Ayo Sokale – Civil engineer, BBC Presenter, Former Deputy Mayor of Reading, Sustainability Speaker, Motivational Speaker, STEM Speaker, Neurodiversity Speaker
BBC Presenter, Civil Engineer and a leading keynote speaker in her field – Ayo Sokale possesses an array of talents and expertise, working at the cutting edge of the scientific, environmental and media landscape.
A generation of young people have grown up following Ayo at the BBC – most prominently as the co-presenter on CBeebies of Get Set Galactic – an entertaining, science-based immersive gameshow, exploring themes from gravity and the Solar System to pollination, energy and much more and showcasing her love of working with children and sharing the joys of scientific learning, exploration and experimentation. Ayo has presented for BBC Reel and BBC Bitesize, where she’s covered the first principles on an array of scientific subjects from the Physics to Design. She also works as TV expert on STEM issues – including documentaries for the likes of the Smithsonian, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Yesterday TV and Channel 5 – and counts Shell, Heineken, Blue Yonder, the NHS and Thames Water among the leading clients she has worked with as a keynote speaker.
Ayo is a Chartered Civil Engineer and Project Team Manager for the Environment Agency in Eastern England and is a popular Keynote Speaker on the environment and sustainability. She was previously a project manager and BIM lead, pushing for innovative, efficient and sustainable delivery of flood and coastal risk management schemes. Ayo was a Graduate Civil Engineer on the Environment Agency’s training scheme where she undertook internal and external placements which enabled her to sign off her ICE training agreement in 2.5 years and achieve CEng in 3 years. A former Deputy Mayor of Reading, she campaigned tirelessly on sustainability issues in the area.
Ayo was selected as one of Professor Lord Robert Mair’s Future Leaders for his year as President of the ICE. She is one of the ICE’s Water Superheroes aptly named Eco Warrior (previously Angel) and is an excellent Motivational Speaker and Inspirational Speaker, particularly when it comes to inspiring young people to pursue STEM subjects. Ayo is a STEM ambassador and mentor, encouraging others to take up careers in Civil Engineering. She was also nominated for the Top 50 Women in Engineering under 35 initiative run by The Telegraph in partnership with The Women’s Engineering Society and is a popular Diversity and Inclusion Speaker, particularly during black History Month.
In recent years, Ayo has felt more able to talk about being on the autism spectrum. She has a diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome and is an empathetic and inspirational keynote speaker on neurodiversity, mental health challenges and how to overcome them. She is writing her first book in the field of self development to support these endeavours.
Ayo loves the performing arts, fitness, has a passion for supporting great causes and has raised funds for a number of charities, using her platform as a beauty queen and finalist for Miss Galaxy England, Miss Earth and Miss Great Britain.
Please see Ayo’s latest Showreel
Contact her agent Harry Gibson at Riva Media
Contact Email: contact@rivamedia.co.uk
Phone: 0208 5411996
Ayo’s Past Presenting Work
Documentaries
Series | Company | Episodes | Status |
---|---|---|---|
Get Set Galactic | Cbeebies | Season 1 – 26 Episodes | Aired from 13th May 2023(Saturday &Sunday 10:35am) & BBC iplayer |
The Great Stink of 1858 | Channel 5 | Episode 1 of 2 | Available on Channel 5 from Feb 2023 |
Ancient Engineering | Off the fence production | Weapons, Navigation & The Colosseum & Tools & Gold | In production To air on the Discovery channel& Channel 5 |
The Great Library – Episode 01 | Trimble Construction | Modern Tech, Ancient Site – On Location in Turkey | Available on YouTube |
BBC Bitesize | ITN productions | Physics & Chemistry Chem U1: Elements, Compounds and Mixture Chem U6: Writing Symbol equations Chem U8: Catalyst Chem U11: Metal oxides & Non-Metal Oxides Chem U12: Predicting & Interpreting displacement reactions Chem U13: Resources from the Earth Chem U14 – Composition of the atmosphere Chem U15: Atmospheric pollution Phys U1: Weight & Mass Phys U3: Conductors & Insulators Phys U4: Introduction to circuits Phys U5: Resistance Phys U6: Series Circuits Phys 7: Parallel Circuits Phys U8: Static Electricity | Available on BBC Bitesize Element, Compounds, Mixture Writing Symbol Equations Introduction to Circuits Electricity and Current Parallel Circuits Series Circuits Static Electricity Conductors & Insulators Resistance |
Abandoned Engineering Smoke and Steel | Like A Shot Entertainment Ltd | Tunnels, Bridge, Flooding, Paper & Printing, Sewers | Available on Yesterday TV from Feb 2022 |
Searching for Secrets | Bigger Bang | Episode 1 – London | Available on Smithsonian Channel from June 2021 |
The Truth about Food | BBC Reel | Does coffee really sober you up when drunk? | Watch here |
The Truth about Food | BBC Reel | The Delicious Flavour with a toxic secret | Watch here |
Great Inventions | ZDF -Off the fence | Concrete and Elevators (Episode 28,29) | Watch here Available on the National Geographic Channel |
Great Inventions | ZDF – World Media Rights | Subway, Suspension bridge, Sewers, Industrial robots and fridges (Episode 1,2,4,26,30) | Watch here Available on the National Geographic Channel |
