Prof. Sunday Abayomi Adebisi
Executive Director
University of Lagos Business School
Executive Summary
Executive Director of ULBS, renowned Professor of Entrepreneurship, Lead Researcher for MIT REAP, and Director of the ARUA Centre of Excellence.
Biographical Profile
Career background and academic scholarship
Professor Sunday Abayomi Adebisi is the Executive Director of the University of Lagos Business School (ULBS) and a founding team member of the business school. He is the first Occupier of the Dr Mike Adenuga (Jnr) Professorial Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies at the University of Lagos.
A globally acknowledged authority in innovation and entrepreneurial strategy, Professor Adebisi serves as Director of the Entrepreneurship and Skills Development Centre (ESDC) at UNILAG, and Director of the African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) Centre of Excellence for Unemployment and Skills Development.
Under his leadership, ESDC became the premier university innovation hub in Nigeria, equipping over 20,000 students with practical enterprise skills. He served as the Lead Researcher (Rocket Data Star) for the Regional Entrepreneurship Accelerated Program (REAP) in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA.
Professor Adebisi has won several prestigious competitive grants, including the £600,000 UKRI-GCRF ARUA Capacity Building Grant across Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, and South Africa, and the $500,000 Shell Nigeria (SNEPCo) Clean Cookstoves commercial research project.
Distinguished Appointments & Leadership
Key milestones, directorships, and international responsibilities
- Executive Director, University of Lagos Business School (ULBS)
- First Occupier, Dr Mike Adenuga (Jnr) Professorial Chair in Entrepreneurial Studies
- Director, ARUA Centre of Excellence for Unemployment and Skills Development
- Director, Entrepreneurship and Skills Development Centre (ESDC), UNILAG
- Lead Researcher (Rocket Data Star), MIT REAP (Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
- Distinguished Visiting Professor Fellow, John Pappajohn Entrepreneurship Center, University of Iowa, USA (2022)
- Visiting Scholar, Soochow University, China (2013)
Professional Fellowships & Affiliations
Chartered institutes, regulatory councils, and academic bodies
Honors, Grants & Recognitions
International awards, research grants, and citations
Best Full Paper Award in Performance Management, British Academy of Management (BAM) 2014
EFMD Best African Case Award, Berlin, Germany (2016)
UKRI-GCRF Research & Capacity Grant Winner (£600,000)
Shell SNEPCo Commercial Research Grant Winner ($500,000)
Join the Next Executive Cohort
Transform your leadership potential under world-class academic supervision.