Ayo Afolabi is recognized for his exceptional client management skills and ability to forge genuine partnerships with leaders, who view him as a trusted adviser with a deep understanding of their operational context. His work spans leadership assessment and development, CEO succession, top team and board effectiveness, executive coaching and advisory on diversity and inclusion for private equity firms and their portfolio companies across EMEA and North America.
Ayo is deeply passionate about fostering growth in leaders and captivated by the psychological principles that underpin effective leadership. He believes leaders wield a profound influence on the prosperity of their organizations — effective leadership is a vital value lever that can equip an organization to successfully execute its business strategies. Ayo is particularly known for his ability to bring creative and bespoke approaches to client needs, his dedication to setting a high bar of excellence and his connecting nature.
Guiding organizations in reimagining what effective leadership can mean
- A consultant since 2011 — initially at KPMG and then at YSC (now Accenture) before joining Spencer Stuart in 2025 — Ayo has cultivated deep experience managing client relationships and facilitating large-scale business transformations.
- He has a broad range of expertise and client experience; he has worked with FTSE 100 clients, global multinationals and PE-backed businesses at the board and C-suite levels.
- As just a few recent examples, Ayo has partnered with a private equity organization to execute a leadership assessment initiative across portfolio companies, rolled out a 360-feedback program for a group executive committee to provide analysis on their performance (and follow-up team coaching), and conducted a board effectiveness evaluation for a private equity–backed insurer.
Ayo is an accomplished speaker and published author, committed to making a positive impact in the community. He has a degree in politics and history from the University of Warwick.