Hajara Adeola is a seasoned professional with over 25 years of international experience in research & analysis, investment management, corporate finance and Islamic finance, and has been instrumental to the development of Islamic finance products in the capital market and the issuance of the Sukuk bond in Nigeria.

She is the Founder/Chairperson of LOTUS Bank Limited and the Managing Director/CEO of LOTUS Capital Limited, a Nigerian pioneer in Islamic Asset Management, Private Wealth Management Advisory Services and Financial Advisory Services that has made a remarkable stride in the finance business in Nigeria.

With over 20 years’ experience working in top-tier global investment banks in the United Kingdom and Nigeria, Hajara has stepped up the plate with the coming of her LOTUS Bank Limited, which secured a non-interest banking licence from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Hajara’s LOTUS Bank is the first non-interest bank to commence operations from South-West Nigeria with a focus to serve people of all faiths.

This follows the bank’s determination to deliver alternative options to interest-based banking and cater to the needs of the banked, unbanked, and underbanked population. Already, industry stakeholders have reportedly received the news with indescribable pleasure, given her pedigree as a top industry expert in Islamic fund management in Nigeria.

Before founding LOTUS Capital, Hajara had worked with Arthur Anderson Consulting (now Accenture), ARM Investment Managers, UBS Warburg where she was the Director of CCT Islamic Finance heading their London Islamic Finance Desk, and BNP Paribas, London where she was a Convertible Bond Research Analyst.

Hajara was the first President of the Fund Manager’s Association of Nigeria and is a West African Fellow of the Aspen Leadership Initiative, Chairperson of the Securities & Exchange Commission’s non-interest capital market 10-year master plan committee and a Director at The Aliko Dangote Foundation.

She holds a B.Sc. in Pharmacology from King’s College, London, an M.Sc. in Finance from Durham University where she specialized in Islamic Finance and an MBA in International Management from Exeter University, UK.

She is married to a corporate icon, Fola Adeola, the co-owner of one of the most successful financial institutions in Nigeria, Guarantee Trust Company (GTCO), formerly known as GTBank.