Adebayo Ogunlesi Net Worth

Adebayo Ogunlesi has an estimated net worth of $2.6 billion, according to Forbes Real-Time Billionaires, Adebayo Ogunlesi profile (figures as of October 20, 2026). That is up from $2.2 billion in 2025.

Adebayo Ogunlesi is a lawyer, investment banker, and private equity executive known for cofounding Global Infrastructure Partners, or GIP. He built his reputation through finance and large infrastructure deals. Before GIP, he spent 23 years in the investment banking unit of Credit Suisse and rose to top roles there, including head of global investment banking, chief client officer, and executive vice chairman. Earlier, he worked as an attorney at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York.

His wealth is tied to infrastructure investing. In 2006, he started GIP as a joint venture with initial investors that included Credit Suisse and General Electric. The firm went on to buy assets such as London City Airport, a majority stake in London Gatwick Airport, Edinburgh Airport, and Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori. In 2024, BlackRock agreed to buy GIP in a deal valued at about $12.5 billion, and Ogunlesi stayed on as GIP chairman and CEO while also becoming a senior managing director at BlackRock.

How Adebayo Ogunlesi built his fortune

Ogunlesi made his money in finance, especially private equity focused on infrastructure. After legal work at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, he moved into banking in 1983 when he joined First Boston on a Nigerian gas project. He later worked across project finance and advised clients on transactions in North and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. That long run at Credit Suisse helped set up his next chapter.

In July 2006, he launched Global Infrastructure Partners. The firm targeted major infrastructure assets and expanded across energy, transport, digital infrastructure, and water and waste management. GIP bought London City Airport in 2006, a majority stake in London Gatwick Airport in 2009, Edinburgh Airport in 2012, and Nuovo Trasporto Viaggiatori in 2018. By the time BlackRock acquired GIP in 2024, the firm had more than $100 billion in assets under management.

Forbes net worth and the BlackRock deal

Forbes estimated Ogunlesi's net worth at $2.2 billion on its World's Billionaires List in 2025. The next year, Forbes put him at $2.5 billion on the 2026 list. Forbes now tracks him at $2.6 billion on its real-time billionaires tracker as of October 20, 2026. Those estimates place him among self-made billionaires in finance and investments, with private equity as the main source behind his wealth.

A big money event was BlackRock's 2024 agreement to buy GIP for about $12.5 billion. The deal included $3 billion in cash and 12 million BlackRock shares, and some of that stock was set aside for GIP employees. Even after the sale, Ogunlesi remained chairman and CEO of GIP and took on a senior managing director role at BlackRock. In 2026, he also spoke about growing BlackRock's South Africa-linked infrastructure assets in energy, transport, digital infrastructure, and logistics.