Biography
Olusegun Agbaje was born on July 4, 1964, to Chief Julius Kosebinu Agbaje, a banker, and Mrs Margaret Olabisi Agbaje, a teacher.
Agbaje, tracing his father’s footsteps also ventures into banking. A profession which has projected him as one of Nigeria’s foremost bankers of the 21 century.
Segun is regarded as one of Africa’s leading CEOs for his impeccable reputation in executing business deals, discovering and utilizing capital opportunities.
He is the Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank, Director of PepsiCo and also a member of the Mastercard Advisory Board for Middle East and Africa.
The accomplished and respected professional banker has over 30 years of experience in international banking and investment.
His elder brother Jimi Agbaje is a former Lagos State gubernatorial aspirant under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).
Education
Segun attended St. Gregory College, Obalende, Lagos then St. Augustine Academy in Kent.
He later proceeded to the University of San Francisco where he bagged his Bachelor of Science in Accounting ànd Masters in Business Administration, before heading to Harvard Business School.
Marriage
Mr Agbaje is happily married to a chartered accountant, Mrs Derin Olakunrin the daughter of (Late) Mrs Olutoyin Olakunrin -the first female chartered accountant in Africa.
The union is blessed with a son according to an online source.
Professional Career
Agbaje started his career in 1988 as an Auditor at Ernst & Young, USA. He subsequently joined GTBank as a pioneer staff in 1991 and rose through the ranks to become Executive Director in 2000 and Deputy Managing Director in 2002. In 2011, he was appointed managing director and CEO of GTBank, and under his leadership the bank became one of Nigeria’s most profitable banks, maintaining impressive year-on-year growth in market share and profitability.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and a Master’s in Business Administration, both from the University of San Francisco, USA. He is also an alumnus of the Harvard Business School and has over 30 Years of experience in investment, commercial and international banking.
Mr Agbaje currently serves on the boards of GTBank (Ghana) Limited, GTBank (UK) Limited, GTBank (Kenya) Limited and GTBank (Tanzania) Limited. He is also a director on the MasterCard Advisory Board (Middle East and Africa), and was elected to the Board of Directors of PepsiCo Inc., USA as an Independent Director and a member of the company’s audit committee in July 2020.
GTB has recorded undisputed achievements under the sterling leadership of Mr Segun. The bank has a client base of over 20 million customers and business outlays across ten African Countries and the United Kingdom.
Achievement:
Mr Agbaje’s passion for disruptive technologies and groundbreaking ideas has driven him into transforming GTBank into one of the top banks in Africa.
In 2007, Segun Agbaje led GTB into putting together a landmark USD 350 million Eurobond offering in 2007.
In the same year, the bank listed its US$750 million Global Depository Receipts (GDR) exceptionally in the domestic and international capital markets. This earned GTB a place on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. The first bank in Sub-Saharan Africa to clinch the spot.
His obsession with digital transformation has triggered and pushed GTBank into being a bank of the 21st century.
“Banks are going to become platforms, so we will become a trusted single, integrated platform, because the competition for banks has changed, where it was once other banks, now it is ?ntechs, telcos, Apple Pay, PayPal, payday-loan companies, salary-advance companies, even co?ee shops. Any bank that stays with the traditional banking model is going to get smaller and smaller. All these other companies will be taking part of your share of business.” Segun stated in an interview with London Business School.
Segun is also a staunch believer in Africa’s economic potential.
“It is a continent that I am completely bullish about, because I don’t think there are many places in the world that have both the natural resources, the human population, the distribution of millennials; who are just incredible people. If you are able to tap into and unleash that human capital potential it is a continent that has a huge growth upside,” he says.
He is the brain behind creating Free Business Platforms such as the GTBank Food and Drink Fair and the GTBank Fashion Weekend.
Individuals and small businesses now have access to real-time loans under the Quick Credit initiative with a tiny interest of 1.3% monthly. An idea to encourage the SMEs.
Mr Segun launched NdaniTV in 2012 to showcase African lifestyle, films, business, fashions, and many more. It also serves as a platform to advertise GTB products and encourage promotion.
Accolades
Mr Agbaje has consistently bagged awards through his impeccable banking career.
Some of which include:
- African Banker of the Year at African Banker Awards
- CEO of the Year at City People Awards for Excellence
- Banker of the Year- Africa by World Finance Awards
- Pan-African CEO of the Year at EMEA Finance Awards
- Banker of the Year by World Finance (UK) Awards
- CEO of the year at Finance Monthly Global Awards
- Banker of the Year (Africa) at World Finance Awards
- CEO of the Year at Finance Monthly CEO Awards
- Ai SRI 30 CEO of the Year at African Investor Awards
- CEO of the Year at Finance Monthly CEO Awards
- African Banker of the Year at African Banker Magazine Awards
- CEO of the Year at EMEA Finance Awards
- CEO of the Year at Finance Monthly CEO Awards
- Banker of the Year (Africa) at World Finance Awards
- Ai 100 CEO’s of the Year by African Investors Awards
- Banker of the Year (Africa) at World Finance Awards
- African CEO of the Year at ADIC Awards
Networth
Some online sources reported that Mr Agbaje is worth about 5 million USD.
Mr Agbaje was spotted with the Mercedes-Maybach S560 sedan, a car worth over N100 million. His car comes with special James Bond-like personalized number plate “S007”.
He’s one of the top-earning CEOs in Nigeria earning about N171million.
Disclaimer
The information in this article was curated from online sources. NewsWireNGR or its editorial team cannot independently verify all details.
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