By-Fellow, Tutor, Race Equality Champion
Dr Roni Ajao is a By-Fellow, Tutor, and the Race Champion at Hughes. Dr Ajao is also the Executive Director of MRL® Public Sector Consultants Limited (MRL®). In the management consulting arena, she has worked for PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited (PwC), PA Consulting and EY within Government, Public Services and Defence. She has led several high-profile assignments for government departments, i.e., the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Education, the United Kingdom Identity and Passport Service and the Office for National Statistics, as the interim Director of Communications, Publicity and Stakeholder Management for the entire UK Census.
Internationally, Dr Ajao has worked on key programmes for the United Nations (UN), the World Bank and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO). For example, under the auspices of the UN, she was appointed as the Special Technical Assistant (STA) to two government Ministers in Nigeria. From September 2018 – June 2020 she worked with the Senior Special Assistant to the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria on Policy Development and Analysis reviewing policies in education, health, poverty alleviation and infrastructure development.
Academically, Dr Ajao holds a Doctorate in Business Administration from Durham University, an M.Phil. from University College London, an MBA from City University London, a M.Sc. in Consulting and Coaching for Change from HEC in Paris and Said Business School, Oxford University. She also has certificates in International Development and Global Change from the University of Cambridge, Leadership from Harvard, and Evidence in Public Policy from the University of Oxford Blavatnik School of Government.
Dr Ajao has been awarded Fellowship of the Institute of Consulting, Fellowship and Chartered Status of the Chartered Management Institute, Fellowship of the Institute of Leadership and Fellowship of the Institute of Directors. She is also a Fellow of the Association for Project Management and a Member of Chatham House. She is currently a Board Member for Women in Defence and MakeUK Defence.
Dr Ajao teaches, mentors, and works with, Cambridge Judge Business School / Faculty of Education and Anglia Ruskin University London. She also trains senior executives in general management, strategy, and organisational change. Her research interest areas are in education, public policy, strategy, and leadership.
As the College’s New Race Equality Champion, members of our student community are welcome, and encouraged, to contact Dr Ajao if they have concerns related to race and ethnicity issues which they would like to discuss: ra412@hughes.cam.ac.uk.
