Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors appoints three top executives to drive financial inclusion in Nigeria

In support of efforts to increase financial inclusion of vulnerable communities in Nigeria, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) has appointed three top executives to drive an enabling regulatory environment for the success of the project.

They are Henrietta Bankole-Olusina, programme director; Adedeji Oguntonade, payments director and Segilola Adeola, senior advisor.

Bankole-Olusina, RPA’s Nigeria programme director, is focused on digital financial services for vulnerable populations. In this role, she will liaise with regulators to strengthen policies and regulations that will drive financial inclusion.

Prior to this appointment, Henrietta was head of Corporate Transformation and the executive responsible for Information Technology at the Asset & Resource Management (ARM) Group, and managing director at ARM Financial Advisers. Prior to joining ARM, she was the Financial Services Management Consulting Lead and Head of Mobility and Payments at Accenture in Nigeria. She holds a B.Sc. in Biology from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and an MBA from the Maastricht School of Management, The Netherlands.

Adedeji Oguntonade who assumes the role of Nigeria payments director, will be working to support a positive regulatory environment for digital financial services and financial inclusion within Nigeria. Specifically, he will work with relevant regulators on pricing, licenses, identification, distribution networks and financial services supply‐side mapping among other initiatives.

Prior to this appointment, Adedeji was the Fintech and Innovation Division Head at Guaranty Trust Bank. Before that, he was Group Head, Electronic Payments at the Bank. He holds a B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Lagos, Nigeria and an MBA from the Federal University of Technology, Nigeria.

Segilola Adeola who also assumes the role of Financial Inclusion senior advisor, will be working to support RPA’s work on various grants in Nigeria and across Africa. Prior to this appointment, Segilola worked as a consultant managing a number of work streams in Nigeria and across the African continent for RPA. Before that, she was a Manager at Accenture working with Accenture Development Partnerships. She holds a B.Eng. in Electrical Engineering & Electronics from the University Of Manchester Institute Of Science and Technology, an MSc in Mobile and Satellite Communications from the University of Surrey, and an MBA from the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom.

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (RPA) is a non-profit organization that currently advises on and manages more than $400 million in annual giving by individuals, families, corporations and major foundations. Continuing the Rockefeller family’s legacy of thoughtful, effective philanthropy, RPA remains at the forefront of philanthropic growth and innovation, with a diverse team led by experienced grant-makers with significant depth of knowledge across the spectrum of issue areas. Founded in 2002, RPA has grown into one of the world’s largest philanthropic service organizations and, as a whole, has facilitated more than $3.5 billion in grant-making to nearly 70 countries. RPA serves as a fiscal sponsor for more than 85 projects, providing governance, management and operational infrastructure to support their charitable purposes.