The Founder
Meet Waliyah Abiola:
The Visionary Behind Hendecagon Group
Waliyah Abiola is a consultant, banking analyst, speaker and panel mediator with over 15 years of experience across financial services, consulting, technology and business transformation. She holds a Master’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Imperial College London and began her career applying her quantitative training within financial markets at leading global institutions including JPMorgan, Calyon and Barclays Capital.
Her career has been shaped by a strong ability to solve complex business challenges through strategic thinking, commercial insight and data-driven execution. She combines analytical rigour with practical business understanding, supporting organisations and leaders as they navigate growth, transformation and increasingly complex market environments.
Waliyah has built a multidisciplinary career across banking, consulting, technology, public sector advisory and public speaking. Her work is connected by a consistent focus on value creation, improved execution, sustainable growth and measurable outcomes.
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Financial Markets, Banking and Analytical Expertise
Waliyah’s banking background includes FICC markets, credit derivatives, rates, structured products sales, portfolio analytics and prime brokerage. Her early career focused on derivatives and portfolio analytics, supporting institutional clients in aligning future asset and liability streams while seeking alpha generation within defined risk appetite and optimised risk-return profiles.
She has also worked in financial regulation as a subject matter expert across SEC, CFTC, FCA, ECB, ESMA, HKMA, JFSA and Basel regimes in London and Hong Kong. This work gave her strong knowledge of markets, financial intermediaries, prime brokerage securities services and regulatory frameworks across major financial centres.
Over time, her work with quants, developers and transformation teams deepened her exposure to technology, AI and digital operating models. This experience has supported her ability to bridge commercial, technical and operational conversations, particularly in complex financial services environments.
Investment Banking Advisory, Corporate Finance and Sector Interests
In addition to her financial services background, Waliyah has developed broader knowledge across financial markets and investment banking advisory, with a particular focus on private equity and private credit firms. She also has a growing interest in TMT (Technology, Media and Telecoms), retail and consumer goods, supported by self-driven practice in equity research and corporate finance.
As a chemical engineer by training, Waliyah strengthened her financial expertise through disciplined self-study and practical exposure. During her early banking career, she spent late evenings on the trading floor at JPMorgan and weekends deepening her understanding of financial principles, overlaying them with the quantitative skills developed during her engineering studies at Imperial College London.
This combination of engineering discipline, financial markets exposure and corporate finance learning has shaped her approach to analysis, problem-solving and strategic decision-making.
A Global Consultant with Cross-Sector Expertise
Alongside her banking experience, Waliyah has built a separate track record in strategy and management consulting. Her consulting work spans business transformation, digitalisation, data, analytics, technology innovation, operational execution and value creation.
She has worked with large corporates, start-ups, public sector stakeholders and private sector leaders across the UK and Africa. Her advisory experience includes work with Nigerian federal ministries, state governments, international technology start-ups and private sector companies across sectors including technology, consumer applications, FMCG, real estate, tourism and entertainment.
Since 2022, she has also advised start-ups on financial modelling, product-market fit, customer segmentation, business models and profit generation. Her strategic approach centres on clarifying organisational objectives, defining key performance indicators, strengthening execution and improving organisational performance.
Across sectors, Waliyah’s work is grounded in practical outcomes: improving profitability, strengthening shareholder and stakeholder value, supporting transformation and helping organisations build more effective systems for growth.
Strategy, AI and Digital Transformation
Waliyah has continued to develop her work at the intersection of strategy, technology and execution. In 2026, she drove and championed AI and digitalisation work at a leading universal bank, contributing to transformation efforts focused on improved operating models, stronger business processes and the practical adoption of emerging technologies.
Her experience across financial markets, consulting and technology enables her to support organisations as they assess where digital tools, data and AI can create value. She brings a
practical lens to transformation, with an emphasis on business relevance, measurable outcomes and alignment with wider organisational objectives.
