Ayo Awotona

I’m the bridge between emerging talent and leadership.

Next Gen Talent Leadership Development Facilitator and MC, helping graduate and early careers cohorts become confident, self-leading professionals.

Because Early Careers goes beyond being only a programme. This is your future leadership bench in real time.

Who I Work With

I work with organisations who want their graduate and early careers cohorts to feel genuinely welcomed, developed, and ready to contribute.My approach is shaped by nearly a decade in the education system, supporting young people at key transition points. So I don’t just think about “delivery”. I think about how people actually learn, how confidence is built, and what belonging looks like in real life.Typical partners include HR Managers, People Partners, Early Careers Leads, L&D Managers, Heads of Talent, and programme managers responsible for graduate schemes, internships, apprenticeships, and early careers pipelines.If you’re building this while juggling tight budgets, stretched teams, and competing priorities, I get it. I work with the reality of your organisation, rather than an ideal version of it.

My Story (Why this work is personal)

I’ve always been drawn to the gap. The gap between potential and confidence. Between being recruited and actually feeling like you belong.My story starts with failing my GCSEs twice, and passing on the third time (GCSEs are the UK’s end of secondary school final exams).After spending three years retaking and working to get them, I made a decision that, on paper, makes very little sense. I applied to university with just my GCSEs and no work experience. I knew I was bypassing the usual route, and I knew the odds were slim, but I applied anyway because I needed a way forward.I applied to almost every university in the UK, and I heard “no” again and again. And then Goldsmiths University said yes.That yes changed the trajectory of my life. It moved me from repeating the same cycle into a real future. It gave me a door, a direction, and a different story to live inside. And it taught me this. People are more than their results. People can rebuild. People can grow. And sometimes courage looks like moving forward before you feel ready, because staying stuck is no longer an option.After university, I worked as a backend programmer. I learned structure. I learned systems. I learned how to think clearly. But I also learned that I’m most alive when I’m with people, rather than behind the scenes.So I moved into digital training and facilitation, and it felt like coming home. I found the work of leading rooms, building confidence, and helping people put words to what they already carry.And then I went back to my university and spoke to students about life after uni. The real transition. The pressure. The confidence wobble. The part where you’re expected to perform before you feel ready. I did that for years, and it became a full circle moment. Because I’ve always cared about early career professionals, and I’ve always cared about helping people cross that bridge well.Now I work in HR in a global charity, and I see it from the organisational side too. Early careers needs more than a great induction. Early careers needs structure, connection, and a clear sense of belonging. Managers need support. Programme owners need support.My why is this: I know what it feels like to be capable and still feel out of place. the first one to two years at work can set someone’s trajectory for a decade. I want those years to build people up, rather than wear them down. That’s the difference between talent you lose and leaders you grow.

What I Can Support You With

I combine facilitation, MC experience, and leadership development to move your early career cohort from anxious new joiners to confident, connected professionals who can contribute from day one.

Event Facilitation & MC for Next Gen Talent

I host and facilitate key experiences for emerging talent, including graduate inductions, Next Gen activation days, senior leader Q&As, cohort away days, and culture moments like DEI events.
The focus is simple. Creating rooms where early talent feel seen, energised, and connected, and where senior leaders feel confident their message has been understood, felt, and carried forward by the cohort.

Leadership Development Workshops For Early Careers Cohorts

I design and facilitate sessions that help early-career professionals move from “I’ve just joined” to “I know how to lead myself and contribute here.”Themes include self-leadership, communication confidence, managing upwards, personal brand at work, and navigating multigenerational teams.

Organisations spend months recruiting top graduate talent. I help make sure the first experiences they have with you make them want to stay.

Case Studies:

JPMorgan — BOLD (Black Organization for Leadership and Development)

The brief: A financial services team wanted a Black History Month culture event that felt joyful and celebratory, while still being well-run. They needed an MC who could guide the full flow of the experience, including a fashion and hair showcase, without it feeling messy. They wanted it anchored.Event theme: "Celebration of Culture Day & Afro-Caribbean Elegance: A Fashion & Hair Showcase"What I did: I MC’d and facilitated the Black History Month culture event for JP Morgan’s Digital and Platform Services division. I shaped the full run-of-show, managed speaker transitions, and narrated the Afro-Caribbean fashion and hair procession. I was involved across multiple planning calls to shape the flow and the feel of the experience, so it was clear and coherent from the moment people walked into the room.Who was in the room: Approx. 200 attendees, including colleagues, allies, internal BHM co-chairs, and senior department heads.What they got: A room that felt organised and alive at the same time. Structured, but still human. Celebratory, but still professional. The kind of event where people can relax into it because the flow is being guided properly.What changed: Instead of a cultural event being handed to an internal volunteer to “keep things moving”, it became a properly guided experience with a clear beginning, middle, and end. The difference was felt in the room. The energy stayed steady, the transitions made sense, and people could actually relax into the celebration because someone was carrying the flow with intention. It created space for belonging, connection, and shared joy, while still feeling professionally anchored.Stakeholder feedback: "Thank you for hosting our event. You were absolutely incredible, and we couldn't have done this without you." — Event Co-Chairs (Robert Steele, Global Co-Head, Operations and Transformation - Executive Director, & Meka Akunebuni,Technical Programme Manager)

