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Who is Adebayo Adedeji, the CEO of WakaNow and Boss of Dundu Nation?

November 14, 2021
CEO Wakanow Adebayo Adedeji
Adebayo Adedeji, CEO Wakanow

Leaving a $300k/year job to head a travel startup in Nigeria might be the most ridiculous decision anyone would make. Adebayo Adedeji, a former Senior Finance Leader at Amazon, did just that. Having worked with several multinational companies like, Ecobank, Walmart and Amazon as a Financial Analyst in Nigeria and abroad, to now lead Wakanow, a travel company which he joined in 2019 as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and Head of Transformation before becoming the Chief Executive Officer few months after. 

Adebayo Adedeji's Educational Background

Little is known of Adebayo's education backgorund. From Wakanow CEO's LinkedIn page, Adebayo obtained his bachelor degree in Demography and Social Statistics from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Osun state, Nigeria in 2003 and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Clark Atlanta University in 2009. 

Adebayo Adedeji's Career and Work Experience

Bayo as he is fondly called, started his professional career as an intern financial analyst with Negro Construction Limited from 2000 - 2004, from where he moved to Ecobank Nigeria, also as a financial analyst and left for Atlanta in 2007. 

In 2008, Bayo joined ArvinMeritor as a senior financial analyst where he helped restructure process to eliminate redundancies and repetitions and also developed methodologies and performed different analysis for the growth of the organization.

Bayo left ArvinMeritor after four months to join Texas Instruments in 2009 as Finance Manager and also doubles as the Management Accountant. He grew to become the Strategic Operations Planner in 2011, a position he held for seventeen months before becoming the Cost and Financial planner for the organization in July 2021.  

Adebayo Adedeji is a man who loves growth. He joined Walmart as a senior manager in December 2012 and continue to do what he does best: creating plans, managing strategies and helping companies grow sales and profitability. He was at Walmart for thirty-seven months and moved from being a Senior Manager I, Financial Planning to being Senior Manager II, Category and Modular Development before leaving for PetSmart.

At PetSmart with Bayo being the Sr Manager, Space Planning and Assortment Optimization and then the Senior Manager Financial Planning & Analysis. He developed the strategies and execute plans to align with the corporate strategies and also lead several projects that focused on growth. 

Adebayo loves to cook

Bayo Lion Founded Dundu Nation 

Bayo is the Lion who makes money from selling African foods like yam, dodo (plantain), and moi moi. In March 2016, he founded BK Global Food Limited (Dundu Nation). 

Bayo Lion joined the world's giant ecommerce company, Amazon in August 2017 as the Senior Finance Leader, FBA Supply Chain Optimization Products where is oversee optimization products for fulfillment. 

Bayo Adedeji Becoming Wakanow CEO
May 2019 was when Adebayo Adedeji also known as Bayo Lion joined the travel and tourism company, Wakanow, as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) and Head of Transformation leaving his role and mouth watering salary in Amazon. The decision came as a surprise to every sane Financial analyst, not only financial analysts but most Nigerians, with people asking why would anyone leave a good paying job in the abroad. Sorry, good is an understatement. Kindly read a dream job.  It was at a time when everyone was trying to JAPA from the country in search of a greener pasture in a more stable environment. 

Like the lion he is, he took the bold step and within six months, he become a full time Chief Executive Officer of the company, serving the customers, leading the people and growing the bottom line.

Adebayo Adedeji Social Media Pages
Lion is on the major social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. His Instagram and Twitter handle is @bayolion1, on Facebook as Bayo Lion and LinkedIn as Adebayo Adedeji.

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