Motunrayo Adunni Alaka

Motunrayo Adunni Alaka is a globally recognised executive leader, investigative journalism advocate, and democracy practitioner whose work sits at the intersection of ethical leadership, civic accountability, and inclusive governance. With more than two decades of experience, she has built and sustained institutions that defend the public interest, strengthen democratic culture, and empower communities through credible storytelling.

She is the Executive Director and CEO of the Wole Soyinka Centre for Investigative Journalism. With her leadership, the Centre has expanded its global footprint, sustained flagship initiatives, and pioneered influential platforms advancing accountability and equity in journalism, including campus- and youth-focused interventions.

Widely respected for her ability to translate values into systems, Motunrayo, who started her career in WSCIJ in 2005 as a volunteer and later a manager at 24, has built durable partnerships, nurtured leadership pipelines, and designed sustainable models for public-interest journalism. With academic training in political science, diplomacy and strategic studies, and mass communication, she is a John S. Knight Fellow of Stanford University and a Harvard-trained executive in public leadership.

Her work is driven by ethics, excellence, empathy, and collaboration, grounded in the conviction that leadership is a responsibility to serve society with courage, imagination, and integrity.