I am passionate about the role culture plays in how we experience life, and I apply this to my areas of interest: sustainability, leadership for societal change, creative economy development, and tourism development. Professionally, I am a Tourism Consultant, Sustainability Expert, Researcher, and Lecturer of Strategic Leadership. On this page, you will find a narration of my journey, my short bio, abridged profile, a link to my full professional profile, and official images for official or media engagements.
About Me
Early Years
I grew up in Lagos, Nigeria, surrounded by books and nature; I suppose this impacted my life and career significantly. I had strong ties with the elders in my family, and it inculcated a special sense of cultural continuity and taught me to cherish my roots and heritage.
As a young girl, I visited Ikoyi Club in Lagos often, and I believe it was the starting point of my affinity for wellness lifestyle, recreational activities, tourism, and hospitality. I grew up with a love for travel, within Nigeria and outside Nigeria, road trips, longer flights, the idea was to learn more about other cultures. Home was filled with books on different cultures and philosophies, an early lesson in appreciating that people come from diverse perspectives.
Travel helped me appreciate the importance of leisure in our lives. In 2008, I also discovered that tourism was more than leisure activity; it was a thriving industry with economic contributions to GDP and livelihoods. How could I combine this with my practice as a Chartered Accountant and Strategic Advisor? I remember speaking with a career coach who helped chart this journey. Living this charted journey still, I am convinced that we can build the lives we want, but many of us don’t know how to start with this.
My choice to focus on the tourism and creative industries come from a sense of how we can better understand where we belong, even as we explore new places, the sense of self, and belonging. I guess in the work I do, it comes down to this, helping us find ourselves in the world.
All of this naturally and seamlessly gravitated towards positive societal change and the role we have in shaping the society, again starting from the person within, to the immediate community, and then the wider society. This ignited my choice to serve as a social researcher. I believe that researchers are the leading protagonists for real societal shifts, and that is what drives me daily.
Academic Background
I have a first-class honours degree in Business Economics from the University of Keele (2006), a Masters in Globalization and Development Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (2010) and a Doctor of Philosophy in Strategic Leadership in the Tourism Industry from the University of Surrey (2014). My post-doctorate programme was completed at the University of Edinburgh looking at the role of entrepreneurs and business leaders in social change..
I am also a qualified chartered accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, a fellow of The Higher Education Academy and a member of the Academy of International Business.
Career in Tourism Development, Strategic Leadership and Sustainability
I am a Principal Advisor with Red Clay Advisory, a tourism advisory practice; Executive Director at The Sahara Centre, a not-for-profit organisation committed to advancing socio-cultural advancement in Nigeria through research projects and interventions; and the proponent of ATRA – Advancing Tourism Research in Africa. Is it obvious yet that I love research? I am also an associate director with W Hospitality Group, an hospitality advisory practice. In the work that I do, I lead agile teams of research analysts. We conduct analytical research in tourism, gender-related, youth empowerment, entrepreneurship, sustainability and other social fields as well as provide advisory results-driven services for interested public and private organizations across Sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2021, I hosted 5 series of West Africa Roundtable Series for tourism leaders across West Africa and launched a self-designed Tour Guide Training Programme in partnership with the LSETF in Lagos, Nigeria. It is the first of its kind, and I am really excited about the project and the opportunities for collaboration that opened up. In 2023, I launched the Lantern Laboratory for ChangeMakers, working with nominated representatives from organizations to transform their team members into problem-solvers and design thinkers.
My research, teaching, and consulting interests focus on leadership for societal change, behavioural economics, tourism and leisure studies, cultural sustainability, and business strategies on emerging markets. I participate in various public and private research projects that focus on tourism urban development, sustainable practices, as well as domestic and regional tourism.
I have worked with the World Travel & Tourism Council, KPMG London, the Universities of Edinburgh (Sustainable Business Initiative), and Surrey before this time. Interestingly, I am also a qualified chartered accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland. I am a fellow of The Higher Education Academy and a member of the Academy of International Business. I am a member of faculty at Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University and a research affiliate at the Institute of African and Diaspora Studies at the University of Lagos.
I am on the board of Open House Lagos, Kadara Heritage Foundation, and a member of Legacy 1995 and the Nigeria Field Society. Until recently, I was the President of Zonta e-club of West Africa.
I love nature – everything about it, from wildlife to forests, from flowers to nature walks. I get lost in the multitude of various artistic expressions and appreciate how one thing can mean different things to different people.
Short Bio
Dr Adun Okupe is a Tourism Consultant, Researcher, and Teacher. She is a Principal Advisor at Red Clay, a tourism advisory practice and the Executive Director of The Sahara Centre, a not-for-profit focused on building a more socially cohesive Nigeria.
Adun has significant research and consulting experience in Sustainability and has a focus in the travel & tourism and creative industries. She has advised state governments, institutions, and commercial businesses on global policy issues in the leisure and tourism sector in Europe, Asia, and Africa. Adun holds a honours degree in Business Economics, Masters in Development Studies, and a Doctor of Philosophy in Strategic Leadership in the Tourism Industry, from the Universities of Keele, London and Surrey. She is a qualified Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Abridged and Full Professional Profile
Please download my abridged profile click-here and full professional profile click-here.
Official Headshot
