Ollie Folayan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Oluwole Olawale Folayan |
| Occupations | Chemical Engineer, Academic |
| Employer | Costain Group |
| Awards | Fellow 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 | |
| Education | University of Sheffield (BEng) University of Leeds (PhD) |
| Academic work | |
| Institutions | University of Dundee |
Oluwole Olawale Folayan MBE FREng FIChemE is a British chartered engineer and academic. He serves as Head of Process Engineering at Costain Group and is 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 dedicated to improving diversity and inclusion within the engineering profession.
Folayan also serves as Deputy President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE). [1]
Folayan graduated from the University of Sheffield in 1999 with a Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) in Chemical Process Engineering with Fuel Technology. [2] He subsequently earned a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Fuels and Combustion from the University of Leeds in 2002. [3]
Folayan began his engineering career at Mitsui Babcock (now Doosan Babcock),working in process and combustion engineering roles. [1]
He subsequently served as Lead Process Engineer and Combustion Specialist at Total E&P UK (2011–2016),where he led commissioning for the company's first Concentric Gas Lift project and supported upgrades on the Gryphon FPSO. [4]
From 2016 to 2019,he worked as Process Lead Engineer at the St Fergus Gas Terminal with px Group. He later held senior engineering roles in Aberdeen before joining Costain Group,where he serves as Head of Process Engineering. [5]
Folayan has held an Honorary Professorship at the School of Science and Engineering at the University of Dundee since 2024. He previously held a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professorship from 2021 to 2024. [6]
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. [7] [8]
He is a member of the Diversity and Inclusion steering group of the Royal Academy of Engineering. [9]