Seyi obakin biography

Seyi Obakin was born in Nigeria in 1961. He worked in banking before moving into housing, and since 2009 has been the chief executive of the youth homelessness charity Centrepoint.

What’s your earliest memory?

Being sprayed all over with muddy water by a passing car while walking down a pavement with my mother. I was around five years old, nicely dressed up in new clothes, heading to a family event.

Who are your heroes?

As a child, my parents were my heroes because they always seemed to save the day. These days, I see heroes all around me. Despite the trauma some of them have had, so many people leave Centrepoint with education, skills, a job and/or a home.

What book last changed your thinking?

Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team and Kim Scott’s Radical Candor. Whether you are in a small team or a large one, the principles of building great team spirit are the same and Lencioni and Scott address them eloquently.

What would be your “Mastermind” specialis

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Interview: Seyi Obakin, Centrepoint chief executive

A formative career in financial services is an unlikely grounding to run a charity for disadvantaged young people. However, Seyi Obakin’s experience in banking could be crucial over the coming months as all charities grapple with the financial challenges presented by Covid-19. Obakin, who was raised in Nigeria, has spent more than a decade as chief executive of youth homelessness charity Centrepoint, after making the jump from the private sector to housing associations in the mid-1990s. During his time at Centrepoint he has overseen a period of sustained growth for the charity, which provides accommodation, health support and life skills for young people aged 16-25, and last year celebrated its 50th anniversary. In 2018/19 it provided services to more than 15,000 young people across London, Manchester and the North East. Its last set of accounts showed that in the year to March 2019, income increased from £32.7m to £34m, with expe

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Advisory Council

MR.  SEYI OBAKIN (OBE) Officer of the most excellent Order of the British Empire – PATRON

Seyi Obakin is ledare Executive of Centrepoint, the leading charitable organisation in the United Kingdom (UK) working with young people, especially those who are at fara of homelessness. An alumnus of the University of Ibadan and the London Business School, he became a chartered accountant in 1986. Prior to leading Centrepoint, his endeavour spanned professional accounting, finance and housing with various roles in firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Citibank, the Nigerian affiliate of BNP Paribas, and storstads- Housing.

As well as being CEO of Centrepoint, he influences UK national policy especially around skills, employability, social säkerhet and justice, working with ministers and senior civil servants. He sparked a global debate in 2009 about homelessness and how to end it after inviting His Royal Highness, The Duke of Cambridge (Prince William), with whom he still