founder's Profile
Meet Our Founder
Olaniyi Kolawole was born and raised in Nigeria but has studied, lived and worked in Ireland for more than 18 years. He is a graduate of University College Cork (UCC), where he completed both his master’s and PhD degrees.
Olaniyi lives in Cork with his family. He previously worked in the UCC International Education Office, focussing on recruiting and assisting students from Africa. This role saw him work with agents and students from across the African continent and gave him valuable experience in how Higher Education institutions and agencies work together.
Each year, Olaniyi attends a wide variety of events, developing strong partnerships with institutions both in Ireland and around the globe. Meeting with the institutions that Solid-Link partners is extremely important and gives Olaniyi and his team a better understanding and connection with the places they send their students.
Olaniyi speaks English and Yoruba and even after many years of living abroad, he maintains a close links to Nigeria. He is also an accomplished conference and motivational speaker, an experienced researcher, a fervent believer in youth empowerment and economic independence via quality education. He has also a published author, writing about the parenting experiences of migrants in Ireland and other topics around the migrant experience.
As well as having a passion for education and empowerment of the youth, Olaniyi also believes, international students recruitment agents should provide current, accurate and honest information in an ethical manner. They must also strive to provide up-to-date information that enables international students to make informed choices when selecting institutions, an agent or a consultant to employ.
When he is not working, you can find Olaniyi spending time with his family in Cork and enjoying life in Ireland.
