Hillary Omitogun

“The most significant challenge I have overcome is repeatedly having to rebuild my life and career from scratch in countries where I had no established network or family support”

Part of the Tech Women Celebration 50, a curated list of some of the most inspirational women working at all levels of tech

Hillary Omitogun is a technology and innovation professional at Mastercard Foundry, Mastercard's innovation and experimentation hub, where she works at the intersection of emerging technology, data, AI and human-centred product development. She helps teams translate complex technologies and emerging capabilities into products and experiences that solve real-world problems, bringing together technical, research and strategic perspectives to shape what gets built and how it is adopted.

Her work spans the full innovation lifecycle, from understanding emerging technologies and identifying high-value opportunities to testing concepts, evaluating user needs and generating evidence to inform product and technology decisions. She is particularly interested in how AI and other emerging technologies can fundamentally change the way people interact with financial services.

Tell us about your biggest achievement to date

My biggest achievement to date is evolving from a traditional research background into a career at the intersection of technology, innovation and human behaviour, while using that experience to create opportunities for others.

I began my career in market research before moving into UX research, working across fintech, consumer technology and complex digital products. Today, at Mastercard Foundry, I work on emerging technology and innovation, exploring how technologies such as AI can translate into meaningful products and experiences.

In parallel, I founded HerSynergy Tribe, a global community supporting Black women in their careers. The community has reached thousands of women and our mentorship programme has supported 60+ early-career women across EMEA, the Americas and beyond.

One of the most rewarding testimonials came from a former colleague, who described how I "set up our UXR function at Nestcoin from scratch" and brought research and problem-solving expertise to help build more user-focused products. For me, the achievement is connecting these two strands: helping shape better technology while creating pathways for more women to participate in and lead the technology industry.

What is the most significant challenge you have overcome?

The most significant challenge I have overcome is repeatedly having to rebuild my life and career from scratch in countries where I had no established network or family support.

I left Nigeria for Ghana at 17, moved to the US at 19, returned to Nigeria at 23, and then moved to the UK at 28. Each move meant starting again: adapting to a new culture, building friendships and professional relationships from zero, navigating unfamiliar systems, and establishing myself professionally without the safety net of an existing network.

Rather than allowing this to limit me, I learned to become comfortable being uncomfortable. I deliberately pushed myself into rooms where I knew no one, reached out to people I admired, built relationships online and offline, and continually reinvented my career.

That resilience ultimately helped me transition from market research into technology and UX research, work across fintech and emerging technology, and eventually build a career in technology innovation at Mastercard. It also shaped why I founded HerSynergy: I know first-hand how transformative it is to have a community when you are building a life and career from scratch.

Tell us something about you people would find surprising

Something people might find surprising about me is how seriously I take hosting. I've been bringing people together for years: dinner parties, girls' nights, birthdays, community gatherings and professional events, and I still actively look for reasons to bring people together.

I genuinely believe hosting is one of the cruxes of life. There is something powerful about creating a space where people feel welcomed, connected and able to be themselves. Whether it's a table full of friends, a HerSynergy event or a room of professionals meeting each other for the first time, I love being the person who creates the conditions for connection to happen.

People are also surprised by how much I enjoy strength training. I've become increasingly fascinated by getting stronger … not just physically, but by the discipline of consistently doing something difficult and watching yourself improve.

In many ways, both interests reflect how I approach life: build the environment, bring people

together, show up consistently, and create something that is stronger than what existed before.