Chief Executive

LEAP’s Chief Executive, Tunde Banjoko OBE FRSA, is also its founder.  He knew from personal experience just how soul-destroying and depressing it was to want to work but not being able to get work, to want to be able to provide for yourself and your family but instead being dependent on benefits.  From simple origins, one room, 3 desks and no computers, Tunde had no idea that LEAP would eventually become the important resource for disadvantaged people that it is today.

Under Tunde’s stewardship, the organisation grew and is now one of the most successful and inspirational, training and employment organisations in the UK. LEAP has been held up as an example of good practice in a number of government and other publications and our Kensal Green offices usually leaves the visitor with a sense that something more than just helping people into work is going on.

Tunde brought to the UK the powerful STRIVE scheme, an empowerment programme that uses employment as the vehicle, and tackles some of the underlying reasons behind people being unable to find and keep work.  An innovator at heart, he was the lead designer of Career Essentials, a career-planning and employability training programme owned by Skills Development Scotland, and used by them in schools and careers offices across Scotland.

Tunde is a charismatic and convincing public speaker, who regularly gives presentations on leadership programmes for both London Business School and PwC.

Tunde is involved in mentoring black schoolchildren, is passionate about race equality issues and is a Governor of Further Education college.  He has an MSc in Urban Regeneration from UCL.  He is currently a member on the cross-Governmental Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force’s Ethnic Minority Advisory Group and is Chair of the Task Force’s Procurement Project Group.    He was recognised as a “Man of Merit”, for community work, in September 2002 and received recognition from the then Mayor of London for services to the city.

Tunde was awarded an OBE in the 2008 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts, Manufactures and Commerce and featured in the Independent on Sunday’s 2009 Happy List.