Women of Influence

From HR to CEO at Oliver: How Amina Folarin is redefining agency leadership

“For real and lasting change to happen, we need leaders with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. And for me, that means constantly thinking about how I can help develop the next generation of leaders and foster a culture where all voices are heard.”

Amina Folarin is a breath of fresh air – big energy, quick wit, as happy discussing business and politics as she is excitedly offering wedding day advice.

She’s bold, sharp, and unafraid to call things as they are. “Off the record,” she’ll say, only to change her mind seconds later: “Actually, I don’t care. Everything I’m saying is true.”

She also smashes through glass ceilings like they’re made of paper. When she was appointed UK group CEO of OLIVER – the world’s only company that exclusively designs, builds and runs ai-powered in-house agencies for brands– she made history.

A former HR professional, she’s one of very few to transition into a CEO role. Fewer than 5% of CEOs globally have an HR background, according to reports – and in marketing and advertising, it’s virtually unheard of.

“We like to say I’m probably the only one who has done it, and definitely the only Black woman who has done it,” she says. “So, there are a lot of firsts in there.”

But Folarin isn’t just making history – she’s determined to bring others up with her.

A CEO with a different background

Folarin first knew she would become a CEO around seven years ago, whilst supporting the then-UK CEO of OLIVER, Sharon Whale. “I thought, ‘I could do that job’,” she says.

But it wasn’t a role Folarin necessarily saw for herself in the early days of her career. Starting part-time at AllSaints while studying, Folarin transitioned from the shop floor into the retailer’s head office, where she got her first taste of HR.

Over the next seven years, she built her career across brands like Burberry, Metro UK, and ITV before stepping into the agency world at Digitas.

In 2016 she joined OLIVER as its Global People Director, where she played a key role in scaling the business, driving 8.0 engagement scores, achieving a 50/50 gender split across the workforce, and securing a spot on The Times’ Best Places to Work list.

Her ability to build a people-first culture saw her promoted to Chief Inclusion and People Officer at OLIVER’s parent company, Inside Ideas Group, in 2021. Two years later, in January 2023, she took on the UK CEO role.

It may not be the typical CEO trajectory, but Folarin believes it makes perfect sense.

“We are a people business,” she says. “A lot of what you do as a Chief People Officer is about influencing, thinking about strategy. And my coaching skills have helped me a lot – getting to the heart of a client’s problem, listening, asking smart questions.”

That said, stepping into the CEO role has also been her biggest learning curve.

“In HR, you’re a cost centre. I had to shift from being the person who spends the money to the person responsible for the P&L,” she admits. “Now, I’m accountable for 1,200 salaries supporting households, families, dogs… That’s a huge responsibility.”

Smashing ceilings

While Folarin is optimistic about the industry’s progress, she is clear-eyed about its shortcomings. Advertising, she says, is still very much a “boys’ club” – in fact, women make up just 30% of adland CEOs.

“It’s still a bit Mad Men,” she says. “Everything is about who you know. People wonder why women aren’t being promoted, but if the industry is built on relationships that go back to university, how will anything change?”

Meanwhile, the number of ethnic minority executives in C-suite roles has fallen for two consecutive years to just 10.5%. Add to that Folarin’s neurodiversity (ADHD) and her HR background, and it’s clear just how much she’s had to defy the odds to get her job.

But for Folarin, breaking barriers isn’t just about personal achievement – it’s about paving the way for others. Not just women, not just people of colour, but also people from working-class backgrounds, who are also underrepresented in the ad industry.

“I am conscious of the ceilings I’m smashing,” she says. “I don’t let it define me, but I do feel a responsibility. When my CEO appointment was announced, strangers messaged me saying it gave them hope – and that matters.”

When asked who paved the way for her, Folarin names four women without hesitation: her former boss Sharon Whale, marketing procurement evangelist Tina Fegent, Marketing Academy founder Sherilyn Shackell and Marketing Academy mentor, Nishma Robb.

Their support, mentorship, and example have been invaluable, she says.

DEI: more than just a buzzword

Of course, with US President Trump waging war on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (DEI), major brands – including Google, Meta, Walmart, McDonald’s, and Amazon – have scaled back their commitments. Folarin isn’t surprised by this – but she is exasperated.

“Even the most recent McKinsey study proves that diverse businesses equal commercial success. If you care about profit, why would you roll back on DEI?” she asks.

That said, Folarin is just as critical of performative DEI efforts.

“I get asked to sign DEI manifestos all the time, and I refuse. Writing manifestos is easy – but have you created an inclusive environment? Or are you just patting yourself on the back for setting arbitrary targets?”

Procurement needs to step up

The responsibility for change doesn’t just sit with leadership – procurement needs to step up too.

“We talk about DEI and sustainability, and procurement teams set targets for their suppliers – but do they actually understand them? Are they monitoring them?” Folarin asks.

She recalls a pitch where she challenged a client’s approach. “They asked for our DEI stats, which we provided. But I flipped it – ‘What are your DEI targets?’ They didn’t have any! If you’re going to set targets for suppliers, how are you holding yourselves accountable?”

Her advice to procurement professionals? “Set targets that are meaningful to your organisation. Don’t just put them in an RFP because it looks good. If your suppliers are reducing emissions by 30%, why aren’t you doing the same?”

The future of OLIVER is thriving under Folarin’s leadership – this year, it was shortlisted for four Agency of the Year awards by Campaign UK. But she has even bigger ambitions.

“We are one of the world’s leading generative AI marketing companies,” Folarin states, highlighting OLIVER’s groundbreaking GenAI technology as part of The Brandtech Group, Pencil, which in the last three months was used to create 235,000 pieces of in-market content for three of the world’s top ten advertisers.

It delivered the work 62% faster, with a 55% cost reduction and 40% better ROI. “Some people think AI is a future problem, but it’s a now problem. And an opportunity.”

For Folarin, success isn’t just about accolades – it’s about impact. And as part of that impact, she’s committed to ensuring others can follow her path to the top.

“We need more leaders from all walks of life,” she says. “I’m glad I can break barriers for Black women, but it’s important to consider the wider impact of intersectionality on structural inequalities within a business, and not exclusively focus on race or gender alone.

For real and lasting change to happen, we need leaders with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. And for me, that means constantly thinking about how I can help develop the next generation of leaders and foster a culture where all voices are heard.

That involves structured mentorship programs that connect diverse talent with senior leaders, progressive workplace policies that acknowledge the full spectrum of lived experiences, and a commitment to measuring and improving representation at all levels.”

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