Ollie Folayan

Ollie Folayan
MBE FREng FIChemE
Born
Oluwole Olawale Folayan

(1974-10-07) October 7, 1974
London, UK
OccupationsChemical Engineer, Academic
EmployerCostain Group
AwardsFellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (FIChemE) (2018)
Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) (2023)
Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) (2025)
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Sheffield (BEng)
University of Leeds (PhD)
Academic work
InstitutionsUniversity of Dundee

Oluwole Olawale Folayan is a British chartered engineer and academic. He is the 85th President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE), Head of Process Engineering at Costain Group, and an Honorary Professor at the University of Dundee. He co-founded the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK), a non-profit organisation.

Education

Folayan graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1999 with a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Chemical Process Engineering with Fuel Technology.[1] He subsequently earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Fuels and Combustion from the University of Leeds in 2002.[2]

Career

Engineering

Folayan began his career as a research assistant at the Energy Research and Resources Institute at the University of Leeds before holding process engineering roles at international firms including Bechtel, SNC-Lavalin, Foster Wheeler, and Petrofac.[3] He later worked at TOTAL E&P UK on offshore gas projects and subsequently held senior engineering leadership roles at Optimus Plus Aberdeen and Costain Group.[4][5]

Academic

Folayan has held an Honorary Professorship at the School of Science and Engineering at the University of Dundee since 2024.[6] He previously held a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professorship from 2021 to 2024.[7]

Institutional leadership and advocacy

In 2007, Folayan co-founded the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE-UK) with his sister, Nike Folayan. The organization addresses the underrepresentation of ethnic minorities in the engineering workforce.[8][9]

He is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion steering group of the Royal Academy of Engineering.[10]

Folayan served as Deputy President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) from June 2025[11] before becoming its 85th President in June 2026.[12][13]

Honors and awards

References

  1. ↑ "The Boardroom - Meet the speakers 2023". University of Sheffield. 13 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Who studied here?". University of Leeds.
  3. ↑ "Board of Trustees - Ollie Folayan". IChemE.
  4. ↑ Thomas, Allister (22 October 2021). "Diversity celebrated at AFBE-UK awards". Energy Voice.
  5. ↑ "Black History Month: engineers you should know". QMUL School of Engineering and Materials Science.
  6. ↑ "Ollie Folayan". University of Dundee.
  7. ↑ "Dr Ollie Folayan". Raeng.org.uk.
  8. ↑ "Engineer aims to inspire children from minority backgrounds with STEM campaign". The Herald. 10 June 2019.
  9. ↑ Britton, Ruaraidh (31 December 2022). "Aberdeen businessman and diversity champion awarded MBE". Aberdeen Live.
  10. ↑ "Equity Diversity Inclusion Committee". Royal Academy of Engineering.
  11. ↑ "IChemE announces new Trustee members". Institution of Chemical Engineers. 28 May 2025.
  12. ↑ "2026 Presidential Address". Institution of Chemical Engineers.
  13. ↑ "Ollie Folayan MBE succeeds Raffaella Ocone as IChemE president". The Chemical Engineer.
  14. ↑ "IChemE Fellow recognised in 2023 New Year Honours List". IChemE.
  15. ↑ Wilson, Kelly (30 December 2022). "New Years Honours: Aberdeen man made MBE for diversity and inclusion work". Press and Journal.
  16. ↑ "Honorary Degrees". University of Dundee.
  17. ↑ "Dr Ollie Folayan MBE FREng". Royal Academy of Engineering.
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