Billionaire Harry Ayoade Akande towers above many of his contemporaries, particularly because he has been in warm embrace of fame
for many decades.
Beyond his famed status as a successful businessman, he has also
remained very relevant owing to his uncommon brilliance, a quality that
has endeared him to many across the globe.
The Agbaoye of Ibadan, who set out to pursue his dreams quite early in
life, had served as a business advisor and consultant to many other
businessmen, including governments of several nations.
Interestingly, in spite of his intimidating curriculum vitae, the
Forbes- rated billionaire comes across as humility personified. Society
Watch gathered that the philanthropist displayed his sense of simplicity
weeks back at an event. Apart from his simple dress, many were
pleasantly surprised to see him shake hands, hug and even take
photographs with journalists and a number of guests on the occasion.
His philanthropy is out this world. Little wonder, his homes in Nigeria
and abroad are always a beehive of activities. The former presidential
candidate of All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) obtained his MBA from
the America’s top business school, North Western University’s J L
Kellogg School of Management on, following his graduation in 1967 from
Hampton University with a B.Sc in Accounts and Finance with the highest
honours.
He returned to Nigeria in 1971 after working as a financial consultant
with KPMG Peak Marwick and Standard Oil in the USA. Thereafter, he
registered his first company, International Corporation, which he later
renamed AIC Limited.
The billionaire later became the first president of NAFTEC (New Africa
and Technical Electrical Company), which is the representative company
of General Electric (GE) of America.