World Vision UK — Onboarding and Induction Programme Revamp

The brief: A global charity’s onboarding experience had become inconsistent. New joiners were sitting through presentation-heavy sessions, with mixed engagement and limited practical takeaways. The organisation needed a redesign rooted in real employee experience, rather than assumptions.What I did: As Talent and Capability Lead, I led a Kaizen-style diagnostic process. I gathered feedback from new starters and stakeholders, mapped the current onboarding journey, pulled out what was working and what wasn’t, and built a clear redesign plan. The structure focused on modular delivery, system configuration, peer learning, and a centralised resource hub so onboarding could be consistent and scalable.Who was in the room: Cross-functional internal stakeholders including HR Operations, line managers, comms and transformation leads, and recent hires.What people said the experience had been missing: “More interactivity and less presentation-heavy content.”
“More practical takeaways.”
“The Q&A sessions with leadership were highly valued.”What they got:
An evidence-led plan that respected reality. A structure that can actually maintain when calendars get busy, priorities shift, and teams are stretched.What changed: The organisation moved from “we know onboarding needs work” to a clear, workable redesign plan built from the voices of the people onboarding was meant to serve. It turned scattered feedback into a structure.Stakeholder feedback: "Ayo is building a beautiful ecosystem and the current foundation work will pay off" — John Harris, Global Senior Human Resources Business Partner

University of East London (UEL) — Leadership in Practice Workshop

The brief: Midwifery students facing the intensive demands of full-time studies and clinical placements were experiencing challenges with self-doubt, difficulty speaking up, managing high stress, and uncertainty around career progression. The faculty needed an expert session to instill confidence and provide practical tools for personal resilience and self-leadership in high-pressure clinical environments.Event theme: "Leadership in Practice"What I did: Delivered an interactive and reflective leadership workshop for Year 2 midwifery students. Rather than a static lecture, I introduced actionable frameworks; specifically the "RISE Framework" and the "Know Yourself to Lead Yourself" tool to help students understand, reflect on, and adapt their real-time reactions to clinical setbacks and high-stress environments.Who was in the room: Year 2 midwifery students, alongside university clinical teachers and the Lead Midwife for Education.What they got: An energizing, human, and highly interactive space that served as a morale booster. Students walked away with an 80% increase in confidence and strategy to handle clinical setbacks, with 85% indicating a strong intent to actively apply the resilience frameworks directly to their everyday practice.What changed: The workshop transformed leadership from an abstract concept into an accessible, non-judgmental daily practice. Students shifted from feeling overwhelmed by self-doubt to feeling structurally equipped to navigate intense clinical environments without being overly harsh on themselves.Stakeholder feedback: "I am so pleased that you taught the students and the student feedback was very positive. Your insights into levels of stress and managing stress is certainly something we want to build on. Thank you once again for your teaching and expertise."
— Jillian Pride, Lead Midwife for Education & Midwifery Subject Lead

Why Work With Me

  • I’ve lived both sides of the room. I’ve been the emerging talent trying to find my feet, and I’m now the HR professional designing the experience for others. And through my consultancy, I’ve also been the person brought in to deliver the work, facilitate the room, and make it real in practice. So I bridge what organisations intend and what early talent actually experience.

  • Proven in front of the room. With 10+ years hosting and facilitating, I know how to read energy, naviagte a room, and help young talent and senior leaders feel looked after.

  • I bring structure that scales. Programme design, manager capability, and events that people feel in the room and carry back into the day to day. This is where I plug the gaps across the early careers lifecycle.

  • Bilingual presence. I work in English and Spanish, which helps you connect with diverse cohorts and global teams.

GiANT Worldwide Certified Coach

I’m a Certified Coach with GiANT Worldwide, trained in a proven leadership system that gives teams a shared language for communication, culture, and leadership. GiANT tools are implemented across organisations globally, including names like Google, Pfizer, and CBRE. I bring that credibility into your Early Careers context, and then I tailor it to your culture, your people, and what you need to achieve.

