About me
Hello, I'm Olu Odeniyi.
I am a portfolio non-executive director, chair and board adviser. I help boards, directors and trustees shape strategy and govern well, particularly when it comes to cyber security, AI and digital transformation.
I set it up because I believe good governance should be practical, proportionate and understandable. Boards do not need more jargon or thicker board packs. They need clarity, the right information and the confidence to ask the right questions.
Experience
I have spent more than 37 years helping organisations get real value from technology. That has included senior leadership roles in the public and private sectors, regional leadership at a global technology company, and interim roles as a chief information security officer. I have led the response to live cyber incidents, so I know what a board needs to hear when things go wrong.
I have also spent a long time on the other side of the board table. I was chief executive and chair of a chamber of commerce, a board director of the Federation of Small Businesses, and a trustee and chair of several charities. Today I sit on the Group Board of Sanctuary and the board of Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, where I chair the Finance, Business and Investment Committee. I am also a member of the Royal College of Nursing's Finance and Investment Committee.
I co-founded CxB, Cyber Governance for Boards, a not-for-profit forum that helps strengthen their governance of cyber security. CxB was a finalist in the 2026 National Cyber Awards and won Innovate UK funding to develop training on the Cyber Governance Code of Practice. I was one of the contributors to the development of the Code, which the Government launched in April 2025, and a lead contributor to the training that accompanies it.
I also teach and speak regularly on cyber security and AI governance. Previously I've taught at Oxfordf University and at the University of West London Enterprise Hub. Outside the boardroom I mentor business leaders on the Government's Help to Grow programme, I'm a judge for Young Enterprise and serve as a member of the judiciary where I'm also deputy bench chair.
Current roles
- Group Board member, Sanctuary
- Non-executive director, Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Member, Finance and Investment Committee, Royal College of Nursing
- Co-founder, CxB (Cyber Governance for Boards)
- Business mentor, Help to Grow
- Young Enterprise judge
- Member of the judiciary
Qualifications and memberships
- Professional Member of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT
- Member of the BCS specialist groups for AI, Information Security, Information Risk Management and Assurance (IRMA), Cybercrime Forensics and Quantum Computing
- Degree in Electronic Systems Engineering
- Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)
How I work
Independent
I have no software, audit or products to sell, so my advice is about what is right for your board, nothing else.
Plain English
Cyber, AI and regulation explained clearly, so every director can take part in the discussion with confidence.
Proportionate
Governance sized to your organisation. What works for a FTSE board is rarely right for a growing business or a charity.
Let's have a conversation
A first conversation is free, confidential and without obligation.