Mr. Olayemi Cardoso is a distinguished leader in the financial and development sectors with over 4 decades of experience in the private, public and development/not-for-profit sectors. He started his professional career in London with Howard Tilly & Co., a firm of Chartered Accountants and was hired by Citibank, the World’s largest bank at the time in 1981. He worked at its Abidjan, Ivory Coast regional office, focusing on the bank’s Financial Institution and Non-Presence country portfolio. He later joined Chase Merchant Bank, Nigeria, in 1982.

In 1984, he left Chase to become a founding staff member of the Nigeria International Bank (Now Citi Nigeria Limited) where he was responsible for the World Corporation group – Citi’s prime clients in Nigeria and was recognised as the first Branch Manager in Kano. He served as an Executive Director for 8 years and left Citibank in 1990. He returned to Citibank Nigeria as Chairman in 2010 and served for a period of 12 years.

Mr. Olayemi Cardoso was appointed the first Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget in 1999 by the Lagos State Government, where he implemented the blueprint which catalysed economic development in the state.

In 2005, he returned to the private sector and continued to engage in Finance, Governance and Public Policy. As a policy expert, he advised and collaborated with the World Bank, Ford Foundation, UN Habitat, World Health Organisation and the Swedish International Development Agency on key projects.

Mr. Olayemi Cardoso possesses diverse corporate governance experience, derived from his various roles as a board member of Chevron Oil PLC., Chair of the World Bank Lagos Metropolitan Development & Government Project (LMDGP) project and other financial organisations.