Oghenekome Igbogidi added to ServiceNow’s ‘Excellence in Tech & AI’ honour roll | The Guardian Nigeria News

ServiceNow’s annual Black History Month observance has a new star in its constellation of Black tech talent: Oghenekome “Kay” Igbogidi, a senior product manager shaping the company’s next-generation AI platforms and conversational experiences.

The internal initiative, branded Excellence in Tech & AI and led by Black @ ServiceNow, the firm’s employee network spotlights innovators whose work is expanding both the technology itself and the opportunities it can unlock. Igbogidi joins widely admired product leaders Kendra Bailey and Eleanor Branch on this year’s roster, underscoring a corporate culture that has made celebrating Black excellence a centerpiece of its diversity strategy.

“Being recognized among trailblazers who are driving innovation, empowerment, and transformation is a moment I deeply cherish,” Igbogidi said. “It’s a privilege to build technology that not only enhances how we interact but also reflects the diverse voices that shape our world.”

A Product Leader Building Bridges
From her seat inside ServiceNow’s AI organization, Igbogidi leads teams that turn large-language-model research into customer-ready workflow tools. Colleagues say her strength lies in translating complex R&D into intuitive products, chat interfaces that resolve IT requests in seconds, knowledge-management bots that surface institutional memory, and content-generation features that cut the drudgery out of everyday work.

“In every sprint review you can see Kome’s signature: usability first, equity always,” said a fellow manager familiar with the program, who spoke on background because they were not authorized to comment publicly.

That user-centric ethos has earned Igbogidi praise beyond ServiceNow. Industry peers point to her leadership roles at the United Nations Association of the National Capital Area and her active mentorship of early-career technologists as evidence of a broader commitment to democratizing AI.

Spotlighted at a Pivotal Moment
The recognition comes as ServiceNow doubles down on its goal of becoming an “AI-first company,” a mission that executives say cannot succeed without the perspectives of under-represented technologists.

The 2025 showcase builds on a series of Black History Month programs in which the company has highlighted Black employees whose lived experiences inform their engineering and, in turn, the customer outcomes those products enable.

Last month’s virtual ceremony featured lightning talks, a fireside chat on responsible AI, and a demo hour where Igbogidi walked colleagues through a forthcoming conversational-analytics feature slated for release in the company’s next platform upgrade.

“Together, we’re breaking barriers and redefining what’s possible,” Igbogidi said during her presentation. “Let’s keep building a future where innovation knows no bounds.”

The Bigger Picture: Representation in Action
ServiceNow’s Black employee network has played an increasingly public role since the firm set up a $100 million racial-equity fund and launched new STEM-outreach programs in 2021. Observers say initiatives like Excellence in Tech & AI are the cultural complement to those financial investments, amplifying individual narratives that can inspire the next generation of talent.

“The research is clear: diverse teams build more robust AI,” said professor of computer-science ethics at DePaul University. “Spotlighting leaders like Kome signals to students that there is room for their voices at the cutting edge of enterprise technology.”

Asked what comes next, Igbogidi points to an ambitious roadmap that places accessibility and transparency at the core of every new capability.

“My north star is agency giving users, regardless of background or role, the ability to shape outcomes with AI tools they can trust,” she said.

With ServiceNow preparing its mid-year Now Platform release and the tech industry sharpening its focus on generative AI governance, the company’s latest laureate seems poised to turn that vision into widely-used product features.
For Igbogidi, though, the accolade is as much about legacy as it is about software.

“This recognition is a reminder of the resilience, creativity, and excellence within the Black community, and the importance of paving the way for future generations,” she said. “I stand on the shoulders of giants, and I’m committed to making sure the next wave can climb even higher.”