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This site is a resource that I hope will develop over time to capture valuable lessons about the culture and systems at the core of our global society.

My life focus is to contribute in a positive way to cultural and systemic change in our society. Our institutions must operate in a way that helps them meet our social contracts whilst ensuring that the proceeds of human endeavour are more equitably shared around the world. I hope I will be allowed to continue making my contribution.

All the images on this site were taken in the United Kingdom and are my own.

Learning

I have been using my experiences, and the lessons learned, to consult, advise and educate as many people as I am able to reach – addressing senior managers from a variety of industries, policy makers, academics, sixth formers and university students.

Edinburgh University

Over the last 15 months it has been my great fortunate to begin forging an exciting relationship with Edinburgh University which has resulted in many lectures and public speeches considering matters of ethics, culture, risk and systems. In this wide ranging conversation with Joris Luyendijk, we combined his work as the author of the Guardian’s Banking Blog with the lessons I’ve learned over the last 6 years and beyond.

Banking isn’t a job, it’s a cult?

 

Liverpool John Moores University

In March 2017 I was asked to deliver both a public lecture to finance professionals based in Liverpool and an in-depth 2 hour seminar to the Masters Law students studying finance modules at  Liverpool John Moores. Both sessions turned into powerful conversations about culture and systems in the finance industry. Here is a video we made to share our learnings.

 

Media

There has been a great deal of media interest centred around the events leading to the loss at UBS in the summer of 2011. Since my release from prison the Financial Times and the BBC have led efforts to better understand what happened and why I had to take responsibility for the losses.

Deeper analysis by the Financial Times
During my time in prison, I began correspondence with Lindsay Fortado at the FT in order to try and better understand what had happened and begin to consider what lessons everyone could take from it. In a podcast and magazine article published in October 2015, Ms Fortado brought the first in-depth analysis of the events of 2011 to the world. I will always reject the Rogue Trader label that I live with because every decision I made at UBS was in an effort to achieve the bank’s goals. Indeed I take comfort from the fact it was recognised by my jury and the court that my actions were never undertaken for personal gain.  Nevertheless, the lessons to be learned are deep and rich. Here is Lindsay’s take.

Kweku Adoboli: a rogue trader’s tale, Lindsay Fortado.

The crime and punishment of Kweku Adoboli

In Conversation with the BBC
By late summer 2016 it was decided that the wider public needed to understand my path to rehabilitation whilst considering whether it is in the public interest to deport me to Ghana. In three separate conversations with Kamal Ahmed for BBC Business News, John Humphries for Radio 4 Today, and Stephen Sackur at Hardtalk, I did my best to apologise for the losses that had occurred, explain that since culture and systems were at the root of the loss not enough had changed to prevent a repeat of this kind of failure, and that I am British in all but official assent for I have lived here for 25 years and am a product of the British Education and Finance System. This is my home and I am determined to make sure we find and share deep and valuable lessons from the extremely painful journey that I have been on.

Sorry beyond words: A conversation with Kamal Ahmed

Where to focus if we are to deliver real change: Radio 4 Today with John Humphries

Changing perceptions and understanding: Hardtalk with Stephen Sackur

Contact

Email: kweku.adoboli@gmail.com
Twitter: @kwekuadoboli