Muyiwa Oki Elected First Black President, Royal Institute of British Architects

Muyiwa Oki has been elected as the Youngest and First Black President of the Royal Institute of British Architects for a two year tenure commencing from the 1st of September 2023. 

In the first round of voting, Muyiwa secured 2,456 votes representing 40% of the total votes while in the second round, he pulled a winning vote of 2,967 representing 49% as against the 2,733 votes of his closest rival, Bacon.

An elated Muyiwa Oki expressed his gratitude and satisfaction in the electoral process: "I am grateful to the grassroots movement whose support and passion offered a platform to represent architectural workers. Most of all a special thanks to those members and nominators, that responded to this movement, tuned in, and voted - especially those that did so for the first time. 

"We can be proud of an election where people of color, at different stages of their careers, of all identities, can be heard and seen bidding to represent the profession. I hope this is the start of many great things to come for those who feel disenfranchised and under-represented. 

"I am proud of my campaign, the discourse has been positive, energetic, and inspirational. It has been a privilege to run alongside Jo and Sumita and as RIBA council and Board members, I am looking forward to working with you both to deliver equity, transparency, and innovation in architecture."

Muyiwa Oki is an architect at Mace Group, a construction consultancy.  He is also a mentor and an external speaker for aspiring architects in programs that encourage greater social mobility within the industry. Throughout his career as an architect, he worked on large-scale infrastructure projects, such as the North London heat and power project and the HS2 Euston.

31 Year Old Muyiwa is the founder of the Multi-Ethnic Group and Allies network created with a focus to drive cultural change in the architectural profession.