“Be comfortable with being uncomfortable – diamonds form under pressure”
Nifemi Ogunbiyi’s path to a career in accounting was anything but typical. Now a rising star in finance, she’s inspiring a new generation to embrace change, lead boldly and achieve greatness
Named Rising Star Accountant of the Year at this year’s Irish Accountancy Awards, and one of the speakers at The Bigger Picture, the Institute’s recent leadership summit, Nifemi Ogunbiyi is a Financial Accountant with Fenergo, the financial technology company.
Ogunbiyi was born in Lagos in southwestern Nigeria and raised in Drogheda, Co. Louth. She studied biochemistry and molecular biology at University College Dublin before deciding to train as a Chartered Accountant and qualified with PwC. After rising to the position of Senior Associate with the Big Four firm, she joined Fenergo in late 2024.
QCan you tell us about yourself, your current role and career to date?
I am a Financial Accountant with Fenergo, Ireland’s third tech unicorn, specialising in regulatory technology, where I work primarily on revenue reporting as part of the company’s financial operations team.
Before joining Fenergo, I trained in audit with PwC for three-and-a half-years, working with clients in foreign direct investment and qualifying as a Chartered Accountant in June 2024.
During my time with PwC, I took part in its marketing campaign and became one of the faces of the firm.
After sharing my experience on social media, my first ‘Day in the Life of an Accountant’ video went unexpectedly viral, gaining 1.5 million views on Instagram.
As someone who loves giving advice and creating content, I leaned into that side of myself and have since built a community of about 38,000 followers who join me on my career journey.
My path into accountancy wasn’t a traditional one. I studied biochemistry and molecular biology at University College Dublin (UCD). I always loved maths and science from secondary school—my brain works like a logical processor. Any subject that involved problem-solving and step-by-step reasoning always appealed to me.
Initially, I had commerce at UCD as my first CAO choice, but three days before the deadline, I changed it to biochemistry and molecular biology, mainly out of fear.
While I was fortunate to win academic awards each year from the School of Science for my results, I couldn’t shake the feeling that a career in science wouldn’t fulfil me the way accountancy could.
My turning point came in third year, when I attended a GradIreland careers fair and met a Financial Advisor at Grant Thornton who had previously studied nursing. She told me something that changed everything: companies can train you to be an accountant without a degree in accountancy.
This insight was the catalyst that changed my career. The following summer, I secured an internship with PwC, which led to a graduate training offer, and the rest is history.
Placing second in my CAP1 exams, fourth in my CAP2 exams and passing the FAEs on my first attempt affirmed that I had found the right path. I truly believe that this is where I’m meant to be.
QDid you have a career plan starting out?
I used to hate the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” At secondary school, my answer would rotate between a doctor, lawyer, scientist or accountant.
Eventually, after shadowing a biochemist at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, I settled on becoming a scientist. That was my career plan at age 17—to become a biochemist.
I genuinely enjoyed studying science; it fascinated me. But when I tried to picture myself working as a scientist long-term, I couldn’t find peace of mind. I felt uncertain.
During that period of career confusion, a counsellor once asked me, “If someone were to wake you up in the middle of the night to talk about one subject, what would it be?” The answer came to me instantly: accounting. I’ve always appreciated the complexity and the bigger picture behind the numbers.
So, the biggest surprise in my career so far has been switching from science to accounting, and what a pleasant surprise it has been.
Becoming a Chartered Accountant has been one of the most rewarding decisions of my life, and as someone newly qualified, I’m excited to see what other surprises lie ahead.
QTell us about your role with Fenergo: what does your work involve day-to-day?
In my current role as a Financial Accountant at Fenergo, I’m primarily responsible for supporting day-to-day financial operations related to revenue.
A key part of my role involves making sure that sales orders are accurately set up in the accounting system when customers purchase licenses for our regulatory software. This helps ensure that recurring, deferred and accrued revenue is recorded correctly and in line with accounting standards.
I also manage revenue recognition for non-recurring professional services, ensuring everything is captured accurately and on time.
In addition, I support the audit process, helping to ensure smooth and efficient completion by providing the necessary documentation and insights.
I’m also responsible for regular cash reporting, which helps the broader finance team maintain a clear view of liquidity.
The highlight of my role is the opportunity it gives me to collaborate with ambitious and hardworking professionals, particularly within the finance team.
I’ve learned a great deal from my colleagues, whose experience and guidance have been invaluable.
Every day presents a chance to deepen my technical knowledge and develop skills that will support my long-term career growth.
I’ve also recently joined Fenergo’s run club, which has helped me prioritise wellbeing alongside professional development—something I’ve come to see as essential for sustained success in the industry.
Although I’ve only been in this position for about six months, I am already looking forward to taking on more responsibilities and contributing further to Fenergo’s financial operations as I continue to grow in my role.
QAre you glad you made the decision to qualify as a Chartered Accountant?
A thousand percent yes. My two main reasons are the opportunities and the skillset you develop.
The opportunities I’ve experienced as a Chartered Accountant have exceeded anything I could have imagined. One of the greatest blessings has been the chance to impact lives simply by sharing my career journey on social media. Every day, people tell me how seeing my path in accountancy has given them hope that they, too, can reach new career heights.
A recent highlight was winning Rising Star Accountant of the Year at the Irish Accountancy Awards 2025.
