After more than two decades at the helm of some of Africa’s leading institutions, Dupe Olusola, one of the continent’s most visible and respected corporate leaders, is charting a new path. In a move that underscores both her ambition and her commitment to Africa’s future, Olusola has joined Harvard University as an Advanced Leadership Fellow, one of the Ivy League’s most prestigious fellowships.
“Being selected as a Harvard Advanced Leadership Fellow is such an honour and truly, a defining moment in my journey,” Olusola said. “It’s not your typical academic program. It’s designed for people who have already led major change in their industries and are now ready to take that experience into the world’s biggest challenges. For me, it’s a bridge between everything I’ve built and the bigger impact I’m now ready to pursue across economic inclusion, development, education, and sustainability.”
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The Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) is one of Harvard’s most elite programs, admitting only a handful of exceptional global leaders each year as a launchpad for their next chapter of impact. Entry into Harvard’s ALI is highly competitive, reserved for accomplished leaders at the top of their fields who are committed to driving bold change. With a rigorously selective process, Harvard’s ALI convenes an extraordinary cohort of high-powered global leaders, making it a true platform for transformative impact.
ALI Fellows are immersed in Harvard’s classrooms, engaged in collaborative labs, and challenged to design bold solutions that move beyond boardrooms and into society. One of the great privileges of the Initiative is that fellows get to audit courses across all of Harvard’s schools, offering a unique opportunity to engage with different disciplines and broaden perspectives and areas of impact.
For Olusola, who has spent her career driving transformation, from her trailblazing leadership at Transcorp Hotels Plc to her influence in financial services and development, the program offers something rare – a moment to reflect, reset, and pivot, as she continues to make cross-sectoral impact.
“Personally, it’s a time to slow down just enough to think deeply about what’s next. Professionally, it’s about making space for the kind of work that changes lives, not just bottom lines,” she said.
That “what’s next” is already coming into focus. Asked about the big ideas occupying her, Olusola’s gaze turns squarely to Africa.
“Africa fills me with hope. The potential is everywhere—in trade, infrastructure, tech, energy, and especially in our young people,” she said. “I’m asking big questions like: How do we get more capital into African-led ideas? How do we make African businesses go global? And how do we grow our economies in a way that also grows people? One thing I know for sure is Africa’s future has to be inclusive. Women, youth, and underserved communities can’t be left behind.”
Olusola describes her next chapter as one of “building bridges: between Africa and the world, and between resources and opportunity.”
That vision is consistent with her track record. At Transcorp Hotels, she spearheaded innovation that positioned the company as one of West Africa’s most resilient hospitality brands, even steering it through the COVID-19 crisis with agility and a renewed guest experience-driven strategy. Earlier in her career, she played a pivotal role in economic development through her time in financial services and impact-driven initiatives.
Stepping away from corporate life, however, has also brought personal discoveries. “I’ve realized how much I genuinely love learning; diving into new ideas, new disciplines, new ways of thinking,” she admitted. “I’ve also found peace in knowing I made the right move at the right time. Stepping away from the corporate world wasn’t about slowing down, it was about making space for something deeper. My time and energy are now directed at what truly moves the needle. And that, for me, is a different kind of power.”
For Dupe Olusola, Harvard is not an endpoint but a launchpad. The months ahead will be about deep inquiry, cross-pollination with global peers, and shaping a bold agenda for Africa’s future.
As she puts it, “This is just the beginning of my next act.”
