The first week at Startbutton, Kenechi Ikem kept hearing letters she didn't understand. NGN she knew — she'd spent five years dealing in naira. But CFA. RWA. And people throwing around USD in the same breath as currencies she'd barely worked with. "I was like, oh my God, what is this?"

That's Kenechi Ikem, reconciliation officer at Startbutton and accountant by training. She analyses financial discrepancies, manages balances, and makes sure every transaction is accurate. By her own admission, she was very skeptical that she could do the job at all. She applied anyway.

"The worst case was that I'd be told I wasn't good enough. I was fine with that."

She got the role. We had a chat with Kenechi (emphasis on the “N”), reconciliation officer at Startbutton Africa. She shares her interests, her career journey, and how she ensures balance at work and life.

You spent five years in customer service — essentially talking to strangers all day — before moving into reconciliation. For someone as reserved as you seem, how did that go?

I used to be quite shy when I worked in customer service. I had to speak with all kinds of people, including those who were not having a good day, and still show up as my best self. I think it forced something out of me.

Now, I'm a reconciliation officer. I analyse financial discrepancies, manage balances, and make sure our transactions are accurate. In finance, discrepancies don't come up every day, but we're like police officers. Always on the lookout, so that when something comes up, we catch it fast.

How did the move into reconciliation happen?

My career in customer service lasted from sometime in 2020 till 2025. I studied Accounting in university, though. It was sometime in 2024 that the transition to reconciliation began. 

I was still working in customer service, but I moved to payment disputes and reconciliation. It was at a B2C company, and I was attending to customers who had issues like, “I haven’t gotten my reversals yet”, and other similar cases. I was also the bridge between the finance and support team. 

So, both my skills were in use: my 4 years of experience (at that point) with customer support, and my degree in Accounting.

What are the values that keep you going in life? 

Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Don't lag. And being accountable is my superpower. I've accepted that I'm human and imperfect. I will make mistakes — but I'll always own up to them and drag myself before you drag me. An accountant who is accountable — I know, I know.

 How did you end up at Startbutton?

A colleague at my last role mentioned that there was an opening at Startbutton for a reconciliation officer and wondered if I was interested. I wasn’t sure I could do it, but he encouraged me. Even though I was very skeptical, I still gave it a shot. The worst-case scenario was that I would be told that I wasn’t good enough. I was fine with that, so I applied anyway. The whole process was almost a breeze, and thankfully, I got the role.

So far, my journey has been fast-paced andeye-opening, and I’ve had a few “Oh my God! What?” moments, but it’s been good for me. I mean, I've experienced myself on a different level that I wasn't very sure that I could get to. I would say that it’s “a lot”, but the good kind. Because it's opened my eyes to understanding the business even deeper than I thought I could. There were a bunch of things I had studied but now I have real-life experience. So, it’s been very good.

What was most challenging for you when you resumed this role?

The currencies. I heard a lot of people saying NGN, CFA, RWA, and the like. I was like, “oh, my God, what is this?” I only knew NGN as Naira because in my experience, I had only dealt with naira B2C customers.

But now, I'm dealing with people saying “USD” and other currencies. It wasn’t as though I didn’t know these currencies, but I had to reconcile all of them. Considering that at that point, I only had a year of experience in reconciliation – and only in naira. Here, I was creating different reports, with different currencies, across multiple partners. It looked overwhelming, but I just took it one step at a time and built a routine that worked for me. And lastly, I encouraged myself to take up more tasks.

More tasks? Were there people who helped with that?

Yes. Hahmed, my team lead, pushed me even when I didn’t want to be pushed. I told him not to take it too easy on me, and he took it very seriously. Even when I was trying to be a soft babe and I would pout, he still kept on challenging me. I took on more currencies to reconcile, and I’ve gotten so much better. I like knowledge, and one way to know more is to do more. Asking questions and requesting more challenges definitely brought me far. 

What's your work-life balance philosophy? And how has Startbutton influenced this approach?

When I worked in customer service, I did shifts. That meant that I didn’t have a weekend. I could be on night shift (4 pm to 1 am) on a Sunday. I lacked structure. And when I was off-duty, I was usually sleeping or doing even more work. I couldn’t form relationships with people because of my schedule.

But at Startbutton, I get to relax on weekends. Even though work never truly finishes, on weekends I can unplug because they respect those breaks. 

I do believe in work-life balance. If I’m not 100 percent, I cannot give the work my best. My balance is found in the little hours of the day. When I feel tired, I stand up and take a 15-20 minute walk in my street. I’m a lazy homebody, but even if it means leaving my laptop to walk around my parlor, I’d do it. 

On other days, I cook to de-stress. I know it sounds very weird. Bulk cooking is therapeutic for me. And I also read a lot of fiction. I typically read on my phone, and because Slack is on my phone too, I sometimes get notifications. In those moments, I drop the phone and read a hard copy. Just doing these things keeps me sane.

Were you working remotely before joining Startbutton?

Yes, I was working remotely from the COVID lockdown till I joined Startbutton. I think that also improved my interpersonal relations. I’m breaking out of my shell a little bit. It’s why I went on the company retreat and was so energetic that the marketing team included me in their funny videos. Now that I’m working in a hybrid arrangement, I have to interact with my colleagues, and it’s been enjoyable so far. It’s nice to have people around.

What advice would you give your younger self starting in her career, as an employee and as a reconciliations officer? 

I’d tell my younger self, “Just do it”. I tend to doubt myself, so I’d say to her, “You can do it, so just do it”. And as for the start of her career in reconciliation, I’d tell her not to worry. The same way you reconcile a thousand transactions is the way you’d reconcile a million. Make sure you’re giving it your best shot. Be analytical, detail-oriented, and look out for everything. If it’s supposed to be 1, and you see 0.9, ask questions. Be attentive, and don’t worry. You’ve got it!

Walk us through a typical day in your life

I don’t sleep early, no matter how much I try. And I used to start crashing out on Sunday before Monday. Usually because I’m thinking of what to wear and the fact that I’d have to take a public commute. These days I try not to spiral. I just wear whatever looks nice when I wake up. The office is a bit of a distance, so I take a bus. Maybe Startbutton will buy me a car soon, haha.

On Monday, I get to work just before 9 am. Everyone knows I’m bubbly when I arrive. I say my hellos and get some water or snacks from the fridge.  Then, I start reconciling as soon as I get into the office. I attend meetings, eat lunch, and do what I’m paid to do. When it’s around 4:30 pm, I start talking about leaving by 5 pm on the dot. But that hardly happens. I leave around 5:30 because I’m either finishing up something or waiting for a colleague.

I get home around an hour later, and I head into the shower. I shower, and I tidy up my room. Then, I chill and read. I try not to be on my laptop too soon when I get home to give my eyes and brain a break.

No two days are ever the same. On work-from-home days, we resume work by 8 am. So, I start work earlier than when I come to the office. There are quiet days and busy days. But the constant things are the food and the work. Oh, and going to bed at ungodly hours. I can’t say what time because I’m not proud of it. But that’s how it typically goes.

The end of the month is usually more hectic, and I stay up at midnight to reduce the amount of work I’d have to do the next day.

What’s next for Kenechi?

More growth and knowledge. I know that there’s more for me in finance, and that’s what I’m chasing. I want more expertise, not just in reconciliation, but in the bigger picture of how money moves. And of course, hopefully fewer reconciliation discrepancies. Haha.