Oreoluwa Lesi

Award-winning Technology & Gender Specialist nurturing future female innovators, creators & entrepreneurs

Oreoluwa Lesi is a Technology & Gender Specialist with over twenty years professional experience. She is also a Nonprofit and Social Entrepreneurship consultant. Oreoluwa speaks and moderates at high-impact conferences and discussions centered around themes of the STEM Gender Divide, Female Entrepreneurs, Nonprofit Sustainability and principles of Social Entrepreneurship.

Oreoluwa is the Founder and Executive Director of the Women’s Technology Empowerment Centre (W.TEC), a Nigerian nonprofit organisation committed to building a more inclusive technology ecosystem, with the next generation of women technology creators, entrepreneurs and leaders.

Since 2008, W.TEC has encouraged over 41,000 girls and women across Nigeria, to pursue STEM careers and has supported women to use technology confidently to increase their economic power and ability to speak about issues affecting their lives. W.TEC’s programmes include technology camps, after-school technology clubs, research and mentoring. The beneficiaries learnt to create technology – including applications, games, websites, short films and other digital content - and to use technology safely and productively.

Oreoluwa’s work has also been showcased in the media, including BBC Africa, TIME Magazine, Channels TV, NTA and EbonyLife TV.

Oreoluwa is also the Creator and Host of The Other Room: Redefining Women and Work, an interview-style podcast that showcases African women’s career journeys and explores the strategies they used to build impactful careers that align with their strengths and interests.

She is a Vital Voices Lead Fellow (awarded to emerging and established women leaders across the world), Ashoka fellow (a network of the world’s leading social entrepreneurs) and a recipient of the Anita Borg Change Agent Award (for her commitment to supporting women in computing in Nigeria.

Oreoluwa serves on several boards including the civic innovation organisation, BudgIT and the Lagos State Science Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC).

Oreoluwa is a thoughtful speaker who challenges girls and women to identify and leverage on their strengths and interests to be engaged and active users and creators of technology. She also educates men on how to be allies in making the technology ecosystem a more inclusive space.

She is also committed to equipping early-stage female entrepreneurs – especially women who identify as introvert or reserved – with the skills and confidence to thrive professionally through mentorship, training and coaching.

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