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Meet Nigerian entrepreneur, Tayo Aderinokun; banker and co-founders of GT Bank


Tayo Aderinokun was a Nigerian entrepreneur, banker and most notably one of the co-founders of Guarany Trust Bank Plc.

Tayo Aderinokun whose full name is Olutayo Aderinokun was born on the 8th of May, 1955 in Kano State, Nigeria. His father worked as a technician for the Nigerian Railways. 

Tayo Aderinokun attended the Baptist Day School, Kano for his primary education. His family however had to leave Kano for Lagos in 1966 after the civil war started. He completed his education in Lagos, from secondary all the way down to university- he attended Surulere Baptist School for one year, St Peter’s College, Abeokuta from 1968 to 1972 and then went on to St Gregory’s Boys College, Lagos from 1973 to 1974.

And then he got a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Lagos and then in 1981 he got an MBA in International Business from the Graduate School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles.

Tayo Aderinokun has always been in the banking sector, he began his rise to prominence working for the Central Bank of Nigeria and then went on to work for Chase Merchant Bank Nigeria Limited. He moved on to Prime Merchant Bank where he occupied the position of an Assistant General Manager and Head, Financial Services.

He however resigned his position to start up his own business- First Marina Trust Limited which was a non-bank financial institution which would he supervised until 1990 when he co-founded Guaranty Trust Bank with Fola Adeola.

Upon its inception he was made the Deputy Managing Director, a position which he held for 12 years from 1990 to 2002 and then was promoted to the position of Managing Director after the resignation of Fola Adeola. He remained the Managing Director until his death on the 14th of June, 2011.

Fola Adeola was also a recipient of the esteemed Member of the Federal Republic national award.