Meet Pesa’s “Tax Collector” — The Cassandra Collins’ Story

Meet Pesa’s “Tax Collector” — The Cassandra Collins’ Story

Everyone at Pesa makes magic, and in this series, People Making the Magic Happen, we have conversations with the humans of Pesa on their journey so far, where the magic comes from, the work they do, and what they are most proud of. 

In the first edition, we had a chat with Cassandra Collins-Otitoju, Marketing Manager and in-house tax collector. Every day, Cassandra sprinkles angel dust on our marketing efforts, and we all watch as magic happens. 

Here is her story:

What has your career been like pre-Pesa? Have you always worked in marketing? What have you done up until you got to Pesa?

‍Cassandra:
Thank you for this question. Let me be serious.

I graduated in 2017 with a degree in Microbiology, and right after that, I went into modelling. I was in a Pepsi World Cup ad and was a finalist in Miss Nigeria.

Between 2018 and 2020, I explored entrepreneurship in different forms: a small fashion venture, a second business, and later a smoothie bar in Lagos that eventually closed during COVID. Before that, I had also worked briefly as a customer service representative and, thereafter, as a salon manager.

After the COVID lockdowns, I got my first proper role as creative director and influencer partnerships manager. That role taught me a lot about management. From there, I moved into fintech, my first remote job, where I gained hands-on experience in social media, influencer coordination, and content.

That experience helped me secure another role in early 2022 as Lead, Social Media and Content Marketing, at another fintech startup.

I joined Pesa in August 2023 as Head of Social Media Marketing and was promoted to Marketing Manager in April 2025.

That’s great! While at Pesa, what would you say your biggest challenge and your most considerable excitement have been?

‍Cassandra:
I’d say one of the most exciting moments was the first Valentine’s Day campaign I worked on. It was a massive success from a storytelling angle. It touched on cross-border connections from different perspectives.  We had perspectives from a husband, a long-distance partner, a best friend, and a sister. 

I also really enjoyed putting together the “Immigrant Stories” campaign, which was a bit challenging due to distance, but very rewarding.

For challenges, one was a campaign we worked on extensively, with many meetings and sleepless nights, which was pulled at the last minute. That was difficult to accept. Another challenge was my transition from Social Media Marketing to Marketing Manager, which required hard work and managing many people daily.

‍Your official role is Marketing Manager, but you can also be identified as the “Tax collector”.  Where did that come from, and what do you do in that role?

‍Cassandra:
Thank you for that question. I do have many roles. The Tax Collector role started because we have a very open relationship with the CEO at Pesa. Occasionally, he’d say, “If you need anything, let me know, and I’ll help whenever I can.”

And ask I did. If we went out to lunch on content filming days, I’d let the CEO know, and he’d pay for it. 

We also had a fun way to get people to join meetings early: we charged a fee for late arrivals. The fees were sent to me by our CEO's instruction as well. Now, nobody joins the meetings late because they know that Tax Collector Cassandra will always be there and ready to collect their money. 

Before I leave you, who’s your favourite teammate?

‍Cassandra:
I can’t say a particular person, because I love working with my team, but I’d say that our Head of Marketing joining the team really improved the way I work. She makes the work flow better. 

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Thank you so much, Cassy. I wish you continued success in your career and life. This was an exciting conversation.