Oluseyi Adebiyi

Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford

“A creative builder who has spent his career expanding financial and economic access for businesses in emerging markets.”

Hometown: Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria

Fun Fact About Yourself: I naturally switch between solving hard economic and business problems and bursting into creative fluency – writing poetry, sketching, and discussing African literature on my podcast.

Undergraduate School and Major: Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; BSc Agricultural Economics.

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Nestcoin / Manager, Business Development, Partnerships and Operations.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key part of Oxford Saïd’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Oxford Saïd’s mantra – “Impact from within” – is one I couldn’t help but notice. I’ve always believed in building strong foundations before chasing visibility or scale: the iceberg idea of building capacity below the surface. As I explored the school’s curriculum and the wider Oxford story, it became a no-brainer that I would end up here.

I’ve had a career that has involved building commercial pipelines for financial infrastructure in emerging markets, where capital allocation, governance, and long-term thinking matter as much as innovation. Oxford Saïd’s emphasis on global finance, impact-driven capitalism, and institutional leadership therefore aligned directly with my goals of operating at the intersection of digital finance, technology, creativity and emerging-market development.

What course, club, or activity has been your favourite part of the Oxford Saïd MBA experience? I’m a co-chair for the Global Perspectives Club. Drawing on my experience curating creative and cultural experiences back home, I’ve been keen to help the class discover the real diversity that exists in the cohort. As future business leaders, understanding cultural nuances across different geographies is essential to unlocking real value.

The Business Finance course in Michaelmas was my favourite, as it sharpened how I think about risk, capital structure, and value creation, adding a rigorous financial lens to my prior operational experience. I’ve signed up for the Executive Finance course in Hillary.

What is the most “Oxford” thing you have done so far as a full-time MBA student? Donning formal Oxford clothes, known as sub-fusc, for exams (black academic gown, white shirt, black trousers and bow tie).

Knowing that you’re part of an age-long tradition in the oldest University in the English-speaking world gives you a real sense of the history and meaning of the place.

Oxford is known as a place where world collides, be it in the classroom or the dining hall. What has been the most interesting interaction you’ve had so far as an Oxford MBA student? Two stand out for me. First was meeting a Mongolian epidemiologist over dinner and discussing the work he did to contain the pandemic when the world shut down.

Second was meeting a Haitian criminologist and learning about what drives her work tackling organised crime. Fun fact: She didn’t know LinkedIn was a thing, until she arrived in Oxford.

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: More recently, I helped build and scale cross-border payment infrastructure that enabled individuals and small businesses across Africa and other emerging markets to access stable, global financial rails. In environments where trust, currency, stability, and banking access are fragile, contributing to systems that move real money for real people has been both professionally and personally meaningful. Earlier in my career, I was also awarded my bank’s CEO Prize for Excellence for supporting MSMEs in building stronger financial structures and sustainable business traction.

Describe your biggest accomplishment as an MBA student so far? Working with my colleagues in the Global Perspectives Club to design and execute cultural events for the cohort (e.g. the Indian Diwali celebration and hosting EMBA students from MBSC Saudi Arabia during their exchange visit to Oxford).

Oxford Saïd is considered a mission-driven MBA program. What social issue resonates most with you? How do you plan to use your career path to address this issue? Financial exclusion resonates most with me. Billions of people and small businesses remain locked out of stable financial systems due to geography, weak institutions, and currency volatility. Through a career that spans investment, fintech, and financial services, I plan to help direct capital and build platforms that make financial access more reliable, transparent, and scalable in emerging markets.

DON’T MISS: MEET OXFORD SAÏD’S MBA CLASS OF 2026

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