As a child, Damilola (Dami) Katibi, Senior Counsel at Vale Base Metals (VBM), had dreams of becoming an actress.

However, when asked what steered her towards a career in law rather than the silver screen, Dami said there was a major stumbling block to her ever earning an Oscar.

“Unfortunately, I had trouble memorizing my lines in secondary school plays, so I had to pivot.”

And pivot she did, to nobody’s surprise.

“Law was just something that everyone associated with me,” Dami said, attributing this connection to her inquisitive nature and knack for communication. “And I guess I always knew law was in my future!”

Dami’s story is the first in our special series honouring Black History Month. Aligned with the 2024 theme, “Celebrating Black Excellence,” this series will explore the unique career paths of three VBM employees, and how each of these professionals have navigated their careers, contributed to their fields and enriched our workplaces with their perspectives and experience.

Challenging Gender-Based Expectations

Growing up in Nigeria, Dami constantly battled the gender norms ingrained in the West African country’s patriarchal society.

“This carried on throughout my early career,” she said, going on to describe a situation that has stuck with her for years. “One night, I was working on a project with three other colleagues — all male, and it was getting late. A senior member of the team told me to go home, and the others could finish the project in my absence — he wouldn’t want his wife to be out at that hour, so I shouldn’t be either.”

“He wasn’t being malicious,” she said. “He was just a victim of society’s view on the roles of women.”

It was at that moment that Dami promised herself that she would not let gender-based expectations stand in the way of achieving her dreams. It was this determination — and a suggestion from a client — that eventually led her to Canada, where she pursued a Master’s Degree in International Business Law at Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto.

“I was working at a boutique law firm in Lagos at that time, and we had a lot of international clients,” she said. “One in particular was Canadian, and when he found out I was exploring different options for a Master’s program, he encouraged me to consider Canada as an option.”

Dami made the move.

“I had never even visited Canada before relocating there,” she  said, recognizing that relocating to a new environment without any family or friends was a huge leap. “However, that propelled me to develop connections very quickly, and helped sharpen my resiliency.”

After completing her degree, Dami decided to stay in Toronto, and she joined McCarthy Tetrault LLP as an associate. Right away, she noticed some glaring differences between practicing law in Canada and practicing law back home.

“The work itself was mostly the same, but culturally was another story.”

Racial Discrimination

In Nigeria, where the majority of the population shares her heritage, Dami never had to define herself in terms of race. Moving to Canada, however, introduced her to the realities of being a minority and the inherent racial discrimination experienced in Western culture.

“It was disheartening to see judgement based on appearance rather than character or work ethic,” Dami said. She notes how discrimination can also manifest in more subtle ways in the workplace, citing examples where individuals of a particular race appear to advance faster than others, or when the hardest-working person is not necessarily rewarded accordingly.

“While there has been progress in addressing these issues, there is still a long way to go to achieve true equality and fairness for everyone.”

Mentorship

One way Dami contributes to this progress is through informal mentoring, offering guidance to Nigerian lawyers transitioning to Canada.

“It feels rewarding,” she said, “especially when I see them settle into their new careers.”

She advises all newcomers to Canada to seek similar mentorship, noting that “having a professional guide to help navigate your career path can be invaluable — and also save you from making avoidable mistakes!”

Dami’s commitment to inspiring and empowering others, coupled with her excellence in the legal profession, has not gone unnoticed. In late 2023, she was named a Lexpert Rising Star - Leading Lawyer Under 40 In Canada, a recognition that served as a powerful validation for her.

“It confirmed that people really do see the service you provide, beyond and regardless of gender, creed, race or other attributes,” she said, connecting her achievement to the importance of celebrating Black excellence.

“When you see someone similar to you achieve something significant, it makes your own dreams seem more achievable and helps shift the narrative of what is possible, irrespective of stereotypes.

“After all, we are all human beings capable of achieving anything we set our minds to.”

Dami’s story, from aspiring actress to award-winning attorney, proves that sometimes a pivot  can lead to an even more remarkable destination.