NIMI AKINKUGBE
Founder & CEO Bestman
Games LTD
NIMI AKINKUGBE
Nimi Akinkugbe is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Bestman Games Ltd, the African distributor of customized editions of Monopoly, Hasbro’s world famous game for 48 African countries. The City of Lagos Edition of Monopoly, the first African city edition of Monopoly, was launched in December 2012. Subsequently, the Nigeria Centenary Edition was launched in February 2014. Bestman Games Ltd has so far launched City of Lagos Edition of Monopoly, the first African city edition of Monopoly, launched in December 2012; the Nigeria Centenary Edition launched in February 2014; and the City of Accra, Ghana Edition of Monopoly, launched 25th March 2015 – with further plans to roll out in 2015 other Nigerian state editions as well as other African editions. Bestman Games has hosted two annual Monopoly Inter-School Competitions, had its first Monopoly City of Lagos Bus Tour in November 2014, and hosts regular Monopoly games nights on the last Thursday of each month.
Nimi enjoyed a successful banking career spanning 23 years first at Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc. She credits her time at Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc where her team built and ran the private banking department, what she has referred to as a privileged job experience, as a source of inspiration for the establishment of BESTMAN Games ltd. The idea of creating a personal finance board game came from a lack of personal finance instruction in the school curriculum, bad financial habits, a series of next generation seminars into IBTC Bank periodic personal finance seminars, and a personal finance board game called “Winning Teams,” that teaches children in a playful, practical way, the basics of saving and investing.
Nimi holds a Bachelor’s Degree from The London School of Economics (LSE) and an MBA from Lagos Business School (IESE). She also formalised her interest in music by obtaining a Piano Teaching Diploma (ARCM) from The Royal College of Music, London.
Nimi enjoyed a successful banking career spanning 23 years first at Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc where she rose to the position of General Manager and Head, Private Banking and subsequently at Barclays Bank Plc as Regional Director (West Africa) for the Wealth & Investment Management Division and Chief Country Officer for Nigeria.
Achieving financial security ranks as a major source of anxiety and Nimi seeks to empower people regarding their finances. Through the Monopoly board game, the ever engaging, enlightening Monopoly Games Night initiative, speaking engagements, television and radio appearances and social media, she offers frank, practical insights to create a greater awareness and understanding of personal finance and wealth management issues. Through these fora she has been able to empower people to take responsibility for this important aspect of their lives.
Nimi is the personal finance columnist for Genevieve Magazine, a leading Nigerian women’s lifestyle magazine and is a regular contributor to Business Day, the Punch Newspapers, The Guardian Newspapers and Forbes Africa. Her articles are regularly featured in a host of other publications, websites and blogs including 234 Next, Bella Naija, Lagos Mums, Eden Lifestyle and The Edition, a Kenyan publication.
Nimi is a Director of The Play Pen (Child Development Centre). Other Directorships include, The Daisy Management Centre, House of Tara, and Financial Derivatives Company.
She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Ajumogobia Science Foundation, which seeks to support the teaching and learning of science, a member of the Executive Council of Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), and a member of the Artistes Committee of the Musical Society of Nigeria (MUSON).
She loves orchid gardening, boating, writing, playing the piano and travel. She is married with 3 children.