During the one-year statutory National Youth Service Corps Programme, Kayode supported the development of a Payroll Application Package for the Lagos State Ministry of Finance and he was seconded to Alausa for implementation and personnel training.
Kayode initially worked in the Operations Unit of the bank at the Adeyemo Alakija Branch (Plaza), Apapa Branch and the Funds Transfer Unit at the head-office in Plural House, all in Lagos. He became the pioneer Head of Operations of the branch of the bank in Jos before taking over as the Operations Manager of the flagship branch in Abuja, and subsequently the Regional Operations Manager, Abuja & Northern Nigeria.
In preparation for the pursuit of his ultimate interest in Public service, Kayode was awarded the British Chevening Scholarship for Masters in Public Policy and Management at the prestigious Institute for Development Policy and Management (IDPM), University of Manchester. He also had a stint with Barclays Bank Plc, UK.
As General Manager and deputy to the Managing Director, Kayode was responsible for the smooth running of the bank by directly supervising the Operations and Support Divisions of the bank. He provided leadership for the execution of the subsidiary’s strategic priorities and ensured operational efficiency and general improvements across all the key financial performance metrics, including the doubling of the bank's balance sheet and profitability as well as the doubling of branch network.
After the political outing, Kayode was re-employed and posted back to the Sierra Leone subsidiary, where he was till his final exit from banking and subsequent relocation to the United Kingdom.
In pursuit of his interest in public Service and related functions, Kayode worked with Governments and International development Institutions by providing relevant technical advisory services to promote and support efficiency reforms across all levels of government, both in the UK and Nigeria.
As a member of the Economic Statistics Change and Support Team, Kayode helped in delivering improvements in the way in which the UK Financial Accounts were produced and delivered to meet the needs of the key stakeholders in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world. He analysed financial data from the Bank of England and provided relevant reports that policy-makers use in monitoring the UK economy.
Working with economist and financial planners across government departments and agencies to undertake analyses in economic and financial modelling to support fiscal policy-making decisions and helping governments to manage capital and infrastructure transactions by advising on financial aspects of PPI/PPP projects and providing support from project evaluation to procurement.
Kayode has presented several papers at conferences and workshops, both in Nigeria and abroad. They include papers on Public Debt Management Strategy, Strategy for improving Internally-Generated Revenue, Private Sector Development Strategy for South West States of Nigeria, the Role of banks in Regional Economic integration and Infrastructure Development in Africa, amongst others.
Kayode's boardroom and investment experience cuts across diverse sectors, including financial services, agriculture, real estate, medical services and technology.
Drawing from his background in banking, Kayode provided leadership and direction for the establishment of a leading micro-credit outfit in Ekiti that supports income-earners with flexible and affordable credit facilities.
He has a high reputation for identifying and nurturing talents, with a long list of beneficiaries in Ekiti. He's the Promoter of Ojoko Football Club, the first football club in Ekiti to participate in International football tournament hosted outside Nigeria, with players now plying their trade abroad.
Kayode has received several awards in recognition of his contributions to youth and community development, such as NTA Award of Excellence for Social and Youth Empowerment, Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees’ Award of ‘Great Achiever’, and many others.
