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The Team
Innovative Financial Solutions Provided By Experienced Transaction Advisors, Investment Bankers & Consultants
The Team / Leadership Team
JOSEPH OYEDIRAN-BERKHAM (JO)
Founder, Managing Partner & CEO (Senior Banker- Lead Consultant & Transaction Advisor)
He is a British investment banker (senior transaction advisor, structurer, project finance specialist & investment professional), consultant and entrepreneur, with over 20 years professional experience in investment banking, energy and consulting, in UK and Sub-Saharan Africa, working for Santander Bank, GTBank/GTB Asset Management, GE, Sterling Bank/NAL Bank, Marks & Spencer and BGL Private Equity. He founded Berkham Capital, to offer a unique set of financial services’ offerings to clients worldwide.
He has a very deep understanding of finance, securities trading, investing (asset management), deal-making and deal structuring, based on a wealth of transaction experience, acquired while working on multi-million dollar power projects, multi-million dollar mining projects, multi-billion dollar upstream oil & gas projects, multi-million dollar real estate & hospitality projects as well as managing over US$30 million stock investment portfolio for various clients as a portfolio manager at NAL Bank and GTB Asset Management. He has vast transaction experience in Transaction Advisory Solutions, Business Funding & SME Funding Solutions, Global Financing Solutions, Capital Raising, Venture Capital & Private Equity, Investment Finance Solutions (Project Finance, Structured Finance, Acquisition Finance, Mezzanine Finance and Leverage Finance etc), Global Corporate Credit Solutions, Start-Ups/New Ventures and Corporate Venturing Programmes.
He has been involved in over US$5 billion transactions to date, and over US$250 million successful financings, which were successfully closed with transaction partners. In addition, he is also promoting over US$50 billion worth of foreign direct investments, into West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa countries, in collaboration with industrial and technology companies as well as global investors.
He attended University of London, Bangor University, University of Hertfordshire and London South Bank University where he earned Bachelors and Masters degrees certifications in chemical engineering, finance and leadership. He is a member of the Chartered Banker Institute, Scotland (CBI) and the Chartered Institute for Securities and Investment (CISI), London, UK.
JAMES WHITEHEAD
Partner & Senior Advisor- Head, UK & Europe (Corporate Finance)
James oversees the UK and European business of Berkham Capital and he coordinates all our new business and client engagements across UK and Europe with the support of Joseph. He is an experienced British investment banker, transaction advisor and chartered accountant.
He has over 25 years professional experience in investment banking, corporate finance and corporate banking, working for Dresdner Kleinworth Benson, Merrill Lynch and Bear Stearns investment banks.
He is adept at corporate & financial advisory, financial analysis, structuring, capital raising and executing transactions. He has executed over US$7 billion corporate finance transactions to date and he is highly connected to senior bankers in London, Frankfurt and New York.
He speaks French and German. He was educated at University of Hamburg where he received his Bachelors degree in Economics.
TESLIM SADIQ, B.Sc.(Hons.), MBA, ACS (Chartered Stockbroker)
Partner & Senior Advisor- Head, West Africa (Business Development & Client Coverage)
Teslim oversees the West African business of Berkham Capital and he coordinates all our new business and client engagements across West Africa. He is an experienced investment professional, a chartered stockbroker, securities trader, investment banker, and business strategist.
He has over 15 years professional experience in investment banking (capital markets, securities trading, portfolio management, client engagement and client relationship management), financial services and management consulting, working for many leading financial institutions such as Woodlands Capital Markets, NAL Bank, Diamond Securities and Signet Investments & Securities. He is adept at finance, investing, structuring and deal execution. He has a rich network of contacts, for big ticket deals, capital markets’ businesses and private market business deals, which complements the service offerings at Berkham Capital.
Teslim is currently building a US$10 billion deal book of bankable deals, for Berkham Capital across West Africa, and he is also brokering transactions worth over US$300 million for Berkham Capital across real estate, financial services (loan workouts & refinancing), agriculture & agribusiness, manufacturing, energy, mining, industrial projects and Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, across Nigeria, Ghana and West Africa. With his capabilities, and working with the Berkham team, he plans to restructure many transactions and make them bankable for financing.
He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, from the University of Ibadan (Nigeria) and an MBA (Finance) from Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He has over twelve years professional experience in capital markets, securities dealing and investing. He is an Associate Member of the Chartered Institute of Stockbrokers (CIS), Nigeria.
Dr. Adolphus Okebugwu, PhD, FIOD (“Dr. Adol”)
Partner & Senior Advisor- Head, Africa (Client Coverage & Government Relations)
Dr. Adol oversees the African business of Berkham Capital and he coordinates all our new business and client engagements across Africa. In addition, he is an experienced entrepreneur, consultant and transportation & logistics specialist in Nigeria and Africa.
He has over 35 years professional management experience as a senior executive and managing director, based on a successful career at DHL Group (DHL USA, DHL UK and DHL Nigeria) where he retired as managing director of DHL Nigeria. He was also the founder and CEO at Davcos Quality Worldwide Logistics Ltd., Chesterly Oils Ltd, Chesterly Hotels Ltd, Royal Insurance Brokers Ltd and Artic Ocean Lines. He is adept at entrepreneurship, finance, sales, marketing, business management and senior management matters.
Dr. Adol is also a member of the South East Economic Consultative Group in Nigeria where he is promoting over US$20 billion of foreign direct investments into South East Nigeria. In addition, he is also promoting over US$20 billion of foreign direct investments, into the West Africa, East Africa and Southern Africa countries.
He is highly connected to many top entrepreneurs, business leaders and decision-makers in Africa.
He is also the Chairman of Adolphus Holdings Ltd and a director of many companies in Nigeria and Africa.
He has a PhD in Economic Science (Distinction), majoring in Transport Economics from Free University, Tuefen, Switzerland and he is a Fellow, Institute of Directors and Chartered Institute of Administration.