About Dr. Ola Orekunrin
COUNTRY OF BIRTH
United Kingdom
INDUSTRY
Medicine/Business
TOP ACHIEVEMENTS
At age 21, Ola Orekunrin became one of the youngest doctors in the United Kingdom. She went on to create Flying Doctors Nigeria, the first air-operated emergency medical service in West Africa.
EARLY LIFE
Ola Orekunrin was born in London and grew up in a foster home in the seaside town of Lowestoft. At age 21, she graduated from Hull York Medical School and became one of the UK’s youngest doctors. She won the Japanese MEXT scholarship and continued her studies in Japan and in the United States.
EARLY CAREER
Dr. Orekunrin began working for the National Health Service in the UK, but soon after moved to Nigeria to launch her company, Flying Doctors Ltd. Unfortunately, her business initiative was born out of tragedy. Dr. Orekunrin's sister, who had sickle cell anemia, became very ill when she was on vacation in Nigeria. The local hospital was unequipped to manage complications from the illness, and there was no air ambulance to transport her to a different hospital. Her sister died there, not because her condition was unmanageable, but because she did not have access to proper medical support. The death of her sister proved to be the catalyst for Dr. Orekunrin to found her company.
Achievements at Flying Doctors, Ltd.
As CEO of Flying Doctors, Dr. Orekunrin has procured 20 aircraft and hired 44 doctors who are trained to deliver medical care en route to the hospital. Based in Lagos, the company has so far airlifted more than 500 patients, including those with bomb-blast injuries, road-traffic trauma, gunshot wounds, and more.
RECOGNITION
In 2012, Dr. Orekunrin received the ThisDay Award and the Future Award as Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2013, she was named Outstanding Female CEO of the Year by NewsDirect and was listed among Young Global Leaders by the World Economic Forum. In 2018, at age 30, Ola became the youngest person to receive the Extraordinary Business Achievement Award from the Silverbird Group.
ADDITIONAL FACTS
Dr. Orekunrin is a member of the American Academy of Aesthetic Surgeons and the British Medical Association. She has lectured on entrepreneurship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is a TED fellow.
