Off Record NG

Founding Circle

It started around a dinner table.

Three people kept running into each other at the sidelines of work related events, saying the same thing: there was no room to just be people outside the institutions they worked for. So they built one.

The founding idea

Three perspectives.
One trusted room.

Different backgrounds, connected by one shared belief: the strongest communities begin when people can arrive as themselves.

Management team

Portraits of the people who opened the first door.

Ope Oriniowo, Founder / Community Director

Founder / Community Director

Ope Oriniowo

A Nigerian with an international outlook, shaped by experiences across Nigeria, Africa, Europe, The United Kingdom and North America.

Curious and people-oriented, Ope enjoys meaningful conversations, discovering new places and exchanging ideas. He believes in doing meaningful work while making time to live, travel and enjoy the journey.

His philosophy: make the most of every platform, leave things better than you found them, and never stop learning. He serves as Senior Policy Adviser on Economic Affairs and Public Diplomacy at the Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Lagos.

Laura Mensah, Co-founder / Membership & Community Experience Lead

Co-founder / Membership & Community Experience Lead

Laura Mensah

A multilingual, culturally agile professional with a global outlook and a deep appreciation for different perspectives.

Born and raised in France, Laura moved to the UK at 19, then to Nigeria, where she has lived for eight years. Her Italian, Greek, French, Nigerian and Ghanaian roots inform her instinct for bringing cultures together.

She is Executive Secretary at the European Chamber of Commerce, EuroCham Nigeria, and runs a French-language practice for executives and professionals. For Laura, a good life is good people, meaningful work and time to enjoy both.

Adaeze Nnamani, Operations & Communications Lead

Operations & Communications Lead

Adaeze Nnamani

Adaeze supports the operations and communications that keep the community thoughtful, warm and connected.

Adaeze Nnamani is a Nigerian with a pan-African outlook and a global perspective, shaped by experiences across Africa, Europe and the United States. A UCLA graduate, she is curious about people, ideas, cultures and the possibilities that emerge when different worlds come together.

She enjoys travelling, discovering new places, good conversations and not taking life too seriously. She believes there is always something to learn, someone interesting to meet and a new perspective worth exploring. She currently serves as Head, Innovation & Impact Labs at the Mastercard Foundation, having previously served as Country Director of the UK-Nigeria Tech Hub.

Tai Barroso, Founding Circle Adviser
An independent perspective, close to the circle.

Advisory perspective

Founding Circle Adviser

Tai Barroso

Community, Culture &
Collaborative Experiences

Tai Barroso is a Brazilian social entrepreneur, community strategist and radical collaboration specialist with over 15 years of international experience across Latin America, Europe and West Africa.

She is the founder of Awelle, a consultancy focused on co-designing collaborative learning journeys and corporate culture strategies, and is a certified LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® facilitator.

Tai brings a wealth of experience in community building, inclusive leadership, experience design and collaborative learning.

A toast shared around the Off Record NG table
Off duty, on community.

Built around trust.
Held together by people.