Q&A with Folake Olayinka, Immunization Team Lead, USAID

We spoke with Folake Olayinka, Immunization Team Lead, USAID, and one of the members of our 2020 Leadership Journey. Read our Q&A to learn about her Leadership Journey project, how COVID-19 has impacted her work, and what has surprised her most about the Leadership Journey experience.

What is your Leadership Journey Project and why did you choose it?

I’m working on a series of case studies that look at women’s leadership in health, notably the enablers, challenges, common factors and unique skill sets that make women effective leaders. I started out exploring the impact of leadership on maternal and child health outcomes, but when the pandemic hit last year, I decided to pivot and examine women’s health leadership amid the crisis. This includes their success factors and the unique challenges they faced in playing leadership roles during this health emergency. My project looks both at the context of advanced countries with strong health systems as well as countries where their health systems aren’t as strong. My goal is that my findings will help advance learning, awareness, and advocacy around women’s leadership in health, especially in a time of crisis when effective leadership is needed most. I intend to share my findings with broad audiences in accessible formats like opinion pieces, reports, and at conferences as well.

What has surprised you about the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey experience?

I was surprised at the level of network and support in this community — it really served as a springboard for me. I found such a wonderful network of strong, smart, and amazing women. The sense of community all 24 of us have formed was a surprise gift. The other aspect of the experience that surprised me, also in a good way, was the flexibility. When COVID-19 came, the WomenLift Health leaders acknowledged that this was a time of crisis and asked the cohort how they could adjust the program to work for everyone. They took their time, collaborated with the cohort, and designed something a little bit different — a program we could all relate to and one that would still help us achieve our goals. The level of flexibility and willingness to go the extra mile to make sure we had what we needed during the pandemic, a very stressful time for everyone, was highly motivating.

How has COVID shifted the focus of your work?

COVID-19 impacted both my leadership project and my work more broadly. As I highlighted earlier, I decided to completely shift the focus of my WomenLift Health project to explore women’s leadership through the lens of the pandemic. As you can imagine, this not only set my project back because I had to rethink my strategy but it’s understandably harder to schedule interviews with people because they’re fighting the pandemic in their day jobs  all while trying to juggle so many other things.

Additionally, my professional life was also impacted because life is no longer as we know it. While working from home, I changed jobs twice with two promotions to senior roles. In both roles, I was right at the center of the COVID-19 response. For example, as the USAID Immunization Team Lead, I work at the heart of the COVID-19 vaccine response. Within this period, I also became one of the strategic advisors of experts sitting on WHO’s COVID-19 global working group. As an advisory group, we look at vaccine policy issues and the evidence for COVID-19 vaccines globally, and advise the World Health Organization. I would have never imagined this is the work I’d be doing a year ago — now, my work is really centering around equitable vaccine access globally. I feel my years of experience leading global and country teams have prepared me for this very moment.

How can we ensure that women are at the center of not only COVID recovery plans but also long-term strategies for the improvement of health?

I think we must be very intentional in focusing on women’s health. Women have borne the brunt of COVID-19 in terms of job loss, their overall wellbeing, gender-based violence, the unpaid care burden, and the list goes on. Women have suffered disproportionately from the pandemic. So, we need to be intentional in recognizing this and also taking action to reverse this situation. We must take the steps to fund more women businesses, give them flexible work options to return to work, ensure they have childcare, and any additional resources. In being intentional, I believe these steps will ensure women can recover fully from the pandemic and play central roles in social economic recovery. Let’s be clear — the full recovery we all look forward to seeing cannot happen without them. 

Who inspires you?

My dad was a great inspiration to me. He passed away in 2014, but all his life he stood as a firm believer that anything a woman wanted to achieve was possible and that nothing could hold her back. I was lucky enough to grow up with a father who shared that mindset with me at an early age.

I’ve also been inspired by many women, particularly Jacinda Arden. What I admire about Jacinda is that she brings her authentic self to her work as a leader. For her, this has meant having a child while in office, championing important policies, and bringing empathy to her work. She communicates powerfully and effectively, and I think we can all see the results. Another person who inspires me is Michelle Obama. She is able to communicate powerfully in her own style, she is courageous, and I’m inspired by how she uses her authenticity in her leadership approach. In my mind, their authenticity is what sets both of them apart. These are important shifts — the models and stereotypes of women leaders we used to look at have totally changed. These two women embody authentic, strong, courageous leadership. Look at the results: they are paving new pathways, and inspiring women everywhere.