DCU Business School Hosts Final Fireside Webinar with Alumnus Lye Ogunsanya on Ethical Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship

DCU Business School brought its popular Fireside Webinar Series to a close last night with a compelling conversation between Dr Eric Clinton and DCU alumnus Lye Ogunsanya. The webinar, focused on the themes of values-driven business, ethical leadership and social entrepreneurship, attracted an online audience of students, alumni and members of the wider DCU community.

Dr Clinton opened the session by highlighting the importance of these topics for both today’s and tomorrow’s business leaders. He expressed particular pride in seeing these values so powerfully embodied in the career journey of Lye Ogunsanya, a graduate of DCU Business School.

Lye’s story began in Lagos, Nigeria, in 1999, when his family made the life-changing decision to relocate to Ireland in search of better support for his sister, who has autism. Reflecting on his early experience in Ireland, Lye shared candid insights into life in the direct provision system and how it profoundly shaped his commitment to driving positive change.

Lye began his career in telecommunications, rising swiftly from a role in a mobile phone shop to senior marketing positions with Sony Ericsson and LG Electronics. His growing awareness of global humanitarian crises — driven by events such as the Arab Spring and the Syrian conflict — inspired a transition into social impact work. This led him to DCU Business School, where he immersed himself in initiatives such as Enactus, representing DCU on the global stage with a social enterprise that empowered migrant women through sustainable fashion.

Following graduation, Lye worked with the One Foundation, where he pioneered innovative approaches to education in emergency settings, including establishing Africa’s first post-humanitarian drone and data academy in Malawi. Today, Lye plays a critical leadership role in coordinating Ireland’s national accommodation response for refugees, including the Gaza medevac initiative.

Throughout the conversation, Lye stressed the importance of designing solutions that serve both migrants and host communities, a principle that underpins his work to this day.

Dr Clinton closed the evening by thanking Lye for an inspiring and thought-provoking discussion, and for embodying the values at the heart of DCU Business School. It was a fitting conclusion to a series that has sparked meaningful dialogue on the future of business and society.