new day, I check the updates from all the teams that report to me and see if things are moving smoothly. I have a process document that outlines what needs to be done each day. I also check that to see if everything is being followed. Then, I follow up with our process improvement plans to see how we can make each service better for our customers.
How did you get into Supply and Operations?
My first job after school was in Logistics. I worked in one of the Jumia warehouses during my NYSC. From there, I just moved into larger Operation roles that basically revolved around planning and process management.
After working in Logistics, I found that I loved finding problems; cracks and leaks in processes and I also loved solving them and making them as perfect as possible. I’ve been doing this for 10 years and I love every bit of it.
Ten years is a long time. Did you study to work in Logistics?
No. I studied Petroleum and Gas Engineering at the University. So working in logistics was supposed to be temporary, based on the Nigerian factor. A few months into it, I realized that deep down, it was something I enjoyed and was pretty good at it.
That’s interesting. Not many people can say that about their jobs.
Yes. I know. That’s what makes it more exciting. You know how people say they wake up in the morning, they hate their jobs and don’t feel like working, It was pretty different for me. I liked what I was doing and I looked forward to going to work. That’s how it was for me. Still is.
You’re really lucky. I’m sure 90% of the world cannot relate.
Yeah. I know. I don’t take it for granted.
Supply Chain Analyst is a very niche career option. Did you know of it before you started working in the industry?
Not necessarily. I didn’t even know of it as an option till I got my first job. But before then, I’d always been a plans and processes guy.
In my circle of friends, if we had to make any kind of joint plans, like an event or just something that involved planning for a lot of people, I’d be the one they’d call. I’d map out the entire thing and be like “Oh this makes sense, this doesn’t, this is what it’d cost us, this is the best time to do this.” Stuff like that. So I easily used that experience in my day-to-day.
Is there a study path to working in Operations and Supply Chain in Nigeria?
There actually is. There are a few university courses like Supply Chain Management and Logistics that can prepare you for a career in this. It’ll actually be interesting to see how many people study this in Nigeria yearly.
You seem to really like your job. What do you find most interesting about it?
I like that I get paid to listen to a problem, think about why it exists and eventually find a way to solve it. I like being in the room where problems are being solved. That’s just how I’ve been for as long as I can remember. I love waking up and fixing things, even though I’d probably be groaning and complaining about it, I secretly enjoy the thrill of making things and processes better.
I also like that I make things work behind the scenes. Most of my work isn’t exactly consumer-facing. It’s just like seeing a movie, you enjoy the movie and praise the stars but the people who really made that movie what it is are the crew members. The directors, producers, stuntmen, writers, camera and sound engineers, all of those people are what make the movie pop. Without them, it’s impossible to make a movie.
That sounds like a job with a lot of pressure.
It isss. It is a lot of pressure but it is more rewarding to see a problem solved. During the course of my career, I have found out that all the issues I’ve been able to resolve were not as big once I understood them.
How do you handle that pressure?
My natural process is to listen to the problem, find out the root cause, and then research the possible solutions. Finding out why a problem exists is the hardest part and it’s also the road to solving it. I find that people aren’t patient enough to find out why particular issues exist. As I’ve said before, I like solving problems so I don’t mind the pressure.
Do you find it hard to explain your job to others like family and friends?
Yes. Most people assume I just work in logistics and manage deliveries. Basically, they think I call dispatch riders and direct okadas. It’s pretty difficult to explain to people who aren’t in the industry. I usually let them go with the logistics thing because low-key, I still do a lot of that.
So how did you come to work for Eden?
During my time at Jumia, I got a lot of recognition for improving practices and processes so I was moved between departments and locations. I even left Jumia twice for different companies and was called back to solve specific problems. I was at Jumia Food when I was introduced to Eden Life. The company was having some issues with logistics and they needed someone to make it better.
And you were the guy.
Of course. I’m your solutions guy.
What was the first problem you solved and how did you solve it?
The first major problem I solved when I joined Eden Life was our meal logistics. We wanted meals to be delivered before 11AM, but it wasn’t happening. I had to collaborate with other teams to solve this issue.
We had to identify what part of our processes was hindering us from meeting the time target and we noticed a couple of blips, from the food production to the particular riders we were using.
What I did was to provide structure for all our processes, from the food production floor to logistics, then I vetted riders and picked the ones that most aligned with our goals. All our meals now get delivered on time.
What caught your interest about the company?
There were a lot of things. The biggest thing was that the company was solving a problem that I was facing. I personally hate cleaning and would pay any amount to get it done. As we’re talking now, I’m looking forward to my next Eden Life cleaning session so my house can look new again. When I heard of the idea of Eden Life, it sounded like something that would be interesting to work on, so I joined the company.
Why did you decide to join Eden Life?
In my previous role, I was following processes that already existed and just improved on them, but with Eden Life, I had the opportunity to build these processes from the ground up. I would own it and make everything happen.
There’s also the fact that I would be working with some of the smartest people around. I’d heard of Prosper and Nadayar so it was a pretty easy decision.
What would you say is the difference between logistics and operations at Jumia and Eden Life?
At a glance, both companies are pretty similar in terms of operations because they work at a very high level and there are so many moving parts involved.
The major difference for me is that my work at Eden Life is much more fun for me. I like building things from ground up and that’s what Eden Life allows me to do. I like experimenting and seeing things work immediately. My work here is more fulfilling.
Would you like to own your own operation company one day?
I haven’t really given it much thought but I’d rather be a COO (Chief Operations Officer) than a CEO. The work of a CEO is too stressful. I see CEOs everyday, they’re doing great work but I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes. Just give me problems, let me solve and scale things.
What do you do outside work?
I like listening to music. I’m a huge movie buff. I like to watch movies and series that have captivating storylines.
Did you like The Sandman?
Wellll. Yes and No. It had a great story and good plot but I think the dialogue was poor.
Oh. What are you watching currently and what would you say is your top 5 favourite movies?
Presley’s Top 5 Movies Of All Time
What would you say to someone that wants to work in Eden Life’s Supply Team?
You just have to figure out what problem you want to solve for us. Working in supply is constantly solving new and recurring issues. You have to learn how to look at processes and figure out how they can be made better.