The Billion Life Meet Adebayo Ogunlesi: The Nigerian Who Bought Gatwick Airport

In 2009, Adebayo Ogunlesi made headlines when he led the acquisition of Gatwick Airport, the second-largest airport in the United Kingdom. The Nigerian lawyer and investment banker made history as the first African to own a major airport in Europe. His investment worth £1.455 billion in Gatwick has since paid off, solidifying his reputation as a shrewd businessman and savvy investor.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF ADEBAYO OGUNLESI

He is a Nigerian-born lawyer and investment banker who has made a name for himself in the global financial scene. He is the chairman and managing partner of Global Infrastructure Partners, a private equity firm that owns and operates some of the world’s most iconic infrastructure assets, including London’s Gatwick Airport. He is also the lead director of Goldman Sachs and a board member of several other public and private companies. He has been dubbed “The Man Who Bought Gatwick Airport” by the Nigerian press and has received numerous awards and honors for his achievements and contributions. He is Adebayo Ogunlesi, and this is his story.

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Adebayo hails from Makun, Sagamu, Ogun State, and was born on the 20th of December 1953 to the family of Dr Theophilus O. Ogunlesi, who later became Nigeria’s first Professor of Medicine in Ibadan. He was a gifted and driven student who shone in both academics and extracurricular activities. He graduated from the elite King’s College in Lagos, where he served as the head boy and earned numerous accolades and honors.

He was fascinated by philosophy, politics and economics from a young age, inspired by his father, who was a celebrated professor of medicine and a public intellectual. His father also urged him to seek higher education abroad and exposed him to diverse cultures and viewpoints.

He moved to the United Kingdom in 1972, where he won a scholarship to study at Lincoln College, Oxford University. He completed his B.A. with first class honors in philosophy, politics and economics in 1976, standing out as one of the top students in his class. He was also involved in student politics and social clubs at Oxford. He later received a law degree from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

CAREER

After graduating from Harvard, Ogunlesi worked as an attorney at the New York law firm Cravath, Swaine & Moore, where he specialized in mergers and acquisitions. He then joined First Boston, where he worked in the bank’s mergers and acquisitions department. He quickly rose through the ranks and became the head of the division, overseeing some of the largest M&A deals of the 1980s.

In 1991, Ogunlesi joined Goldman Sachs as a partner, and his career continued to flourish. He became the head of the investment banking division in 1997 and was appointed to the firm’s management committee. During his tenure at Goldman Sachs, Ogunlesi oversaw some of the most significant deals in the banking industry, including the merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham.

In 2006, he lest Goldman Sachs and founded GIP with two other partners, Michael McGhee and Jonathan Bram. GIP is a joint venture whose initial investors included Credit Suisse and General Electric. GIP focuses on investing in infrastructure assets in the energy, transport, water and waste sectors across the world.

In 2009, GIP made its most significant investment yet when it acquired Gatwick Airport, the second-largest airport in the United Kingdom. The acquisition was controversial at the time, with some critics arguing that foreign ownership of a major UK airport could compromise national security. However, Ogunlesi and GIP were able to assuage these concerns and move forward with the acquisition.

Since the acquisition, Ogunlesi and GIP have invested heavily in Gatwick, expanding the airport’s infrastructure and amenities. The airport has seen a significant increase in passenger traffic and has become a major transportation hub in Europe. In 2019, Gatwick served over 46 million passengers and generated over £3 billion in revenue.

Some of GIP’s notable investments include London City Airport, London Gatwick Airport, Edinburgh Airport, Port of Brisbane, Terminal Investment Limited, CPV Renewable Energy Company, EnLink Midstream Partners, Hess Infrastructure Partners, Freeport LNG Development and East India Petroleum Limited.

SUCCESS AND ACCOLADES

Ogunlesi’s success as an investor and businessman has earned him numerous accolades and awards throughout his career. He was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 most influential people in the world in 2011 and has received honorary degrees from several universities, including Brown University, where he delivered the commencement address in 2017.

In addition to his success in business, Ogunlesi has been active in philanthropy and public service. He served on the board of directors for the Council on Foreign Relations and was appointed by former US President Barack Obama to serve on the President’s Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations.

• Ogunlesi has received several awards and honors for his achievements and contributions to the business and social sectors. Some of them are:
  • Commander of the Order of Niger (CON) by the Nigerian government in 2014
  • Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Dartmouth College in 2014
  • Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Lehigh University in 2015
  • Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Oxford University in 2018
  • Distinguished Alumni Award from Harvard Business School in 2018
  • Lifetime Achievement Award from Africa Investor Magazine in 2019

Personal life

• Ogunlesi is married to Dr. Amelia Quist-Ogunlesi, a former lecturer at Columbia Law School and a public interest lawyer. They have two children together.
• He is also involved in various philanthropic and civic activities. He is a member of the National Board of Directors of The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., the Global Advisory Council of Harvard University, the Board of Dean’s Advisors of Harvard Business School, and the Dean’s Advisory Board and Leadership Council of New York of Harvard Law School.

CONCLUSION

Adebayo Ogunlesi is a remarkable example of a Nigerian who has achieved global success and recognition in the fields of law and finance. He is also a visionary leader who has created value for his investors and society through his investments in infrastructure development. He is an inspiration for many aspiring entrepreneurs and professionals around the world

The post Meet Adebayo Ogunlesi: The Nigerian Who Bought Gatwick Airport first appeared on The Billion Life.