Adesuwa Okunbo-Rhodes has revealed that landing her first investment banking job at 18 became the foundation of her successful career in finance, private equity and impact investing.

The first investment banking job at 18 saw her begin her professional journey at Lehman Brothers before moving to J.P. Morgan just two years later.

The Managing Partner of Aruwa Capital Management shared her career journey during an episode of the ‘Nigerian Audacity’ podcast, published on YouTube on Tuesday. Her remarks come just weeks after she gained widespread attention following an interview with a popular U.S.-based content creator, introducing her story to a global audience.

Speaking about her early career, Okunbo-Rhodes said she had always been passionate about finance. “I’ve always been interested in finance. My first job was in investment banking. I think I got my first job in investment banking at 18 years old at Lehman Brothers, and then at 20 years old, I was already working for J.P. Morgan,” she said.

She explained that her experience in global finance eventually led her to private equity, where she discovered the opportunity to generate financial returns while creating meaningful social impact. According to her, investing in African businesses opened her eyes to the possibility of combining profit with purpose.

“When I saw that intersection between profit and purpose, I said I wanted to do something like this back in Nigeria where I could use my finance knowledge and also improve people’s lives at the same time,” she added.

Okunbo-Rhodes returned to Nigeria in 2014 and identified a major funding gap affecting small and medium-sized enterprises. That realization inspired the launch of Aruwa Capital Management, an investment firm focused on supporting high-growth businesses while delivering both financial returns and measurable social impact across Africa.