Adebayo "Bayo" O. OgunlesiCON (born 20 December 1953) is a Nigerian lawyer and investment banker.[1][2] He is currently chairman and managing partner at the
private equity firm
Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). Ogunlesi was the former head of global investment banking at
Credit Suisse First Boston[3] before being promoted to chief client officer and executive vice chairman.[4]
In 1983, Ogunlesi joined the investment bank
First Boston as an advisor on a Nigerian gas project.[2] At First Boston, he worked in the Project Finance Group, advising clients on transactions and financings and has worked on transactions in
North and South America, the
Caribbean,
Europe, the
Middle East,
Africa and
Asia. From 1997 to 2002, he was the Head of the Global Energy Group of the by then renamed
Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB). In 2002, Ogunlesi was appointed Global Head of CSFB's Investment Banking Division.[2] Also in 2002, he served as a member of Credit Suisse's Executive Board and Management Committee.[8] From 2004 to 2006, Ogunlesi was Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Client Officer of CSFB.[9]
In January 2024,
BlackRock agreed to buy
Global Infrastructure Partners for about $12.5 billion. BlackRock will pay $3 billion in cash and 12 million of its own shares as part of the deal to buy GIP. The 400 people directly employed by GIP will receive some of the stock, and five of the six founding partners, including chief executive Ogunlesi, will join BlackRock as part of the deal.[15][16]
In October 2012, he was appointed to the board of directors at
Goldman Sachs.[11] On 24 July 2014, he was named lead director.[8][18]
In December 2016, it was announced that Ogunlesi, among other business leaders, would be part of
Donald Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum,[19][10] which was disbanded on 16 August 2017.
Personal life
Ogunlesi has been married to British-born
optometrist Dr. Amelia Quist-Ogunlesi since 1985.[20] They have two children.[21] In his song "
Wonderful,"
Burna Boy pays tribute to Adebayo, citing his hard work.[22]
Awards and honors
Recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.[23] Ogunlesi was cited as one of the Top 100 most influential Africans by
New African magazine in 2019.[24]
Works and publications
Ogunlesi, Adebayo (1979). The Basic Human Needs Approach to Development. Cambridge, MA:
Harvard Law School.
OCLC81062298. Submitted to: Professor C. Clyde Ferguson, Jr. [for the] Seminar: Legal Problems of the New International Economics Order (Harvard third year paper)
^Fungayi Tichawona Kapungu; Kaniaru Wacieni (13 December 2004).
"Adebayo Ogunlesi (HBS '79) honored by Harvard African Alumni". The Harbus. Archived from
the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 18 May 2007. Mr. Adebayo O. Ogunlesi (HLS/HBS '79), was honored by the Harvard African Students' Alumni Network ... for "consistent and superior performance in his professional career.