Engineering a better future – and taking others with him

For someone whose engineering journey has already spanned multiple countries and sectors, it’s hard not to be impressed by Leke Oluwole’s ambition. But it’s not just the breadth of his experience that stands out – it’s his unwavering commitment to using it for good.

“I’ve always been fascinated by how things work,” he says. “As a child, I’d follow the tradesmen around our house in Lagos, Nigeria, peppering them with questions. I wanted to understand everything – the what, the why, the how.”

The youngest of four – and the only boy – Leke grew up in a fiercely ambitious family. His dad, a chartered accountant, and his mum, who holds a master’s degree in economics and now runs three schools in Nigeria, set the bar high. “My parents pushed education and hard work,” he says. “That ambition was everywhere growing up. I think it shaped how I see the world – you don’t wait for opportunities, you create them.”

That early curiosity sparked a journey that took him to London at age 15, GCSEs already under his belt, and later to the University of Cape Town in South Africa (after transferring after 1 year from Kings College!) where he studied mechanical engineering. “It was an amazing, diverse environment with brilliant minds, but also where I first encountered the deep inequalities that exist. During that time, I volunteered teaching maths and science in an under-resourced public school, and saw how access to opportunity shapes everything.”

He later returned to the UK to pursue a master’s degree in petroleum and gas engineering –  inspired at the time by Nigeria’s status as one of the world’s top oil exporters. “I thought I’d go into oil and gas,” he says, “but ironically, the skills I developed led me straight into green energy!” He discovered a secondment opportunity at E.ON that aligned almost exactly with his thesis: building a lab-based house model to monitor and optimise hot water usage with sensors and simulation software. “I read the job description and thought ‘hang on, did they read my thesis?!’ I applied and I’ve been here ever since.”

That blend of curiosity, practicality and vision has shaped Leke’s rise at E.ON. After nine years at Citigen – our hidden low-carbon power station in central London – he now leads a 30-strong design and development team of engineers, crafting integrated energy solutions for clients ranging from ports to hospitals – even zoos!

“Even as a Chartered Engineer, about 40% of my role is technical now,” he says. “The rest is strategy, leadership, navigating the complexity of big commercial projects. We’re often doing things that haven’t been done before – and that’s the challenge I love.”

Leke’s mission is to find and create smarter energy systems that combine heat, power, and data into one joined-up, intelligent solution. “It’s not just about individual technologies like heat pumps and solar panels, it’s about making it smarter. Helping customers to become ‘prosumers’, not just passive users. When energy is smart and sustainable, it can unlock so many benefits – cost savings, new income, lower emissions.”

That’s where AI comes in. “We’re already feeding a huge amount of data into our systems. AI will help make it more accurate, more consistent, and more valuable.”

But for Leke, innovation depends as much on diverse talent as on technology. ‘Engineering needs more voices - across gender, background, and experience - to build an energy system that’s resilient, inclusive, and truly future-proof.”

Leke has been involved in the Access Project — which helps students from under-represented backgrounds get into top universities — and by building a culture of diversity, inclusion and equity within his own team at E.ON, he’s helping to drive that change. “As a leader, I want to be a cheerleader. I want to forge a path with my team, not ahead of them. Talent is everywhere — but opportunity isn’t.”

He’s now been offered a board of Trustee position with the Spectris Foundation, a global grant-making charity focused on improving access to STEM education. “It’s a full circle moment for me, supporting the kind of opportunities that can truly change these young people’s lives.”

Now settled in London with his wife and young twins, Leke is thinking big – about legacy, about impact, and about what comes next. “The energy transition will be one of the defining challenges of our time,” he says. “Yes, it will cost more, but if we do it right – with the right skills, the right supply chains, and the right culture – we’ll get far more back than just carbon savings.”

With a blend of optimism, realism and relentless determination, Leke is showing that great engineering isn’t just about systems. It’s about people. And the future he’s designing? It’s not just smarter – it’s fairer, too.