Angelique Peake's rise in oil and gas at RMB

For Angelique Peake, a career is not always something that can be carefully mapped out from the beginning. Her own path from finance and banking to becoming head of oil and gas at RMB has been shaped by curiosity, adaptability and a willingness to step into unfamiliar territory.

Peake completed a BBA honours degree in finance through IMM and Unisa while living in Cape Town.

She later obtained a banking degree in the United Kingdom, followed by specialist courses in oil and gas-related fields. Most recently, she completed a mini MBA in oil and gas through the Oxford Management Centre in London.

“I did not study finance because I had a carefully mapped out plan to become a banker,” she says. “My career developed through a combination of opportunity, curiosity and a willingness to learn.”

After university, Peake travelled to the United Kingdom on what was intended to be a two-year working holiday. It lasted more than a decade and saw her take on various roles before entering banking.

She joined an asset management company connected to Société Générale and later Barclays, where she began as a manager’s assistant in medium corporate banking before becoming a business development manager. 

Returning to Namibia, she joined Nedbank Namibia as a relationship manager before moving to FNB Commercial, gaining valuable exposure to the mining sector.

When RMB's corporate banking business was established in Namibia in 2014, she moved into that part of the organisation and continued developing her expertise in mining, corporate banking and client coverage.

After five years as head of client coverage, Peake took the opportunity to focus on Namibia’s emerging oil and gas sector.

Today, she leads RMB Namibia's oil and gas strategy, with responsibilities extending across the broader FirstRand Group. Her work spans strategy development, client engagement, stakeholder management, market intelligence and internal coordination.

“A large part of my role is connecting people, businesses and opportunities,” she says.

For Peake, effective leadership begins with recognising that no one has all the answers. “Leadership does not mean having all the answers. It means being willing to take responsibility, create direction, ask the right questions and bring people with different capabilities together.”

Her message to young Namibians is simple.

“Remain curious, ask questions and make it your business to understand the industry in which you work.”