SAYO AYODELE

Sayo is a Partner at Leaders’ Quest (LQ), an organisation that works with leaders from business, government and civil society with a mission to create a more sustainable, equitable world. Sayo has designed and led over 30 Quest programmes in Africa, the Middle East, Europe and Asia – these programmes take leaders out of their everyday environments to meet with entrepreneurs, innovators, change-makers, academics and community organisers who are changing the world around them.

At LQ, Sayo has led a number of systemic change projects – she played a key role in the BankingFutures initiative, which brought together leaders from some of the UK’s largest banks and institutional investors with other financial and civil society experts to create a road map to a healthier banking system. She has also worked developed initiatives that were focused on addressing imbalances in the food system.

 Sayo is passionate about strengthening the links between business and society, and cares deeply about sustainability and equality. She previously ran Cooking with Mama, a social enterprise that trained migrant women to lead cooking classes for the local community. She currently sits on the advisory board of Drivers for Change, an initiative that inspires young leaders to lead positive change in their communities. She is also on the board of Planting Promise, a Sierra Leonean educational charity. 

 Sayo has an MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics (where she was a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar), and started her career in the legal field. She considers herself a global citizen and has lived and worked in 5 continents. Her experiences have fostered a love of international affairs, languages, and travel.