Financial Expert, Charles Ugbegua, Making A Mark in Global High Finance, Capital Markets
Finance is one of the most attractive and competitive professions in Nigeria and the world at large. However, very few people get to achieve their desired goal of building a successful career in finance in Nigeria, let alone the world.
Charles Ugbegua can be regarded as one of those few, who have built a sterling career in finance, not only in Nigeria but also in very sophisticated global markets such as New York, US, and London, England.
He is currently a Senior Vice President at one of the largest investment banks in the world in New York.
Ugbegua hails from Edo State in Nigeria but was born and raised in Lagos, where he had his education from elementary to his university, University of Lagos.
His exceptional path started at the University of Lagos, where he graduated as the Best Graduating Student, from the Department of Business Administration, with a First-Class, winning several prizes and awards including the Zenith Bank award and the Federal Government of Nigeria scholarship award.
Ugbegua commenced his career with the prestigious PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), in the Financial Institutions Group, where he focused on financial statement audit, financial statement analysis and preparation, technical accounting advisory, and financial instruments valuation among others.
He left the firm with a record of providing exceptional client service and was one of the few professionals who started the firm’s International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) conversion advisory group in Nigeria, advising a number of the large banks in Nigeria.
Ugbegua transitioned to work for an accounting advisory firm, where he doubled down on his financial analytical and accounting advisory skills. It saw him continue to play a major role in Nigeria’s transition from its local accounting standard to IFRS, advising subsector associations within the financial services industry such as pension operators, microfinance and mortgage banks, and investment companies in the transition to IFRS.
He also had a stint in independent consulting, advising key institutions in various sectors, and providing financial due diligence and accounting advisory services for these institutions as an independent consultant.
He then joined another global accounting and consulting firm Ernst & Young (EY) as a Manager in the Transactions Advisory Service, playing a critical role in developing the firm’s valuation practice, especially the valuation of financial instruments for financial statement audit purposes.
He is a Chartered Accountant and a member of the prestigious CFA Institute, as a CFA Charterholder. He has won several awards as a professional, including the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN) professional examination awards. He won ICAN’s Best Qualifying Candidate in a Diet and Best Qualifying Candidate in a Year awards in addition to others.
His yearning for a more global career footprint led him to pursue an MBA at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, an Ivy League University in the United States.
After his MBA, he worked with one of the biggest banks on Wall Street, providing complex financial, capital advisory, and mergers & acquisitions advisory expertise to both large and mid-cap public and private companies in the Power, Renewables, and Energy Infrastructure sectors.
With his expertise across various energy generation technologies and his financial analytical depth, he continues to make his mark within the industry, advising on complex transactions in global markets.
Furthermore, his experience working in London for a few years, providing financial advisory services to clients across Europe and the Middle East, advising them on the appropriate capital structure and plan necessary to meet their energy transition goals. He has helped him develop not only a breadth of technical expertise but also an understanding of the unique geographical dynamics that countries and organisations continue to face in their quest to achieve their climate goals.
Ugbegua continues to be an inspiration to many upcoming professionals in finance, who look to walk in his footsteps someday.
His ability to break boundaries across different markets, and his breadth and depth of expertise in the field of finance and the Power & Renewables industry in these key markets is a testament to the level of diligence, knowledge acquisition, persistence, and tenacity necessary to achieve one’s goal.
His experience positions him as one of the experts who will continue to remain relevant as the world journeys through a new face where climate issues remain at the front burner of topical global discussions across the world.
