Rita Korkor Agyei has opened up about her journey from building brands in the telecommunications, fintech and fast moving consumer goods industries to advising some of the world’s largest companies on technology transformation at EY. According to her, the move was not about leaving marketing behind but about applying skills that remain valuable across different industries.
Having spent nearly eight years leading brand, product and portfolio initiatives, Agyei now helps Fortune 50 companies reshape their technology operations. Her work focuses on helping organisations transform their IT departments from traditional cost centres into strategic units that create long term business value.
While many may see the transition from marketing to enterprise technology as an unusual career move, Agyei believes the knowledge she gained earlier in her career laid the foundation for her current success.
She explained that her experience in product management within the fintech sector strengthened her ability to lead agile projects. She also noted that her work on customer relationship management implementation at Nestlé, along with her background in budgeting, financial planning and portfolio optimisation, has become directly relevant to the technology transformation projects she now oversees.
Agyei further strengthened her expertise by earning an MBA from Indiana University’s Kelley School of Business in 2024, graduating with a double major in Marketing and Business Analytics. She said the decision to pursue the programme was driven by a desire to expand her business knowledge rather than move away from marketing.
“I did the MBA to add a language, not to leave marketing behind,” she said.
She added that while storytelling remains an important strength in transformation consulting, professionals must also be able to analyse data and use it to support sound business recommendations.
At EY, Agyei played a key role in designing and implementing an IT Supplier Management Office, a governance framework created to improve oversight of third party technology spending. The initiative helps organisations eliminate duplicate vendors, remove unnecessary capabilities, improve visibility into supplier expenses and reduce financial waste.
She also serves as a workstream lead, managing a team responsible for delivering custom technology that supports the governance framework as part of a wider Chief Information Officer led transformation programme.
Among the solutions she helped develop is an executive reporting tool that allows organisations to track software investments, align technology decisions with long term business strategies and make more informed investment choices.
According to Agyei, the IT Supplier Management Office is designed to deliver more than cost savings. She described it as a governance model that enables businesses to identify opportunities for consolidation while improving operational performance and efficiency.
Her consulting approach combines strategic planning with hands on implementation, allowing her to remain actively involved in delivering practical solutions instead of limiting her role to advisory recommendations.
Looking back on her career, Agyei said many of the skills she now relies on, including portfolio optimisation, systems thinking, executive communication and cross functional leadership, were developed during her years in marketing and product management.
Reflecting on her experience across industries and international markets, she believes the principles behind effective business leadership remain consistent, even when job titles and sectors change.
“The vocabulary changes; the judgement does not,” she said.
“In both worlds you are managing a portfolio, reducing wastage and driving growth, and telling a story clear enough that busy people act on it.”
Agyei’s career highlights a growing trend among African professionals who are successfully transferring their expertise across industries and global markets, proving that strong business skills can create opportunities far beyond a single profession.