Her work in this area reflects a broader commitment to helping institutions and leaders understand how digitalisation can improve decision-making, operational performance and long-term competitiveness.
Public Sector Advisory and Africa-Focused Development
Waliyah’s advisory work includes supporting African leaders, federal and state government stakeholders, ministries, parastatals and private sector C-suite executives on strategy and execution. Her work with public and private sector stakeholders reflects a strong focus on economic development, improved implementation and sustainable growth across Africa.
She brings global financial services and consulting experience to African development conversations, particularly where policy, capital, enterprise growth, innovation and execution intersect. Her medium- to long-term focus includes applying her skills in support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, with increasing attention to Africa and Nigeria.
This commitment is shaped by a sense of cultural and patriotic duty to contribute, where possible, to improved economic outcomes and wider opportunities across the continent.
Speaker, Panel Mediator and Thought Leader
Waliyah is also recognised for her public speaking, panel moderation and thought leadership. She has spoken on strategy and execution, financial markets, digital transformation, AI adoption, business growth and Africa’s long-term development opportunity.
She has been a speaker at the StartUp2021 Conference alongside the UK Minister for Small Business, founders of leading start-ups and executives from companies including Dell Technologies, Sage Accounting and PensionBee. She has also spoken on the role of finance and economics in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals at the African Achievers Awards at the UK Houses of Parliament.
Her speaking style is clear, engaging and grounded in lived professional experience. She is able to connect technical insight with accessible communication, making complex business, financial and transformation themes relevant to varied audiences.
Arcadia TV Africa Day: Building Beyond Borders
In 2026, Waliyah contributed to Arcadia TV’s Africa Day event in Lagos as a speaker on the session “Building Beyond Borders”.
The session focused on how African SMEs and start-ups can scale beyond their immediate local markets by navigating the continent’s unique commercial, regulatory and cultural terrain. The discussion explored how African businesses can use regional opportunities such as AfCFTA to unlock wider trade, market access and growth, while also recognising the practical road to implementation.
Key themes included infrastructure gaps, policy coordination, smoother cross-border trade processes and improved access to finance. The session also drew on lessons from SME and start-up success stories in other countries, highlighting how stronger innovation ecosystems are supported by domestic capital, financial literacy, digital infrastructure, angel networks, public private collaboration and clearer exit pathways.
A central theme was that African businesses should not simply copy foreign models. Instead, they should use local market knowledge, consumer behaviour, informal distribution networks, cultural insight and regional partnerships as strategic advantages. By understanding local nuances and building scalable systems around them, African start-ups and SMEs can improve profitability, expand across borders and become more competitive.
Advisory Board Member for the First Ladies of Africa Summit
In 2026, Waliyah became an Advisory Board Member for the First Ladies of Africa Summit. This role aligns with her broader work across leadership, enterprise development, women’s empowerment, public sector engagement and Africa-focused transformation.
Her involvement reflects her continued commitment to supporting platforms that bring together leadership, policy, development and practical action. It also strengthens her focus on contributing to initiatives that promote opportunity, economic participation and positive outcomes across the continent.
A Renaissance Leader with Purpose
Waliyah’s career reflects a blend of analytical rigour, commercial depth, communication skill and purpose-driven leadership. Alongside her financial services and consulting background, she has experience in the performing arts, which has strengthened her writing, speaking and audience engagement skills.
Although British-born, Waliyah comes from a prominent African business family with a legacy of democracy, philanthropy, enterprise and positive impact. This background has influenced her belief in the role of business, finance, creativity and leadership in supporting wider social and economic progress.
Her work continues to focus on alpha generation, value creation, transformation and Africa-focused development outcomes. Across her banking, consulting, advisory and speaking work, Waliyah remains focused on helping leaders and organisations clarify priorities, execute effectively and create meaningful long-term value.
Want to Learn more about Waliyah’s journey and how Hendecagon Group can Support your Business?