Arese Ugwu

EARLY LIFE

Arese Ugwu was born into a family with strong ties to banking and finance. Both her parents (Victor and Funke Ogiemwonyi) were bankers, so conversations about money, capital markets, and financial systems were part of her upbringing. She has siblings including Isoken, Kolawole, and Ivie. From the age of 16, her parents arranged for her to work in banks during summer holidays, giving her early practical exposure to the financial sector. She pursued higher education in the UK, studying Business and Management at Aston Business School followed by a master’s in Economic Development at University College London.

CAREER

Arese worked in financial services and wealth management in Nigeria for several years (approximately eight years) before shifting toward content creation and advocacy. In 2014 she began writing personal finance articles for BellaNaija, starting with pieces such as “A Chanel Bag Versus Stock Portfolio.” This evolved into the founding of Smart Money Africa, a personal finance platform tailored to African millennials. In 2016 she self-published her debut book The Smart Money Woman: An African Girl’s Journey to Financial Freedom, a financial “chick-lit” novel that blended storytelling with practical money lessons. The book became a bestseller and led to a successful pan-African book tour across Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, East Africa, and the UK. A sequel, Smart Money Tribe, followed. She expanded the brand into multiple formats: Executive Producer and showrunner of the television series The Smart Money Woman (Season 1 premiered on Africa Magic in 2020; later streamed on Netflix, becoming a top show in several African countries). Season 2 continued the success. Host of the Smart Money Tribe podcast, which reached number one on Apple’s Top Shows list in its first week. Creator of related initiatives including Smart Money Travel. She has collaborated with major brands such as Standard Chartered, GTBank, First Bank, Mastercard, Unilever, and Bamboo. She has been featured on platforms including CNN, Bloomberg, Forbes Africa, and BusinessDay, and has spoken at international events. In 2021 she was recognised as one of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD). Board and organisational roles: Independent/non-executive director at House of Tara International Ltd (Africa’s largest indigenous makeup brand) Non-executive director at The Nigeria Higher Education Foundation Associate member of WIMBIZ (Women in Management, Business and Public Service); previously served on its planning committee Advisory roles including for TW Magazine Awards and recognition: Rémy Martin Pacesetter Award (2016) Nominee for The Future Awards Africa Prize for Education Finalist for Access Bank W Awards (Young Professional of the Year, 2015) Included in YNaija’s “The New Establishment” list Referred to by CEO magazine as a “Millipreneur”

PERSONAL LIFE

Arese is a mother to a daughter named Zikora, whom she has described as a major motivation for her hard work. She has openly shared that the end of her marriage, while she had a one-year-old child, depleted her savings and became a pivotal “Aha” moment that deepened her focus on financial literacy and independence. She is passionate about travel, reading, tennis, and squash, and has described herself as a food lover. She maintains a relatively private stance on current personal relationships while remaining open about the lessons from her past experiences.

Arese Ugwu has built a multimedia financial education brand that uses storytelling, fiction, television, podcasts, and practical content to make money conversations accessible and relevant to young Africans, particularly women. She continues to produce content, advocate for financial independence, and expand the Smart Money universe across platforms including YouTube and Netflix.