Mrs Okanlawon began her career with Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in 1980. After a brief stint there, she left to take up a job with Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 1981, where she started with the position of marketing officer.
While in NNPC, she has worked in several subsidiaries such PPMC, Joint Venture/Production Sharing Companies (JV/PSC) and NAPIMS in various capacity.
In 2013, She was promoted to the rank of General Manager, Nigeria Petroleum Exchange (NipeX). As the head of this NNPC subsidiary she spearheaded variety of changes in the outfit: such as championing electronic payments by customers, establishment of NipeX Third-Party Services such as supplier sourcing, verification etc; Implemented the Forward Auction; Generated more exposure for NipeX in the Asian and Middle East communities by showcasing NipeX in Singapore and Abu-Dhabi (ADIPEC) Oil and Gas conferences; Improved communication between Nigerian Content Board and National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS); Commissioned Data Centre in London in readiness for the SAP 7.0, etc.
During this period, in recognition of the impact of NipeX contributions to the Oil industry, 2 international bodies nominated NipeX for achievement awards.
After her retirement from public service in August 2015, Mrs Okanlawon has focused on her age-long passion for Renewable Energy, where she is currently the National Vice-President of Women in Renewable Energy Association.
In addition to this, she was able to give more attention to the NGOs which she co-founded namely Escravos Women Empowerment Foundation (EWEF) & Women & Youth Empowerment Foundation in Coastal Region. Communities (CROWEF). Both NGOs have a focus on empowering women and children in the rural Niger Delta area of Nigeria.
Mrs. Okanlawon is currently the MD/CEO of Rubesco Energy Ltd aka Ruby Energy Solutions and Ruby Unique Natural Premium Products Ltd aka Ruby Unique. She is also on the Board of several companies.