Serial entrepreneur and Chairman of Platform Capita Investment Partners Limited, Dr Akintoye Akindele, has been declared the winner of the African Business Leader of the Year award at the 2022 edition of African Business Leadership Awards (ABLA).
He was declared the winner while the Group Chief Executive Officer, McDan Group of Companies, Ghana, Daniel Mckorley, came first runner-up.
The Governor of Delta State, Ifeanyi Okowa and Group Chief Executive Officer, United Capital Plc, Peter Ashade, are some of the other personalities who made the prestigious award list.
According to the convener of the award, The African Leadership Magazine, winners, and runners-up will be presented with an award trophy at the 7th Africa Summit in London on July 4.
The award presentation is expected to take place at the House of Lords in London.
Commenting on the award, Akindele said, “This award is for every young person from Cairo to Capetown, Mombasa to Marrakesh. To every entrepreneur, every girl and woman, your dreams are valid and the future is better than the past. No matter how dim it looks now, raise your head up and keep going.”
Expressing gratitude to God, he said, “God, I am grateful and humbled. I am taking this as a sign that You are with me. The African narrative work is not easy. The price I, my loved ones, colleagues and friends are paying is huge but it is Your work and You have said it must be done. I am honoured.”
Akindele also announced the launch of his co-authored book, ‘A Love Affair with Failure: When Hitting Bottom Becomes A Launchpad To Success’ on July 6 in New York, the United States.
The book, co-authored with Olakunle Soriyan and published by Forbes Books, parades a foreword by T.D.Jakes.
Commenting on the book,drakintoyeakindele.com, said, “In A Love Affair with Failure, the authors aim to help emerging entrepreneurs be prepared for the inevitable challenges ahead and urge them to be resilient in pursuing their dreams, embracing the idea of failing not only as a prerequisite for achieving success, but also a victory in itself because it signifies having had the courage to take action.”
Akindele has over 25 years of experience in banking, private equity and advisory. He is also the Chairman of Unicorn Group, Diatom Impact; Co-Chairman of Whitespace X and Founder of Synergy Capital Managers.
Akindele has Completed over 50 transactions across five continents. He holds a bachelor’s degree (1st Class Honours) in Chemical Engineering from the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University.
He also holds a doctorate degree in Business Administration (Finance) from the International School of Management – Paris, France and is a CFA charter holder and a trustee of the CFA Society of Nigeria. He is an Alumnus of the London and Said Business Schools.
The convener of the awards noted that the winners of its 13 categories award were selected from over 370, 000 entries.
It said, “The winners emerged through a keenly contested 3-step points-based selection process that included a call for nomination; a call for online voting for shortlisted nominees; and the editorial board’s final review of the nominations and voting submissions – using supporting evidence and voting considerations in their final decisions to decide the African Business Leadership Awards 2021 winners.”
According to it, other winners included Group Chairman, Matekane Group of Companies, Lesotho, Sam Matekane, who won the Lifetime Achievement Award; Chief Executive Officer, Airports Company South Africa, Mpumi Mpofu, who won the African Female Business Leader of the Year, and Governor, Bank of Tanzania, Florens Luoga, who won the Central Bank Governor of the Year Award, among others.