ICE 200 Celebration | Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) | Bazalgette: Saviour of the Great Stink | Watch here |
ICE 200 Celebration | Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) | Kwun Tong extension | Watch here |
WICE | Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) | What is Civil Engineering? | Watch here |
Live and Virtual Events
Year | Company | Events | Platform |
---|---|---|---|
2023 | RS Components | Panel Event – Earth Day Celebration | Cotswalts |
2023 | Boston Dynamic | Build a Life Based on Your Strengths | Google Meet |
2023 | L Sect | Annual Apprenticeship Conference – Neurodiversity | ICC Birmingham |
2023 | Betts | Neurodiverse Minds: The key to the future and the UN SDGs | Excel London |
2023 | Keele University | Sustainability and Neurodiversity Keynote | Live |
2023 | NHS | International Women Day Keynote | MS TEAM |
2023 | Diverse Heat Network | Launch event – Keynote | Live |
2022 | Simmons Simmons | Neurodiversity | MS TEAM |
2022 | Leo Academy | Sustainability & The Future | Live |
2022 | Clearbank | Black History Month | MS TEAM |
2022 | MTC | Black History Month | MS TEAM |
2022 | Wates | My Career & Black History Month | MS TEAM |
2022 | CMR | Black History Month | MS TEAM |
2022 | PA Consulting | Diversity and Inclusion | MS TEAM |
2022 | BMS | Invisible Disabilities | MS TEAM |
2022 | Raytheon | Black History Month | Live Webinar |
2022 | Binnes | Black History Month | MS TEAM |
2022 | Raise the Bar | Apprentice Webinar | Zoom |
2022 | Heineken | Energy Summit | Live |
2022 | St Theresa Effingham | Prize Giving Day – Speech | Live |
2022 | Lyrical Communication | The Installer Show 22 – Installing the Future Now | Live |
2022 | JP Morgan Chase | Innovation Week | Live |
2022 | Thames Water | Raising Potential Programme – Session on self awareness for success | MS TEAMS |
2022 | Foreign Office | INWED | MS TEAMS |
2022 | Wireless Logic | INWED | MS TEAMS |
2022 | Northern Trust | INWED | MS TEAMS |
2022 | Ardonagh Advisory | INWED | MS TEAMS |
2022 | Arcadis | Global Access and Neurodiversity | MS TEAMS |
2021 | IEMA | The role of the built environmental professional in tackling the climate change emergency | Zoom |
2021 | Essence | Environmental Injustice & Social Justice | Google Meet |
2021 | Arup | The Mindset of a Champion with Derek Redmond and Precious Adam | MS TEAMS |
2021 | Shell | Black History Month | Google Meet |
2021 | Blue Yonder Panasonic | Black History Month | Zoom |
2021 | XPS Pensions | EDI | Zoom |
2021 | NHS | Black History Month | MS TEAMS |
2021 | HCG | Inclusion Week | Zoom |
2021 | BBC Jersey | Extreme events & Climate Change Adaption | Radio |
2021 | Futerra | Inclusion Heroes Panel | Zoom |
2021 | Level 3/5 Leadership and management apprenticeship | Women in Leadership Programme – Self awareness | Webinar |
2021 | West Lancashire College & Well North Enterprises | Skelmersdale Science Summer School | Live |
2021 | ICE | Eco Warrior Angel – Diversity & Inclusion in the WorkplacE | Webinar, available here |
2021 | The College of Richard Collyer | Festival of Science 2021 | Live |
2021 | Welsh Water | International Women in Engineering Day 2021 | MS TEAMS |
2021 | Thames Water | Thames Water Vision 2050 | MS TEAMS |
2021 | AXON & Madano | Earth Day – Climate and Social Justice | MS TEAMS |
2021 | National Trust Marlow Association | London’s Sewerage Problem: From London’s great stink, Bazalgette’s Sewers to Modern Day Tideway | Zoom |
2021 | EA & Learn Live | British Science Week 2021 reading the book ‘Clean Up to Primary Schools | Live Broadcast |
2021 | Flagstone | International Women’s Day 2021 | MS Teams |
2021 | Catalent | International Women’s Day 2021 | MS Teams |
2021 | Marketing Store | International Women’s Day 2021 | Zoom |
2021 | WeRiseInitiative | International Women in Science day ‘How do “feminine” traits fit into STEM roles? | Clubhouse |
2020 | Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) | What is it like being a civil engineering university student? | Webinar |
2020 | Piggotts School, Twyford | Science week – Career in Civil Engineering | Live |
2020 | Langtree School | GCSE Certificate Ceremony Key Note speech | Live |
2019 | St Paul’s Way Trust | Science Summer School hosted by Brian Cox – Presentation and Q&A | Live |
2019 | EA & Learn Live | Live Read of ‘Alba the 100 year old fish’ to 32,160 Key stage 1 & 2 and Q&A on reducing single use plastic | Live & Streamed |
2019 | The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) | INWED debate ‘Fast Forward 100 years, which engineering industry will have the biggest impact on society and how?’ representing the Environment and water sector | Live & Streamed |
2018 | EA & Learn Live | Women’s In Field Operations – Career Development | Live |
2018 | EA | INWED: Careers in Flood and Coastal Risk Management | Live & Streamed |
Podcast and Radio
Ayo features on the Podcast series, Moisturise your Elbows in the following episodes:
Season 2 – Episode 13 -‘Authenticity vs Disclosure’
Season 1 – Episode 8 – ‘Our school selves’
Season 1 – Episode 5 – ‘Growing old disgraceful’
YouTube
Ayo joins Dr. Shini Somara on her podcast and Youtube series eSTEAMd on women in STEAM industries. Listen to Ayo on Dr. Shini Somara podcast – Innervation in season 2 episode 15:
Ayo features on Engineer Success Podcast – Profile Editions:
Listen here
Ayo features on the Podcast series, Engineering Success:
Ayo features on the You Unleashed with Femi Akinyemi:
Living Life on purpose with Ayo Sokale