It was a big step out of my comfort zone when I moved from being a fixed-income portfolio manager in an asset management firm to become a foreign exchange dealer in a commercial bank. It’s not a well-trodden path for a professional accountant but both areas have been essential for my career growth.
The work of a dealer is very different from that of a portfolio manager. Portfolio managers plan to meet the client’s goals by constructing and managing portfolios and making decisions on what and when to buy. A dealer takes on-the-spot decisions and must understand, quantify and live by the risk.
I was inspired to follow an accounting career path by my mother. She taught me how to be prudent and from a very young age I was her bookkeeper. She wanted me to be the first chartered accountant in a family of lawyers and doctors as she believed I could then manage the family investment and business portfolio.
What I enjoy most about my job is taking part in negotiations, which I find stimulating. I also get great satisfaction from finding arbitrage opportunities and creating value for the business.
My biggest achievement has to be setting up the Ezinma Ileka Foundation
My favourite mantra is this: ‘Begin with the end in mind.’ Having a clear vision of my desired result motivates me to be proactive in making a difference.
My biggest achievement has to be setting up the Ezinma Ileka Foundation in 2022. It is a Christian charity helping the less privileged in areas of education, medical provision and food. It carries out medical outreach on a quarterly basis, helps to provide scholarships in the education sector and runs food bank projects. While the government has played a vital role in improving the economy, as individuals we also have a duty to be our brother’s keeper, which is the reason why the foundation was born.
If I had law-making powers, I would reduce the personal income tax rate in Nigeria to ease the burden on people.
If I wasn’t an accountant, I would have gone into animal husbandry, especially the large-scale rearing of livestock and the development of high-yielding breeds by crossbreeding. This would increase production of our farms’ various food products such as milk, eggs and meat.
In my spare time I can be found where I worship, at The Living Faith Church, Canaanland. I find unexplainable joy in serving and spreading the good news of Christ.
