Meet Simi Lawoyin, Service Lead at Purppl
Six months ago, Simi Lawoyin joined the Purppl team as Service Lead in Strategy, Governance, and Leadership Development. Since then, we’ve seen firsthand how her focused, purpose-driven approach to coaching and consulting brings clarity, care, and courage to the organizations she supports.
Simi describes her purpose simply: removing the barriers that prevent people from flourishing.
“I am passionate about removing inhibitions in the way of meaningful work or flourishing livelihoods,” she explains. “Doing this work, I find myself often navigating systemic issues around access to work and the education-to-employment pathway for marginalized or underserved groups.”
This commitment didn’t begin with her role at Purppl. In 2017, Simi founded a social enterprise focused on talent acceleration, with a goal to help people access meaningful opportunities. Since then, she has worked alongside organizations like the Centre for Redemptive Entrepreneurship at Tyndale University and MIT Solve to support entrepreneurs tackling some of society’s most complex problems.
“Through those partnerships, I’ve had the chance to support entrepreneurs and innovators tackling tough systemic issues, especially around creating pathways to flourishing livelihoods,” she shares.
Collaboration has always been central to how Simi works. She is intentional about creating opportunities for people across the social impact ecosystem to come together, learn from one another, and co-create solutions. “I am an avid believer in creating ‘convening’ opportunities for actors across the ecosystem with the goal of harnessing our collective wisdom to address these issues,” she says.
Much of this drive is rooted in her upbringing. Raised in Nigeria, in a household where love-in-action was more than just an idea, Simi carries forward a conviction that each of us has a role to play in creating a more just and flourishing world.
“My parents cultivated in me an unflinching conviction that every human being and the world in which we live are designed for flourishing and that I have a part to play in making things right when the world is not as it should be.”
She also speaks with deep gratitude about the people who have shaped her path. College professors, employers, collaborators, and clients have helped show her what meaningful, measurable impact can look like in practice.
Even when the work is hard, Simi holds on to a deep and steady hope. “I believe that where Love remains, there will always be a way,” she says. “From Nelson Mandela to Paulo Freire to Mother Teresa, I’m inspired by people whose lives have demonstrated that love is not sentiment, it’s action. It’s the willingness to show up together with and on behalf of others, the courage to build what doesn’t yet exist, the vulnerability to take meaningful risks and put others first.”
Her vision for the future: to live with integrity, lead with humility, and create impact that lasts beyond her lifetime.
“I want to be remembered as someone who lived faithfully, acted justly, loved mercy, and walked humbly,” she reflects. “I hope my work transcends generations and that the seeds I plant through relationships, collaboration, service, etc., continue to bear fruit long after I’m gone.”
At Purppl, we’re grateful for the wisdom, warmth, and leadership that Simi brings to our community. Her work reminds us that strategy, governance, and leadership are not just technical skills, but also tools for building a more equitable and flourishing world.
This is part of Purppl’s Purposeful People series, celebrating the unique voices committed to building a just, regenerative economy.
