“He Kept Trying To Find Himself”: Award-Winning Diversity Champion Ollie Folayan MBE’s Story
Welcome to another episode of our podcast, where we bring you inspiring stories that shape us. In this episode, we have an amazing guest, Ollie Folayan, a chartered process engineering consultant, visiting professor at the University of Dundee, and an award-winning diversity champion. Ollie shares personal stories on his family background, faith and upbringing. He further shares his experiences with racial discrimination and how it has shaped his career and advocacy work. Ollie emphasizes the importance of community in professional development and how it can help individuals overcome barriers and achieve success. He also provides insights on creating effective initiatives for promoting diversity and inclusion in organizations. This podcast is a must-listen for anyone interested in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Ollie's insights and experiences provide valuable lessons on how to overcome barriers and achieve success in the face of discrimination. Tune in to this episode to learn more about the importance of community, education, and research in promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
Bio
Ollie Folayan is visiting professor to the School of Science and Engineering, University of Dundee and Head of Process and Safety at Engineering consultancy, Optimus Plus Aberdeen. He is the co - founder of AFBE -UK.
Ollie graduated with a BEng in Chemical Process Engineering with Fuel Technology from the University of Sheffield in 1999 and then earned a Doctorate (PhD) in Fuels and Combustion from University of Leeds in 2002 authoring five international publications in the field of combustion and engineering. To date Ollie has worked on Major CAPEX Front End Engineering Design, Detailed Design and commissioning Projects.
In 2018 Ollie Folayan was accepted into the Fellowship of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.
Ollie has championed successful outreach programmes such as Making Engineering Hot, NextGen (Scotland), Transition and Real Projects and has co-authored three publications on the influence of role models in the transition from academic study to the workplace and on the sustainability of the engineering profession in the UK. Ollie has chaired a number of annual seminars featuring key industry leaders and politicians and is a regular speaker at events on varied engineering topics. Ollie was a member of the All Energy Diversity and Inclusion task group setup in 2019 by Oil and Gas UK
Ollie has been a judge of the Young Woman Engineer of the Year Awards (2020, 2021 & 2022), the Offshore Achievement Awards (2019), the Association for Consultancy and Engineering Awards (2021) and the Oil and Gas UK Awards (2020, 2021)
Ollie was a finalist in the Mentor of the Year Category at OGUK Awards in 2021 and finalist in the Diversity Hero at the Herald Awards in 2021. Ollie was awarded the Diversity and Inclusion Award by the Institution of Chemical Engineering (IChemE) in 2021.
Ollie was awarded an MBE for services to diversity and inclusion in engineering in the King's First New Year Honours' List in 2023
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🔗 Connect with Ollie
🐦 Twitter | LinkedIn
🧰 Resources mentioned
1. The GEMM study
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