Lekan Olawoye

Lekan Olawoye is the Founder and CEO of Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN), the largest Black tech and business community in North America. Lekan was named one of
Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 in 2021 for his indelible mark as a thought leader in Black tech. With a mandate to disrupt the network gap facing Black professionals, Lekan created – BFUTR – the largest, Black professional summit in North America. In February 2022, Lekan and his team also launched Obsidi by BPTN, an all-in-one networking platform for Black professionals to access more opportunities and level up their careers.

Before BPTN, Lekan was the Lead Executive of Talent Development at MaRs Discovery District, Toronto. There he guided professionals in adapting to new environments in fast-growing
companies. Previously, he was Executive Director of For Youth Initiative, Toronto, working on policy and strategic development. In 2014, Lekan also served as Chair of the Premier’s Council on Youth Opportunities for the Ontario government.

Lekan has an MSW in Social Work specializing in non-profit management from the University of Toronto and a BSW in social work from Ryerson University. He volunteered with the Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants (OCASI), the Telus Foundation, and the Ontario Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services.

Lekan has been covered by various publications, including The Globe and Mail, IT World Canada, Yahoo! News, the Toronto Star, TechCrunch, and many others.