MANAGEMENT TEAM
Chief Executive Officer
DAMILARE AKINOLA holds a BSc. in Accounting from the University of Ado-Ekiti and an MSc. in International Finance & Banking from the University of Bedfordshire Business School, United Kingdom. He is a resourceful asset manager with approximately 15 years of experience in investments (equities – local & international, fixed income, real estate, structured finance, and private equity) across the different stages from client sourcing, onboarding, and relationship management to strategy implementation. He began his career with Virgin Nigeria in 2005 and left to join Financial Institutions Training Centre (FITC) in 2007. He later took a leave of absence to further his studies and proceeded to work with other reputable firms in Nigeria and the United Kingdom including Halifax. In 2014, he joined SCM Capital Asset Management (formerly Sterling Capital Markets) where he before his exit in 2022, maintained oversight over the smooth running of the company in the Chief Executive Officer’s absence and provided leadership to the Wealth Management business.. Dare was a member of both the internal and external investment committees -comprising representatives of – the Board, Executive Management, Risk Management, Financial Control, Fund Managers, and SEC-appointed independent member, representative of Trustees, Fund Managers respectively where they take responsibility for the management of proprietary and investors fund by deliberating on global emerging trends, review monetary & fiscal policy updates, analyze exposure/portfolio performance, evaluate the market and make recommendations on a new course of action (asset switch, portfolio rebalancing, position exit, increase size of exposure et al). He is an Associate Member, the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), a Level 4 Qualified Investment & Financial Adviser from London Institute of Banking & Finance (LIBF), Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) registered Capital Market Operator (CMO) and also a member of the Association of Corporate and Individual Investment Advisers (CIIA). He has attended training programmes by FITC, Lagos Business School, Association of Investment Advisers & Portfolio Managers and the World Bank Group covering bonds – fixed income and advanced asset management techniques, treasury management, anti-money laundering, fraud detection & credit management, Unlocking Investment & Finance in Emerging markets (EMDEs) & developing economies, tools for effective sales & marketing and Trading for Development in the Age of Global Value Chains.
Head, Portfolio Management
IKECHUKWU ABIANURU is a seasoned financial professional with over 20 years of experience in audit, managing portfolios of varying sizes and complexities, analyzing financial data, and making strategic investment decisions. He currently serves as the Head of Portfolio Management at DFC Asset Management. He holds an OND and HND in Accountancy from the College of Technology Nekede, Owerri, and the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu as well as an MBA from the University of Lagos. Ikechukwu began his professional journey as an Audit Trainee at Horwath Dafinone & Co. Following this, he went on to work at Nduwuisi Ijeoma & Co Chartered Accountants as an Audit Manager. With a keen interest in financial research, he joined Credit Alliance Financial Services LTD as the Head of Economic and Financial Research. Ikechukwu has also gained extensive experience working as an Analyst/Stockbroker at ICMG Securities LTD and as a Stockbroker/Analyst at Fidelity Union Securities Limited. He went on to serve as the MD CEO/Head of Securities Trading at FSDH Capital Limited/FSDH Securities Limited. Most recently, he served as the CEO of Empire View Limited.
Chief Compliance Officer
ESTHER AJIBOYE is a highly skilled and accomplished Risk and Compliance Officer with over 15 years’ of experience in the finance and accounting industry. She Possesses extensive practical knowledge of risk management, regulatory compliance, auditing, and internal controls, and a proven track record of ensuring regulatory compliance and mitigating financial risk. She is adept at identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks while maintaining effective communication with stakeholders. During the course of her career, she successfully managed risk and compliance programs across various industries, including banking, insurance, and investment firms, ensuring adherence to industry-specific regulatory requirements, conducted regular risk assessments, audits, and compliance reviews to identify vulnerabilities and gaps in processes and procedures, and implemented corrective actions to improve overall risk management practices.She has served as Group Chief Risk Officer at Cititrust Holdings Plc, Tax Awareness and Education Officer at Lagos State Internal Revenue Service, Financial Controller at Afrialliance Global Services Plc, Accountant at Bolco Consulting, Accountant at Billy James, and Account Head at Samboye Ent. Nig Ltd.Esther graduated from Olabisi Onabanjo University where she read banking and Finance. She also holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Business Administration and Management, General from the University of Lagos. Esther is a SEC-sponsored individual and she currently works as the Chief Compliance Officer of DFC Asset Management.
Company Secretary
AGABI KANU, managing partner of Agabi Kanu & Co, a Law Firm with a specialty in litigation, Corporate, Commercial, and Energy Law Practice (amongst others) handle all our company’s legal transactions and partnerships, with the principal goal of guaranteeing that all our company’s transactions comply with the laws and regulations, while actively helping our company avoid possible legal risks and violations. They are also saddled with other duties which include consulting and leading all corporate legal processes such as mergers and acquisitions, protection of our intellectual property, development of our company policy, structuring, drafting, and reviewing reports and other legal documents including contracts, corporate restructuring, contract negotiations, equity financing, provision of legal advice to employees and corporate officers, and lawsuits.