Ahmed Babatunde Popoola (known as Tunde Popoola), PhD, FCA, is the founding Managing Director/CEO of CRC Credit Bureau Limited, Nigeria’s largest credit bureau, where he has consistently championed data-driven solutions for access to credit and sustainable Nigerian economic growth.
Dr. Popoola has been at the forefront of developing the credit reporting industry in Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. He played a key role in formulating guidelines on the licensing, operations, and regulations of credit bureaus in Nigeria (2008 and 2013); the enactment of Nigeria’s National Credit Reporting Act 2017; the formation of the Credit Bureau Association of Nigeria (CBAN); the introduction of the Bank Verification Number (BVN); and the creation of the Africa Credit Information Sharing Association (ACISA). He was Chairman of CBAN and is currently the Co-Chairman of ACISA (in-formation).
Before CRC, he was the founding CEO of the Abuja Enterprise Agency (AEA), where he championed entrepreneurship, youth and women empowerment, and led Nigerian students to win the global Students for the Advancement of Global Entrepreneurship (SAGE) World Cup in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
With 14 years in banking, he rose to CFO/General Manager of a publicly listed bank. His contributions to entrepreneurship, business management, finance, and youth empowerment have earned him numerous awards, including Credit Bureau CEO of the Year (2018, 2023), recognition by Forbes Africa (2023), and the Sir Ahmadu Bello Platinum Award (2023).
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), two master’s degrees in Banking & Finance and Economics from the University of Lagos, and a PhD in Finance from WITS Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He is also an alumnus of the Lagos Business School (SMP 12) and the Wharton Business School’s Advanced Management Programme (AMP 67), with further executive education at Harvard Business School, Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Kellogg School of Management, IMD, and Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
Dr. Popoola is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Institute of Directors (IoD), and seven other professional bodies.