SOME OF THE BUSINESSES IMPLEMENTING GiANT TOOLS

Core Values

  • Faith first. I bring my whole self into my work. I lead with my Christian faith and purpose, and I care about people becoming whole, rather than people just becoming productive.

  • Integrity. I say the real thing, and I do the real work. I care about outcomes you can feel and measure, rather than optics and buzzwords.

  • Belonging. Belonging changes people. When early talent feel safe, seen, and supported, they grow faster and stay longer. This is at the centre of everything I build.

The Outcome?

Create a Thriving Culture That Attracts, Equips and Retains Top Talent

Early Careers is already your leadership pipeline. So the goal goes beyond delivery alone. The goal is culture, capability, and retention.

  • Retention that comes from belonging. Build a workplace where early talent feel heard, valued, and motivated to stay.

  • Scalable leadership development. Equip early talent with tools to communicate clearly, lead themselves well, and contribute with confidence.

  • A unified culture and leadership language. Foster alignment across cohorts so your future leaders grow with intention.

How We Can Work Together

1. 15-30 minute call. We clarify what “success” looks like in your context.
2. Session or event design. I propose a simple plan for the experience you need.
3. Delivery and follow-through.3A: For events (Hosting and MC). I host the event and guide the flow in the room, then you receive a short highlights recap, the core messages we want the cohort to carry forward, and practical prompts you can use to keep the momentum going after the day.3B: For workshops (Facilitation). I facilitate the session using a clear framework (i.e. Know Yourself to Lead Yourself), and you leave with tools the cohort can keep using day to day, plus a short recap you can build into the rest of your programme.

FAQ'S – Working with Ayo

What kind of events do you host or MC for Next Gen and Early Careers talent?

I host and facilitate graduate and early careers events such as induction days, Next Gen activation days, senior leader Q&As, DEI and culture experiences (for example Black History Month or International Women's Day sessions), cohort away days, and early careers programme milestones. The focus is always emerging talent and early-career transitions.

What’s the difference between you hosting an event and facilitating a workshop?

Hosting and MC work focuses on guiding the flow, keeping energy steady, and helping leaders and cohorts stay connected to the purpose of the day. Workshop facilitation is development focused, with tools, discussion, reflection, and practical takeaways people can use day to day. Some clients book me for one, and many book me for both across the same programme.

Who do you typically work with?

Usually HR Managers, People Partners, Early Careers Leads, L&D Managers, Heads of Talent, and programme managers responsible for graduate schemes, internships, apprenticeships, and early careers pipelines.

Do you only work with large organisations, or can smaller teams work with you too?

Both. I work with teams that are building an early careers programme from scratch, and with organisations that already have a structured programme and want to strengthen the experience. If you’re stretched, moving fast, or building with limited internal capacity, that’s a common reason people bring me in.

What outcomes can we expect from your sessions or events?

You can expect a cohort that feels more confident speaking up, clearer about how to lead themselves day to day, and more connected to each other and to your organisation. For you as a programme owner, you get a partner who brings structure and helps the experience feel intentional.

Do you design the content, or do we provide it?

Both options work. I can design sessions end to end based on your goals, or I can bring your existing programme content to life through facilitation and hosting. Many clients bring key messages, and I build the structure, flow, and participant experience around them.

Do you use a specific leadership framework or toolkit?

Yes. I’m a Certified Coach with GiANT Worldwide, and I can bring a practical communication and leadership toolkit into your programme when it fits your goals. If you already have internal frameworks, I can work with those too.

Can you coach our graduates or early-career talent who are hosting or speaking at our events?

Yes. I can support your internal Next Gen hosts and speakers with structure, stage presence, and confidence, so they can show up well without feeling overwhelmed.

Do you work in-person, virtual, or hybrid?

All three. I work in-person (including international travel), and I also deliver virtual and hybrid sessions. For hybrid events, I help design a format that keeps both in-room and online participants engaged.

Do you work in English and Spanish?

Yes. I work in English and Spanish, which is helpful for diverse cohorts and global teams.

How far in advance should we get in touch?

For large induction days, activation events, and away days, 2 to 3 months’ notice is ideal so we can shape the experience properly. For standalone workshops and culture sessions, 4 to 6 weeks is usually enough, subject to availability.

How do we get started?

Start by filling out my “Get in touch” form with a few details about your cohort, date(s), and what success looks like. I’ll reply to confirm next steps and book a call. On the call, we’ll talk it through properly and I’ll recommend one to two clear options, plus fees, based on what you actually need.