Available to book
Ayo Sokale
Sustainability
Diversity and Inclusion
Neurodiversity
Ayo Sokale helps organisations build inclusive, future-ready cultures. A Chartered Civil Engineer, BBC presenter, and neurodiversity speaker, Ayo works across sustainability, neurodiversity, STEM inclusion, and innovation, bringing insight from national engineering leadership roles. Nominated as a Top 50 Women in Engineering and Top 24 Global Ethnic Majority Role Model in STEM.
STEM
Environmentalist
BBC
Broadcaster
Women in Tech
Inclusion
Neurodiversity Awareness
Autism Awareness
Professional Development
Inspirational
Inspirational Female
Female Empowerment
International Women's Day
Black History Month
World Earth Day
World Environment Day
Philanthropy
Mentor
Entrepreneur
Event Hosts
Award Hosts
Ayo Sokale is a Chartered Civil Engineer, BBC presenter, and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), whose career bridges infrastructure delivery, inclusion advocacy, and science communication.
Ayo developed her engineering career over more than a decade in the water sector and built environment, including nine years at the Environment Agency delivering major flood risk management projects. She now serves as Principal Engineering Manager and sits on several ICE committees and the ICE Council, shaping national infrastructure policy while mentoring the next generation of engineers. Ayo has also served as Reading's Deputy Mayor and founded Plastic Free Caversham, giving her a grounded, evidence-based perspective on what inclusion and sustainability look like in practice.
As a Black autistic woman working across engineering, broadcasting, and public service, Ayo brings lived experience to conversations about neurodiversity, representation, and systemic change. She co-presents the CBeebies science show Get Set Galactic, and her media work includes projects with BBC Reel, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and Smithsonian Channel.
Ayo hosts and delivers thoughtful, high-energy sessions for leadership teams, STEM organisations, and companies navigating culture change. Blending engineering insight, systems thinking, and personal experience, she speaks on sustainability, neurodiversity, innovation, inclusion, and the realities of building environments where different perspectives are genuinely valued. Audiences leave with practical ways to think more creatively, lead more inclusively, and better support talent within complex organisations.
Book Ayo to inspire your organisation with practical solutions that turn today's challenges into tomorrow's opportunities through the power of diverse thinking and sustainable innovation.
Topics, sessions and talks
Ayo Sokale addresses the pressing climate change challenge and its implications for modern professionals. She discusses the sustainability triad, environment, social, and economy, alongside the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Key topics include biodiversity, reducing single-use plastics, and the roles of individuals, businesses, and governments. Ayo highlights environmental injustice through UK and US case studies and critiques current approaches to sustainability. Attendees will learn about the interconnectedness of sustainability, economy, psychology, and technology, equipping them to drive meaningful change.
Ayo Sokale addresses the crucial issue of equal representation for women in tech, construction, and STEM fields. She emphasises the importance of having women involved in designing the built environment and technology that shape our lives. Ayo challenges existing biases surrounding women's careers and highlights their positive contributions to these industries. By exploring the evolution of gender representation and drawing lessons from nature's diversity, attendees will gain insights into overcoming biases and fostering inclusivity in their professional environments.
Ayo Sokale emphasises the importance of diversity of thought in her talk. As a black autistic woman in STEM, she reflects on how societal pressures often push individuals to conform, which undermines true inclusion. Ayo argues that genuine diversity requires creating spaces where everyone can authentically express themselves and be respected for their unique contributions. Attendees will learn about the barriers to inclusion and strategies to foster an environment that values diverse perspectives.
In this engaging talk, Ayo Sokale addresses the challenges leaders face in navigating political constraints and conflicting stakeholder needs while striving for meaningful change. Drawing from her political career and leadership experiences, she emphasises the importance of self-awareness and understanding the desired impact. Ayo introduces the GROW model for goal-setting and the Kotter 8-step change model to facilitate transformation. Attendees will learn five key lessons for driving positive change, including anti-dehumanisation and radical self-accountability.
Ayo Sokale emphasizes the importance of social mobility in the EDI conversation, particularly in the UK, where class issues are deeply ingrained in culture. She argues that acknowledging and addressing these issues is crucial for societal progress. Social mobility enables individuals to move through social strata, benefiting businesses and the economy. Attendees will learn about the structural barriers affecting social mobility and the necessary actions for policymakers and corporations to create inclusive opportunities for those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
Testimonials
Featured Projects
frequently asked questions
Something we've not covered here?
Email ayo.sokale@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Ayo's availability and fees. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and a bit about your audience.
Ayo Sokale structures her sessions around case studies drawn from her own professional and civic experience — including flood risk management projects at the Environment Agency and her founding of Plastic Free Caversham — to ground systemic topics such as sustainability and inclusion in evidence-based, real-world outcomes. She applies systems thinking across the sustainability triad and diversity frameworks, connecting policy, psychology, and technology to give attendees a practical analytical lens rather than abstract principles.
Ayo Sokale speaks on climate sustainability and environmental justice, gender representation in STEM and construction, and neurodiversity and inclusion in the workplace. She is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, with nine years at the Environment Agency delivering major flood risk management projects, and co-presents the CBeebies science series Get Set Galactic.
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Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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