Early Life and Education
Adebayo Ogunlesi was born on December 20, 1953, in Sagamu, Nigeria. He comes from a Yoruba family, and his father, Theophilus O. Ogunlesi, was the first Nigerian professor of medicine. He attended King's College, Lagos, before moving to the UK to study at Oxford University, where he received a B.A. with first-class honors in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He furthered his education in the United States, earning a J.D. magna cum laude from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Rise to Success
Ogunlesi began his career as a law clerk to Justice Thurgood Marshall of the U.S. Supreme Court. He then worked in the corporate practice group at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. In 1983, he transitioned to investment banking at First Boston (later Credit Suisse First Boston). He rose through the ranks to become Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Client Officer of Credit Suisse First Boston's Investment Banking Division. In 2006, Ogunlesi founded Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP). GIP quickly became one of the world's largest infrastructure funds. In January 2024, BlackRock agreed to acquire GIP for $12.5 billion, a move that significantly boosted Ogunlesi's profile.
Key Business Strategies
Ogunlesi's success is rooted in his strategic vision for infrastructure investments. He identified an opportunity in infrastructure assets, focusing on energy, transport, and water and waste management. His approach involved acquiring and improving assets and long-term value. He has shown a talent for building a strong team of 400 people and overseeing assets worth over $100 billion. A key element of GIP's strategy has been to achieve fully transparent superior returns for its investors.
Philanthropy
Ogunlesi has been involved in education and healthcare initiatives in Nigeria and beyond. Although he keeps his philanthropic efforts relatively private, he contributes to scholarship programs supporting African students. He is also involved in non-profit organizations focusing on development, infrastructure, and leadership training.