Dapo Olowu entered media in 2017 as a bright-eyed exec and has since developed a strong expertise in digital audio. He’s had a near-meteoric rise after switching to a sales role, with two promotions to now run the hugely successful Manning Gottlieb patch across Acast. By the end of 2022, Olowu finished as the top seller in the UK and globally across Acast, with over £4.1m in revenue booked in a year marred with economic issues. Working on MGOMD also means he is the primary government representative and has partnered with them on many campaigns that have sparked positive societal change.
So far this year Olowu co-created Acast’s UK LGBTQIA+ ERG Pridecast. It’s a true passion of his to create a safe space for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies to learn. In the next 12 months, he wants to grow this group to include global members, work alongside British LGBTQIA+ spokespeople to create internal educational resources, and incorporate these diversity initiatives across government audio campaigns to ensure more podcasts are getting the recognition and revenue they deserve.
Olowu’s 2022 NHS campaign saw popular football podcast Quickly Kevin interview former Arsenal legend Tony Adams to get older men to discuss their mental health. The result? An unprecedented 93% engagement rate, with fans starting the mental-health discussion while unanimously voting the episode the greatest in the podcast’s history. Alongside this, Olowu’s Get Into Teaching campaigns have driven teaching consideration up to 76%. He also spearheaded Acast's Royal Navy partnership, driving job recommendations to increase to 60%.
Nominated by: Nick Harnett, marketing manager for UK & Ireland, Acast
