EDITH UDEGBE, corporate sales executive at Delta Airlines, is an unusual breed who has an urge to succeed. In this interview, she tells FUNKE OSAE-BROWN how she has used golf to climb to the top of her career.

Her office, situated at Sapara Williams Street Victoria Island, is enveloped in quietness on a sunny Thursday afternoon. The security personnel at the gate walked up to me as I maneuvered the car into the premises. He signaled to me that the car is well positioned. I locked up the car and walked into the spacious waiting area.

“Good afternoon, how may I help you?” asked the front desk lady.

“I would like to see Edith,” I answered. She picked up the intercom to announce my presence. Before long, Edith came out of an inner office full of smiles and vigour. I could tell from her look and attitude that she is enjoying her job.

Edith Udegbe works as the corporate sales executive at Delta Airlines. She is in charge of corporate sales at the the Energy Desk at the airline. She handles ticketing to the United States for oil companies like Chevron which is her largest account, ExxonMobil, Shell and some other oil companies like Aces, Tetra Petroleum, PPI Tech amongst others.

As a smart executive who is on top of her game, Udegbe discovered that her clients love the game of golf hence she became a golfer herself to harness the business opportunities it offers.

“When I discovered that,” she tells me, “most of my corporate clients happen to play golf; for me to be able to harness the business opportunities, I have to do what my clients do.”

That was the motivating factor for Udegbe. And so, her company, Delta Airlines asked her to join the prestigious Ikoyi Club to be a golfer.

“It wasn’t really in me to play golf or be a golfer,” she confesses, “but somewhere along the line, I saw that it was worth trying for the business opportunity. I got there and discovered that it was a different ball game.”

To her amazement, she realised golf is an interesting sport which has changed her perspective on many issues. In the last four years she has been playing golf, her lifestyle has also changed.

“It is a game that has given me focus to be the kind of person I have modelled myself to be. In golf you have to be patient because if you are not patient you cannot hit and you would not be able to position the ball and hit the ball right. If you don’t hit the ball right then you are not making any head way. I have also learnt how to comport myself. I used to be a tomboy. I have learnt how to be a lady now.”

Beyond that, Udegbe has been able to change the way her business game is played. While on the golf course she hobnobs with other high net worth players to rake in more clients for her company. Initially, it was difficult for her to blend in. Nobody was willing to play with a beginner like her. Today, Udegbe has perfected her ball hits. She is now a professional player.

“I decided to perfect my game. I started training at the Ikoyi Club. I went into the training, for some months. At the end of the day, I liberated myself and I started playing.

A woman with a good business sense, Udegbe leveraged on the various tournaments organised at the Ikoyi Club by participating in them in a bid to rub shoulders with members who work at oil companies and various industries.

“I decided to be a part of tournaments like the oil scrabbles played every last Thursday of the month. I make sure that I am in that tournament. I always make sure I have the opportunity to discuss with other players.  I tell them I work with Delta Airline. I tell them what I do and tell them about the benefits they get if they use me as their travel agent. I will tell them I can work for them for 24 hours and give them corporate discounts.”

Today, Udegbe has a laurel to show for her efforts. She emerged overall winner of the award of excellence for Delta Airline Nigeria in global sales.

“It is really amazing and overwhelming,” she says with a sense of satisfaction. “When I was called out for the award I didn’t even know it was my profile that they were reading until my name was called for Nigeria. It was awesome. I think what actually got me there is hard work. I don’t give up, I always ensure that I see every business deal to the end.

“If you give me something I must make sure I see it to the end. If I don’t see it to the end then it is not done. I travel with my clients and my corporate clients, not physically, but from inception to the time of the booking, to the time of the ticketing, to the time that they will take off till they get to their destinations, even in their destinations they still call me.”

In spite of the time difference, Udegbe travels with her clients all the way, monitoring their progress to ensure they have a pleasant travel experience.

“Despite that we have time difference; I am always waiting on them till they complete their journey.”

Once, a client gave her a recommendation letter. The client was asked by Delta Airline to recommend a staff who is outstanding. “As soon as he saw me at the airport,” recalled Udegbe, “he screamed and said: ‘do you know that you have been on my mind all this while. I was like, ‘what is the issue’ and he said I have something for you. It was the recommendation letter.”

What has distinguished Udegbe is the fact that she treats her corporate clients as individuals she doesn’t treat them as an entity. This sense of personal touch has endeared her to all. And she says her strength as an individual drives her and she is inspired by the fact that she doesn’t want to fail.

“I don’t want to fail,” she says, “I think that is my strength. I don’t want to fail in any venture and so I want see it to the latter.”

Before joining Delta, Udegbe worked for HRG which was formerly BTI Business Travel International. She was posted to Nigerian Liquid and Natural gas at the Logistic departments handling their travel and ticketing plans. She worked with HRG for four years before joining Delta Airline.

Udegbe studied Accounting and Finance at Delta State University, Abraka, where she got a bachelor of science degree. While in school, she loved geography and liked to travel.

“I am not someone who can stay in one place. When I was in school, I was involved in so many activities. I have the ability of multi-task. I can manage three or four activities at the same time. I think that has always spurred me. Even as a child, I loved travelling a lot. Whenever we were on holiday, we would travel to different places. I love geography because I love to see what the world looks like.”

It has not been easy climbing up the career ladder, and Udegbe says taking care of her home while away had been a great challenge.

“It is not easy, with four kids,” she says. “I have a 19-year-old child who just graduated from the university. I have a thirteen-year-old who is in JSS3 and I have an 11-year-old, my last girl will be six on the 26th of December. Delta Airline has taught us not to carry jobs to the house. They don’t mingle family affairs with the job. They ensure that the job is done but they also make sure that the home is well taken care of.”