I’ve also had the privilege of being invited to speak at a range of events, including my first international speaking engagement last year in London, where I spoke to 20 summer interns at AccountED.
I’ve since spoken at events hosted by GradIreland, African Professional Network of Ireland, PwC and at this year’s Chartered Accountants Ireland Bigger Picture Leadership Summit.
Beyond public speaking, I’ve found fulfilment in coaching and tutoring students through their Chartered Accountancy exams.
In terms of skills, qualifying has equipped me with knowledge and capabilities that have positively shaped my professional and personal life.
Whether it’s building and selling a budgeting template that’s helped many people, or launching a training initiative called EXCEL-ence to support students sitting professional exams, the qualification has set me up with tools I will carry with me for life, and that brings me real joy.
QAmong the people you have worked with, who has been your biggest inspiration?
The person who has inspired me most is Deborah Somorin, a Finance Transformation Senior Manager with EY Ireland, as well as a charity founder and author.
I first encountered Deborah as a summer intern at PwC, where she stood out on a Q&A panel wearing a bold red coord suit. Co-ord suits are my favourite!
She said something I’ll never forget: “You have to believe you’re capable of achieving greatness even before it looks possible.”
At the time, she was a Senior Associate with PwC, yet she still took the time to check in with me over coffee, making sure I was settling in well. Her passion for creating change through her charity, Empower the Family, deeply resonated with me—especially as someone who grew up in a minority group in Ireland.
I remember receiving my first copy of Accountancy Ireland in December 2019 as a 21-year-old CAP1 student, and there she was, featured on the cover.
After reading her story, I said to myself: I want to be like her in a few years.
And now, here I am, in the June 2025 issue of Accountancy Ireland. It’s amazing how far inspiration can take you.
I’ve since seen Deborah thrive well beyond the business world, even collaborating with brands like BPerfect Cosmetics. She’s a reminder that accountants are not confined to one lane—we can be multifaceted, creative and impactful in all areas of life.
As someone who is a Chartered Accountant, content creator and an educator, she continues to be a huge source of inspiration to me.
QHow has the role of the Chartered Accountant evolved since you first joined the profession?
Like many other Gen Zs, I used to believe accountants were solely responsible for crunching numbers and reporting historical figures—that was the remit I assumed.
The moment I realised the role was evolving was while studying Strategic Management and Leadership for my FAE exams. I remember thinking, “Why would accountants need to know about business strategy?” But once I qualified, I got my answer.
Today, accountants are seen as strategic business partners. As Barry C. Melancon put it, “Accountants have a crucial role to play as trusted advisors whose strategic and principled guidance is critical in the business world.”
With advances in technology and AI, the days of manual bookkeeping, spreadsheets and time-consuming reconciliations are fading.
Now, there’s a real demand for accountants to not just process numbers, but to tell the story behind them in a way that informs decisions and drives value.
I’ve also seen the role transcend financial reporting to include non-financial responsibilities, particularly with the growing focus on ESG.
The role is evolving quickly—and it’s exciting to be part of it.
QWhat advice can you offer newly qualified Chartered Accountants starting their career today?
Be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Diamonds form under high pressure and heat—similarly, your career will grow through challenging and unfamiliar experiences.
Look in the mirror and choose to stop believing the lie that you’re not capable of beating the odds, of climbing the career ladder, or of achieving your goals. Lean on your community for support; you’ll always go further when you don’t go alone.
And never stop being curious. Enter every conversation with the mindset: “What can I learn from this person I didn’t know before?” Stay open and stay teachable.
Most importantly, trust the process and believe that God made you with a purpose. Your journey—however unique or unconventional—is not a mistake. With time, you’ll find yourself achieving things far beyond your imagination.
QWho do you most admire in business or public life?
The person I admire most is Hayley Mulenda—an international speaker and entrepreneur.
At just 27, she’s been invited to deliver keynote speeches for KPMG, YouTube, the University of Cambridge and Google, to name a few.
By age 26, she had scaled her speaking and consultancy business to six figures. Through social media, she inspires others to pursue excellence while maintaining faith and authenticity in their journey. As someone who has overcome mental health challenges, her story is one of resilience, courage and purpose.
Hayley has empowered me to believe that, with the right strategy and mindset, I can achieve great things.
“BE COMFORTABLE WITH BEING UNCOMFORTABLE. DIAMONDS FORM UNDER HIGH PRESSURE AND HEAT—SIMILARLY, YOUR CAREER WILL GROW THROUGH CHALLENGING AND UNFAMILIAR EXPERIENCES”
QWhat are your plans and ambitions for the years ahead?
The overall theme for my future is “Impact”.
I aspire to hold leadership positions and I am currently focused on learning as much as I can to prepare myself for when that time comes.
I am extremely passionate about education and coaching. As I continue gaining experience in industry, I want to give back, especially to students and young professionals navigating the path to qualification.
Content creation has opened incredible doors for me, including collaborations with brands like LinkedIn and Nutbutter.
I plan to continue using social media as a tool to demystify the profession, inspire others, and build a career that reflects both my skills as a Chartered Accountant and my creativity as a content creator.
My ambition is to leave a mark that’s bigger than me—one that encourages others to pursue their goals boldly and believe in the power of their own stories. Even the most unlikely paths can lead to purpose.