Beyond the Grid: Ibiyinka Olatunde’s blueprint for inclusive engineering

When Ibiyinka Olatunde, the site manager at Sunel UK Ltd, arrives on a project site, people notice. They notice not only because she is the site manager responsible for coordinating dozens of engineers, subcontractors and technicians on some of the United Kingdom’s rapidly expanding solar PV projects, but also because she embodies what many young women in engineering rarely see: a woman at the helm, steadying the ship in a field long shaped by male dominance.

Her trajectory from a young trainee in Nigeria’s oilfields to a leader in renewable energy construction exemplifies the evolution of the engineering sector itself, from traditional extractive industries into a future driven by technology, sustainability, and inclusion.

Olatunde’s leadership style is grounded in competence and tempered by empathy, a combination she credits to the mentors who guided her early career.

She remembers a moment during her trainee days, when a senior supervisor noticed her staying late to review complex Distributed Control System diagrams.

Instead of telling her to return in the morning, he sat with her and explained the interlocking components that governed production processes. It was a simple act of generosity, yet it changed how she viewed engineering. She decided, there and then, that whenever she rose to a position of influence, she would do the same for others.

Years later, she is keeping that promise. At Sunel UK Limited, where she manages multidisciplinary teams on large-scale solar construction sites, junior engineers often seek her out for guidance.

She gives them the kind of mentorship that demystifies engineering practice. Many of them recount her habit of turning routine inspections into teaching moments.

One recalled how she once paused a site walk to explain why a deviation in cable routing could compromise long-term system reliability. It was a busy day and she could have walked past the issue and logged it for correction, but instead she used the moment to impart knowledge.

Her mentorship extends far beyond the workplace. Long before she accumulated postgraduate degrees and international experience, Olatunde had already become a mentor to younger peers.

As an undergraduate at the University of Port Harcourt, she tutored struggling students in petroleum engineering courses and helped them prepare for exams. She also volunteered in community education programmes, teaching mathematics to primary school pupils during her national service in Delta State.

She recalls those days fondly because they allowed her to see how education can alter the trajectory of a child who might otherwise slip through the cracks. Nigeria’s educational challenges remain significant. UNICEF estimates that more than ten million Nigerian children are out of school, a figure that disproportionately affects girls.

Olatunde believes that early intervention in basic numeracy and science skills can ignite lifelong curiosity and confidence, and she still commits time to educational outreach whenever she can.

Her academic record tells its own story of determination. From earning upper credit at the Petroleum Training Institute to graduating with a first class degree in Petroleum Engineering at the University of Port Harcourt, and then securing a distinction in her master’s degree in Energy Engineering at De Montfort University in the United Kingdom, she has consistently stood out.

Her award from the Petroleum Technology Development Fund, which supported her research on Evaluation of gas lock in electrical submersible pumps (Artificial lift system) for sustainable production and system reliability, is one of the highlights of her academic journey.

What many people do not see behind these achievements is the number of times she had to push through environments where women were few and expectations were low.

In Nigeria, women constitute only around twenty two percent of the engineering workforce according to recent statistics from the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria.

Globally, UNESCO reports that women remain underrepresented in science and engineering disciplines, making up less than thirty percent of the worldwide STEM workforce.

This gap widens in energy and infrastructure sectors, which historically have been even more male dominated. Olatunde has experienced this imbalance firsthand.

As a young engineer working on well completion projects, she often found herself as the only woman on rig sites, a reality that could be daunting. Yet she says those early years prepared her for the leadership responsibilities she now holds.

During her time as a well completion engineer, she supervised complex operations such as installing packers, flow control equipment and safety valves.

These were tasks that required technical precision, logistical coordination, and an unflinching commitment to safety. She remembers an incident at a well site during a major completion project when equipment delays threatened to derail operations. The team was restless and the atmosphere tense.

Rather than escalate the pressure, she gathered the team, calmly reviewed the task sequence and reorganised priorities to ensure minimal downtime.

Her approach impressed her colleagues, many of whom were senior engineers. One later told her that her calm problem solving gave legitimacy to her presence in a space where many expected her to struggle. It was not a compliment she took lightly, but it strengthened her resolve to make engineering environments more welcoming for women who would come after her.

