STEM

Ayo Sokale was selected as one of Professor Lord Robert Mair’s Future Leaders for his year as President of the ICE. She is one of the ICE’s Water Superheroes aptly named Eco Warrior and is an excellent motivational speaker, particularly when it comes to inspiring young people to pursue STEM.

She is a STEM ambassador and mentor, encouraging others to take up careers in civil engineering. She was also nominated for the Top 50 Women in Engineering Under 35 initiative run by The Telegraph in partnership with The Women’s Engineering Society.

Through her engineering career she has worked on high-profile jobs including as a Site Supervisor for West Berkshire Council, a Graduate Civil Engineer for Jacobs, worked on the Thames Estuary Asset Management, floor embankment at Mortimer, fish migration at tumbling bay and the Abingdon flood alleviation scheme.

ENVIRONMENT/SUSTAINABILITY

Ayo is passionate about helping the environment and promoting sustainability, promoting it through has civil engineer background and her work in politics. In 2019 she co-founded the Plastic Free Caversham Group which brought residents and businesses together to drive for single use plastic free status under the Surfer Against Sewers guideline. She also runs a YouTube series on sustainability and the three pillars – Economic, Environmental and Social.

MEDIA

Ayo has contributed to and featured in a number of publications including The Daily Mirror, as well as on the BBC, BBC Bitesize, Smithsonian Channel, National Geographic and Yesterday. She has presented or contributed on the topics of physics, chemistry, scientific symbols, Earth resources, composition of the atmosphere, pollution, circuits and electricity. She has also hosted a number of documentary-type programmes including Abandoned Engineering (2016-), Smoke and Steel (2022), Searching for Secrets (2021), The Truth about Food and Great Inventions.

SPEAKING TOPICS

– Civil Engineering

– The Environment and Environmental Injustice

– Project Management

– Digital Transformation

– Sustainability

– Women in STEM

– Diversity and Inclusion

– Mental Health and Neurodiversity

In recent years, Ayo has felt more able to talk about being on the autistic spectrum. She has a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome and is an empathetic and inspirational speaker on neurodiversity, mental health challenges and how to overcome them.

Ayo has presented at a range of live events including award ceremonies for St Theresa Effingham, the Installer Show 2022, JP Morgan Chase’s Innovation Week, various events for the Foreign Office, at Arcadis’ Global Access and Neurodiversity virtual event, for Shell’s Black History Month celebrations, various International Women’s Day events, at school events including Skelmersdale Science Summer School and The College of Richard Collyer’s Festival of Science.

COACHING/MENTORING

Ayo offers coaching and mentoring services to professionals wanting to achieve high performance whilst maintaining their wellbeing. She offers 1:1 coaching focussed on supporting – predominately neurodiverse – individuals to find their ‘why’. She uses her experience of a multi-layered career to bring you insight, clarity and help you achieve your goals.

CHARITY WORK

Ayo loves the performing arts, fitness and is a presenter for BBC Reel. She has a passion for supporting great causes and has raised funds for a number of charities, using her platform as a beauty queen and finalist for Miss Galaxy England, Miss Earth and Miss Great Britain.

In 2015, she founded an annual charity event to raise funds for Derriford Hospital’s Children’s Cancer Service and has supported the likes of Sands, Rainbow Hospice, British Heart Foundation, RSPCA and Prospect Hospice by running marathons, taking part in boot camps, organising fashion shows, singing in harmony groups and volunteering at homeless shelters.

POLITICS

In 2018, Ayo was elected the women’s officer for the Reading Constituency Labour Party. She campaigned in 2019 as a Labour and Cooperative Candidate for Caversham in Reading. She wanted to be a Councillor because she knew she had what it takes to succeed at the job and was passionate about using her skills to transform the lives around her. Throughout her time as a Councillor, she has represented residents on the planning application committee, the Adult Social Care, Children’s Services and Education Committee, as well as sitting on the parenting panel and the Atomic Weapons Establishment Local Liaison Committee.

Call +44 1753 439 289 or email Great British Speakers now to book Diversity and Inclusion Speaker Ayo Sokale for your corporate event.

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