She has a gleaming track record in-house, but Adeola Adebonojo actually trained as a barrister. She became a solicitor after a reverse secondment to Ashurst during a stint at Vanco.
Amid enhancements to risk controls, attention to the business model and a focus on operations, Adebonojo’s greatest task of 2023 was undoubtedly integration, following the acquisition of Contis by Solaris SE. Other priorities for Adebonojo last year included getting deals in, focusing on business growth and opening operations in Singapore. Building relationships with regulators was also on her to-do list, given that her role as chief risk officer encompasses legal, compliance, risk, fraud and financial crime.
This year, Adebonojo will return her focus to growth and streamlining processes. This includes automation, strengthening the risk framework and introducing a new way to onboard. Tackling tech for the first time will ease the amount of work her team will do. Adebonojo also aims to do less firefighting and dispute resolution, although accepts that getting partners to comply is difficult.
The GC wants to inspire others to chart their own course, and is a mentor to aspiring female lawyers of African descent.