Her advocacy for women in STEM is not performative. She speaks frequently at student gatherings, conferences, and professional forums about the need for women to be visible in engineering leadership roles.

Olatunde believes strongly that the shift to renewable energy will falter if it does not include the perspectives and talents of women, especially in regions like Africa where energy gaps remain a pressing socio economic challenge. About eighty five million Nigerians lack access to electricity and many more face unreliable supply.

Olatunde’s research on grid reliability and her growing expertise in AI driven optimisation for renewable energy systems reflect her commitment to solving these systemic problems.

Her leadership also manifests in community service. Between 2017 and 2020, she volunteered with outreach programmes in Port Harcourt that provided food, health screening, and social support to underserved neighbourhoods.

These initiatives were not engineering related, but they shaped her understanding of how technical development must align with human needs. She believes an engineer’s responsibility goes beyond designing systems. It extends to improving lives. This belief drives her involvement in professional associations as well. As a member of the Association of Energy Engineers and the Society of Petroleum Engineers, she participates in events that connect professionals, students, and researchers.

While still a student at the Petroleum Training Institute, she served on the committee that organised the SPE Annual Students Technical Conference and Exhibition, where she helped plan seminars and workshops that introduced young engineers to industry standards and emerging technologies. Many of the students she worked with still contact her today for career advice.

Olatunde is also an advocate for safety, a theme that runs through all her roles. Having worked in hazardous and high pressure environments throughout her career, she is deeply invested in safety culture.

This is evident in her current role where she enforces strict site safety protocols and encourages her teams to speak up about potential hazards. She knows that safety lapses on engineering sites can cost lives, and the moral weight of that responsibility shapes her leadership approach.

Younger engineers often say her insistence on safety changed how they perceive their work. She calls this type of influence a form of mentorship that goes beyond technical knowledge.

Olatunde does not see leadership as a solitary ascent but as a collective journey. She tells young women entering engineering that the industry does not need them to be perfect, only prepared and willing to grow. She encourages them to take on assignments that stretch their abilities and to seek mentors early.

She also reminds them to support one another, because solidarity among women in male dominated industries creates a force stronger than any individual struggle.

For many of those she mentors, the most inspiring part of her story is not the academic records, international conferences, or prestigious engineering roles. It is the way she uses her visibility to create opportunities for others.

A young female engineer once reached out to her after hearing her speak at an industry event, confessing that she felt overwhelmed by the pressures of her first job. Olatunde spent weeks checking in on her progress, reviewing her project reports, and offering feedback.

That young engineer later secured a scholarship for postgraduate studies and credits Olatunde’s guidance for helping her regain confidence. Stories like this circulate quietly in engineering circles, forming a mosaic of influence that reveals the true impact of her leadership.

In an era where the world is grappling with climate change, energy insecurity, and rapid technological transformation, the engineering profession needs leaders who combine technical expertise with compassion, clarity, and commitment to inclusion.

Olatunde represents that emerging class of leaders, who believe that engineering is more than equations, pipelines and power grids, but a discipline that shapes society. Through her mentorship, advocacy, and community engagement, Olatunde is shaping not only infrastructure but the future of engineering itself, one young engineer at a time.

Ifeoma Okeke-Korieocha is the Aviation Correspondent at BusinessDay Media Limited, publishers of BusinessDay Newspapers.

She is also the Deputy Editor, BusinessDay Weekender Magazine, the Saturday Weekend edition of BusinessDay.

She holds a BSC in Mass Communication from the prestigious University of Nigeria, Nsukka and a Masters degree in Marketing at the University of Lagos.

As the lead writer on the aviation desk, Ifeoma is responsible and in charge of the three weekly aviation and travel pages in BusinessDay and BDSunday. She also overseas and edits all pages of BusinessDay Saturday Weekender.

She has written various investigative, features and news stories in aviation and business related issues and has been severally nominated for award in the category of Aviation Writer of the Year by the Nigeria Media Nite-Out awards; one of the Nigeria’s most prestigious media awards ceremonies.

Ifeoma is a one-time winner of the prestigious Nigeria Media Merit Award under the 'Aviation Writer of the Year' Category.

She is the 2025 Eloy Award winner under the Print Media Journalist category.

She has undergone several journalism trainings by various prestigious organisations.

Ifeoma is also a fellow of the Female Reporters Leadership Fellowship of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism.

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