Nimi Akinkugbe is an entrepreneur, personal finance and wealth management expert who transited from the corporate world to a full-fledged entrepreneur. Her mission is simple; to create financial literacy in Africa which she does through different platforms. She offers interesting and practical insight into understanding personal finance as well as wealth management.
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Nimi Akinkugbe Biography
Opunimi Akinkugbe was born in Port Harcourt and hails from Akuku-Toru, Rivers State. Nimi Akinkugbe lived in Lagos State until she was 7 years old when she moved to East Africa where her late father, Mr. F.I Ajumogobi was UNESCO Chief of Mission.
She grew up in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, and attended International School of Tanganyika, and later Limuru Girls School, Limuru, Kenya and finally returned to Nigeria for her O’Levels at International School, Ibadan.
Nimi Akinkugbe has a Bachelor’s degree from the London School of Economics (LSE) and an MBA from Lagos State Business School. She has an interest in music which she formalized by obtaining a Piano Teaching Diploma (ARCM) from Royal College of Music, London.
Nimi Akinkugbe is married to Yinka Akinkugbe and they are blessed with three children.
Nimi Akinkugbe Career
Nimi Akinkugbe worked with Stanbic IBTC Plc as General Manager and Head, Private Banking and also as the Director of Stanbic IBTC Asset Management. Afterwards, she joined Barclays Bank and served as West African Regional Director for Wealth & Investment Management Division and Chief Country Officer for Nigeria.
Nimi Akinkugbe yearned for flexibility to pursue other interests and time for the people and things she loves to do so she left banking after 23 years to establish a game company, Bestman Games Ltd.
Bestman Games Ltd, established in 2012, is a leading African games company based in Lagos Nigeria and is the African distributor of customised editions of Hasbro games for 48 African countries. Its flagship product is Hasbro’s world-famous board game, Monopoly. The City of Lagos Edition of Monopoly, the first African City edition was launched in December 2012. Since then the Nigeria Centenary, Cross River, Corona Schools and Accra Editions have been launched. Several city and country editions are in the pipeline.
Nimi Akinkugbe through the games her company develops teaches morals, life principles and money management to her audience. She had this to say about their monopoly game ‘Monopoly is more than a board game. As its core, monopoly carries strong lessons in money management in a fun and engaging way’.
Some of the games developed by Bestman Game Ltd
- First African city of Monopoly for the city of Lagos, in December 2012.
- Nigerian Centenary Edition of Monopoly in February 2014.
- First proprietary game, the Bible Game Saints & Sinners in December 2017.
- City of Lagos Electronic Banking Edition which reflects the Central Banks Cashless Nigeria Policy in February 2018.
- First digital game, the Bible Game Mobile App on 1st of April, 2018.
How Nimi Akinkugbe Caught The Financial Bug
Working in private banking and asset management department of the bank helped her develop interest in personal finance. She said this to the Guardian Newspaper ‘throughout my banking career the subject of personal financial management was at the forefront of my roles in private banking and asset management. This is how I caught the personal finance bug. I developed a keen interest in money management and could see how much better people fared with financial knowledge and information’.
Nimi Akinkugbe encourages financial independence using her brand Money Matter with Nimi, her book A – Z of personal finance, social media, speaking engagements, television, radio appearances, and the Monopoly Board Games. She is a personal finance columnist for Genevieve Newspaper, Business Day, the Punch Newspaper, and many other publications.
Some Boards Where Nimi Akinkugbe Serves
From her LinkedIn page, we gathered that she is a director in The Play Pen (Child Development Centre), House of Tara Intn’l, Financial Derivatives Company, and Letshego Micro Finance Bank.
Nimi Akinkugbe is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ajumogobia Science Foundation, a member of the Artistes Committee of the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON) and a member of the Selection Committee of the Tony Elumelu Entrepreneurship Program. She is also a member of the Lagos State Economic Advisory Committee and Executive council of Women in Management and Business (WIMBIZ).
Recognition and Awards
- Recognition at 4th Annual Women4Africa Awards in UK 2015
- Finalist on Africa Business Awards in Business Woman of the Year Category 2015
- Recognition as one Nigeria Business Composite 1(NiBC10) 2017
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