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Early life and education Aderinokun’s father was a technician who worked for the Nigerian Railway Corporation. He had his basic education at Baptist Day School, Kano, from 1961 to 1966. During the beginning of the Nigerian Civil War, his family relocated to Lagos where he attended Surulere Baptist School from 1966 to 1967, St. Peter’s College, Abeokuta, from 1968 to 1972 and St. Gregory’s Boys College, Lagos from 1973 to 1974. He proceeded to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Lagos, and much later, an MBA in International Business from the Graduate School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles in 1981. Career Tayo Aderinokun began his banking career at the Central Bank of Nigeria, Calabar, where he underwent the mandatory one-year National Youth Service programme (NYSC) in 1977/78. He went on to work for Chase Merchant Bank Nigeria Limited (later Continental Merchant Bank) between 1981 and 1988. In 1988, Tayo moved to Prime Merchant Bank as an Assistant General Manager and Head, Financial Services. He resigned from this appointment in 1989 to start First Marina Trust Limited a non-bank financial institution which he oversaw until co-founding Guaranty Trust Bank with his close friend, Fola Adeola in 1990. At the inception of Guaranty Trust Bank, Tayo Aderinokun assumed the mantle of Deputy Managing Director a position he was to hold for the next 12 years. During this time, he was involved in the supervision of the Bank’s operations with direct responsibility for asset management and liability generation. His experience, commitment, and contributions during this period were fundamental to the impact the Bank had on the Nigerian economy over the next few years, which included the introduction of a more customer-friendly form of banking that has now become the industry norm.
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Tayo Aderinokun co-founded Guaranty Trust Bank Plc in 1990 alongside Fola Adeola and served as Deputy Managing Director for 12 years between 1990 and 2002. He then became the Managing Director, a position he held until his passing. Exploits with Guaranty Trust Bank Tayo Aderinokun became Managing Director of Guaranty Trust Bank in August 2002, after the resignation of Fola Adeola, and he successfully steered the affairs of the Bank until his demise on June 14th 2011, to the enviable position of one of Nigeria’s most stable and secure financial institutions. Under Tayo’s leadership, the Bank gradually became an internationally recognized institution with vast business interests spanning Anglophone West Africa and the United Kingdom. Innovations such GTConnect, Slip-free, the Naira Mastercard and Drive Through banking were introduced to ensure banking became a more convenient experience for the public. In addition, the Bank pioneered the foray of Nigerian Banks into the international capital markets, by raising funds severally and becoming the first Nigerian Company and African Bank to be listed on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. During his time as the CEO the bank won the following awards:
- The 2010 and 2009 best bank in Nigeria awards from The Banker Magazine
- The 2010 and 2009 best bank in Nigeria awards from Euromoney Awards for Excellence
- The SIAO 2009 and 2008 Best Corporate Social Responsibility Awards
- The 2007 Most Respected Company in Nigeria Award from PrizeWaterhouseCoopers and Businessday
- The Nigerian Stock Exchange President’s Merit Award in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008.
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