Gbenga Oyebode serves on the Ford Foundation Board of Trustees. He is a co-founder and former chairman of the Nigerian law firm Aluko & Oyebode, where he is currently of counsel, advising corporations on matters relating to energy and natural resources, telecommunications, project finance, and aviation.

Oyebode is passionate about education and the arts. He serves on the Global Advisory Council of the African Leadership Academy and is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators. He is also chairman of the board of the African Philanthropy Forum, Nestlé Nigeria PLC, and Teach for All, and sits on the boards of EnterpriseNGR Professional Advocacy Group, Assets Management Group Limited, Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Rele Arts Foundation, Rele Gallery, The Africa Center, and he is a member of the Cleveland Museum of Arts International Collectors Council.

Oyebode holds one of Nigeria’s highest honors, as a member of the Order of the Federal Republic. He is a recipient of the Belgian royal honor of Knight of the Order of Leopold.

He holds bachelor of laws degrees from the University of Ife and the Nigerian Law School, a master of laws degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and he is a member of the Nigerian Bar Association and the International Bar Association. He is also a graduate of the advanced management program at Harvard Business School.