AKINTAYO DADA

How I help mentees

My mentoring focus is Focus and Strategy, particularly for professionals who aspire to transition from operational competence to strategic leadership.
Having operated at executive and board levels across multiple markets, I understand the difference between performing a role and positioning oneself for long-term influence. I can provide value in the following ways:
1. Strategic Clarity & Career Positioning – Helping mentees move beyond short-term role execution to defining a deliberate career trajectory.
2. Executive-Level Thinking - Many professionals excel technically but struggle to think structurally. Board-level perspective
3. Institutional Awareness & Governance Insight - With experience across regulated markets and board environments, I can help mentees understand how strategy, risk, governance, and performance intersect at senior levels.
4. Focus in a Complex Environment - In banking, opportunities are numerous, but clarity is rare. I can help professionals avoid dispersion of energy, build disciplined focus, and cultivate the strategic patience required for sustained advancement.

Key accomplishments

With over three decades of pan-African and international experience in corporate and investment banking, risk management, and financial advisory, I have held senior executive and board roles at Citibank, Ecobank Transnational Inc., and Access Bank.

My career has spanned Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, where I led corporate banking, structured finance, and strategic growth initiatives across diverse regulatory environments. I have built and managed high-performing teams, strengthened risk governance frameworks, and supported board-level strategy and oversight.

My experience includes executing complex transactions, driving digital and operational transformation, and guiding institutions through expansion and performance improvement programs.

Currently, as a Partner in a strategy and risk advisory firm, I advise financial institutions on strategic positioning, governance strengthening, and sustainable growth. Across all roles, my focus has been disciplined execution, institutional resilience, and long-term value creation.