If there is a combination that is always endearing, then it is the ‘beauty’ and ‘brains’ combo. Add poise and panache to it and, voila!…the result is who you are about to read on. Follow me closely as I take you into the world of a diva!
Having spent 23 years as a banker, she reached a point in her life where she needed greater flexibility to pursue other interests and to have more time for the people and things she values most. Even though her banking experience has had direct relevance to what she is doing today, she is delighted to still be involved in the financial sector from a financial literacy point of view. Gorgeous, articulate and cerebral Nimi Akinkugbe is my Leading woman for this week.
Nimi is the founder and CEO of Bestman Games Ltd. Her company recently launched the City of Lagos edition of Monopoly, the first African city edition of the world famous board game. She is the personal finance columnist for Genevieve Magazine, a leading Nigerian women’s lifestyle magazine, and contributes articles to BusinessDay and Punch Newspapers’ personal finance and family columns, among several other publications.
If there is an area Nimi loves to share on, it is personal finance, and she tells why: “Throughout my banking career and particularly as head of Private Banking at Stanbic IBTC and subsequently as regional director (West Africa), International Private Banking for Barclays Bank, the subject of personal financial management has been at the forefront of my roles in private banking and asset management. It has thus been most gratifying to be able to complement the messages of personal finance through a world famous board game. As you are aware, at its core, the game of Monopoly carries strong lessons in personal finance.”
Nimi speaks more about Bestman Games: “Bestman Games is a games company and is the exclusive distributor of customised African editions of the Monopoly board game across Africa (excluding South Africa) under license from Winning Moves (UK) and Hasbro, the world’s largest toy and game manufacturer. The City of Lagos is the first African city to have its own edition of Monopoly and we are deeply proud of this special status. Lagos is a megacity with over 20 million inhabitants. It has undergone significant changes over the past few years and this rapid transformation of Lagos metropolis in the last five years has caught global attention.”
“Monopoly,” she continues, “is a real estate trading game; the main objective of the game is to build wealth through buying, selling and renting property. Apart from highlighting Lagos’ locations and landmarks, this edition of Monopoly delivers important social messages through customised twists included in the cards. With the support of the Lagos State government, we were able to use this novel tool to present some basic lessons in civics by educating players about some of the laws of the city that are so often overlooked, and to attempt to correct negative behaviour, and reward positive behaviour through fines and rewards in a practical fun way.”
Guess who is hitting those high notes and making a melody that soothes your soul? Did you say Nimi? Yes! You guessed right…get ready for this shocker. She started at the age of four! Hear her: “Music continues to play a significant role in my life. My siblings and I started piano lessons very early. I started at four years old and completed the eight piano grades in school. After my bachelors degree, I was able to formalise my interest in music by obtaining a piano teaching diploma from the Royal College of Music. This proved to be very useful when I was raising a young family and giving piano lessons from home.
“My family holds an annual Christmas concert to raise funds for the Ajumogobia Science Foundation. My siblings and I and our children have a lot of fun preparing for the show and try to perform in the concert each year. We had our 8th concert last December. This year’s edition will hold on December 21 at The Muson Centre. Music for me is a hobby, a way to reflect and relax. My daughter Kaline is the only member of our family to have made music her career and she has our full support. She is a singer, songwriter and pianist. She is completing her second degree in film composition from Berklee College of Music this summer, and I am very excited about her prospects.”
With so much on her plate, Nimi’s multi-tasking skills always come to the fore even though she admits it’s not that easy. “It comes with some difficulty, I must admit,” she tells me. “But I am very fortunate to have a very supportive husband; he is very hands-on with our children’s activities, which takes some of the pressure off me. Our children’s grandparents are amazing and have played a huge role in their upbringing and care which has had immeasurable value. Particularly when the children were very young, I always ensured that we had responsible, intelligent, adult staff to help us take care of them.”
For Nimi, women need to embrace empowerment. She explains: “Women face unique challenges when it comes to their personal finances. We tend to be more risk-averse and cautious as investors. There are compelling reasons why women must become more aware, engaged, and actively involved in their finances. Empowering a woman financially does far more than empowering just the individual. When you empower a woman regarding her finances, you are strengthening the family which is the smallest unit of society and future generations. This has a direct and profound impact on our society and country.”
Nimi holds a Bachelors Degree from The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) and an MBA from Lagos Business School. She also formalised her interest in music by obtaining a Piano Teaching Diploma (ARCM) from The Royal College of Music, London. She is a member of the Artistes Committee of the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON). She is a director of The Play Pen (Child Development Centre), an educational establishment founded over 30 years ago by her late mother, Florence Ajumogobia. Other directorships include The Daisy Management Centre, House of Tara and Promo Print Ventures. She is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ajumogobia Science Foundation and a member of the executive council of Women in Management & Business (WIMBIZ). Her other interests and hobbies include orchid gardening, boating, writing, playing the piano and travel. She is married with three children.
