Tosin Ogabi, from Badagry, Lagos State, Nigeria, never thought he'd be a career man. “If I had worked for any other company, I think I'd have remained a truck driver. Not that there's anything wrong with that — but this company has helped me realise new ambitions. I'm really excited about how far my career might progress,” he says.
After just five years with APM Terminals, Ogabi has gone from trainee truck driver to one of the company's most important roles: a crane operator — literally lifting global trade every day.
Here, he tells us about his work, his life and his aspirations.
As a child, I dreamed of becoming a movie star — specifically James Bond in Tomorrow Never Dies.
He's full of adventures, lol.
I left university with a BSc in Computer Science, but I knew that a 'desk job' wasn't what I wanted — at least not for now.
I wanted to be 'hands on'. So I started out in tele sales and customer service. That experience has been very valuable.
Even though I moved on from that work, where I am now, everyone knows the importance of keeping our customers happy, and continuously striving for better on their behalf.
I left my former employer because I could see that there were career opportunities with APM Terminals and that I could build a career here.
In 2022, I was trained to operate Empty Handler cranes and Reach Stacker cranes. Now, I am a qualified rubber tyred gantry crane operator, so the progression has been fast. And the training opportunities are many, so I think I made a good career move in joining.
My journey so far has been nothing short of God's grace, determination and resiliency.
But all of these couldn't have been possible if my company did not believe in me or my capabilities.
I didn't aspire to being a writer at school. I did well in languages, but never thought of writing as a passion. But I now enjoy putting pen to paper.
I started an online blog recently, and I hope it will inspire people to put their best foot forward. I'm all about motivating others.
I want them to take the first steps in discovering that their true potential starts with understanding yourself. Because what matters to one person, isn't necessarily what matters to someone else.
You need to know your own passions, values as well as your strengths and shortcomings.
I came from a poor background, so I wish to change that narrative positively through hard work and dedication.
I'm also now an accredited Lean practitioner — and I want to continue to develop my Lean training skills so that I can pass the learnings on to others.
Well, nothing worth working for is easy to come by. We all have our challenges. Not all risks pay off in the end, but I think occasional failure or disappointment should be an opportunity for learning.
It's about having a different viewpoint, and remembering to celebrate the small wins, even if you have setbacks along the way, I celebrate the small wins as much as the big.
I enjoy trying out new things that spark my curiosity and excitement. If there's a workshop, I'll be at it. If I see someone I can learn from, I ask for their mentorship.
I want to overcome fear and doubt, and instead embrace joy and challenge by surrounding myself with supportive people who encourage me to grow.
I've achieved a lot in a short time, but I am not stopping yet. Mobile harbour crane and STS are my next target and of course they are achievable if I put in the work.
If I look further ahead, I'd love to lead a team someday, and be a good leader.
Getting better by the day!
Take 10
In this series, we ask a colleague to answer 10 questions about their job, their lives and their personal interests. Even though APM Terminals is on the cutting edge — creating terminals of tomorrow today — we know that we can only do this work with the best people on board.
