H.E Adeyinka Asekun
High Commissioner
His Excellency Mr. Adeyinka Asekun is a business management professional, a seasoned banking and marketing practitioner, and the current Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada.
Adeyinka is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, where he obtained a Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in Marketing. He went on to obtain an MBA from California State University.
He began his professional career with S.C Johnson & Son (U.S.A) in 1983, where at various times he was responsible for selling, merchandising, field intelligence, implementation of sales/marketing programs at retail level, marketing research and product management. He has taken up different managerial positions—largely in the financial services sector—in Nigeria and abroad since then.
While at United Bank for Africa Plc, Adeyinka won an award for product innovation for leading a team that developed and launched two highly innovative and successful consumer loan products.
He joined the Board of Directors of Wema Bank Plc in August 2012 and became Non – Executive Chairman in December 2012, playing a leading role in the successful turnaround and transformation of the Bank including returning the bank to profitability, upgrading to a National Banking license from a Regional license, and launching Africa’s first fully digital Bank (ALAT). He stepped down as Chairman of the Bank in May 2017.
Adeyinka was, until his appointment as the Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, the Chief Executive officer Hebron Limited, a full-service training and consulting company based in Lagos, Nigeria, and a Non-Executive Director at e-payment services provider eTranzact International Limited.
Since he became Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Canada one of Ade’s top priorities has been to deepen commercial ties between the two countries. The highlights of his time in Ottawa to date have been; the visit of the Governor-General of Canada, Her Excellency Julie Payette to Nigeria in October 2018 and the hosting of two Nigeria Canada Investment Summits in Abuja (November 2018 & November 2019) in which potential Canadian investors had an opportunity to meet with Nigerian policymakers, regulators, and business leaders.
He is happily married to Mrs. Olawunmi Asekun and is blessed with children.