Afolabi Olorode is currently Acting Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Quest Merchant Bank, bringing more than two decades of experience across investment banking, corporate finance, and board-level governance roles in Nigeria’s financial services sector.
Finance Experience
Prior to his current appointment in January 2026, Olorode spent over 14 years at FBNQuest, where he held several senior leadership positions. Between 2016 and 2024, he served as General Manager and Head of Coverage & Corporate Banking, a role in which he managed key client relationships and structured corporate banking solutions for major institutional and commercial clients.
Earlier, he led the Financial Advisory and Equity Capital Markets business, where he worked on transaction advisory, capital raising, and investment banking mandates.
He previously served as Acting Managing Director/CEO of FBNQuest between January 2024 and April 2026, a period during which he was responsible for overall business leadership and strategic execution across the firm.
Beyond FBNQuest, Olorode has held board and non-executive roles across Nigeria’s financial ecosystem. These include appointments as Non-Executive Director at First Trustees and First Securities Brokers, as well as a Director/Board Member at EnterpriseNGR, where he has contributed to policy dialogue and private sector development initiatives within the financial services industry. He also served as Interim Chairman of the Banking and Finance Committee at the Chartered Institute of Directors Nigeria, reflecting his involvement in governance and professional standards development.
Earlier in his career, he worked at Renaissance Capital as Vice President, KPMG as Manager in Transaction Services, and Frontier Capital as Senior Associate, building foundational expertise in advisory, deal structuring, and financial analysis.
Academic Qualification
Academically, he holds a Master’s degree in Corporate and International Finance from Durham University and a Bachelor’s degree in Estate Management from the University of Lagos. He also completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School in 2025, strengthening his executive leadership credentials.
His career trajectory reflects a consistent progression through advisory, investment banking, and executive leadership roles across some of Nigeria’s most influential financial institutions.
