Ethnic GEM: Olivier “O” Kpognon

Company: Olivier Kpognon Photography, LLC,

State: Fairfield, Connecticut

Olivier J-P Kpognon is an international photojournalist and founder of Olivier Kpognon Photography, LLC, a full-service photography, video, and design studio. Olivier launched his company in 2002 and quickly grew revenues by 300% within the first three years. He has earned a formidable reputation among both his peers and clients for his exceptional creativity and professionalism.

Among his company’s clientele include multinational corporations such as GE, Boehringer Ingelheim, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, Diageo, UBS, Kraft Foods; local small businesses such as the Stamford Yacht Club, Glen Arbor Golf Club in Bedford, NY, Picture That LLC, Winston Strategic Partners LLC, PrintabiliTees LLC, David Soundview Catering, and The Loading Dock; and non-profit organizations that include 100 Black Men of Stamford, the Urban League of Southern Connecticut, CTE and the George Washington Carver Center (in Stamford and Norwalk respectively), Inroads (NY/NJ/New England Regions), and the nationally-renown Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. His company also serves private clients providing services that include portraits, families, and special events such as weddings.

Born in Belgium of a French mother and a Beninese Father and raised in the Washington DC area, Olivier developed a keen appreciation for travel, design and the arts. Since launching his company, he has traveled across the United States and around the world to countries that include South Africa, Morocco, Ethiopia, France, Spain, Peru, Anguilla, and Jamaica – using his talents and expertise to capture his clients’ most memorable moments in time.

He has been an active member of the Westchester/Greater Connecticut Chapter of NBMBAA since moving to Connecticut in 1999, serving as the Chapter’s Vice President of Finance in 2001, and as the Chapter’s official photographer since 2007.

Olivier credits his success to his willingness to leave his 10-year corporate finance career in banking to pursue his passion. His advice to people, young and old is to, “know you can follow your passion. I love what I do and I do what I love. Finding your passion is key: talent, alone, is not enough. If you do what you’re passionate about, everything else will fall into place,” he ends by reminding us that, “to be really, really good at what you do, particularly to make people interested in what you offer, you must be passionate about it.”

Olivier earned a Bachelor of Science, in Agricultural Economics from Virginia Tech and a Master of Arts in Finance and International Economics from the American University in Washington, DC. He speaks fluent French and is proficient in Spanish and lives in Fairfield, Connecticut.

 

If you know Olivier JP Kpognon be sure to congratulate her on being an Ethnic GEM!