Muyiwa Oki, the candidate billed as representing architectural workers and the profession’s grassroots, has been elected as the next president of the RIBA. The architect at construction consultancy Mace Group will start his two-year term on 1 September 2023. He previously worked at Grimshaw Architects, where he founded and chaired the practice’s multi-ethnic group and allies network. Aged just 31, he is the youngest ever RIBA president since the role was established in 1835.
Speaking after hearing the result, Oki said: “We can be proud of an election where people of colour, at different stages of their careers, of all identities, can be heard and seen bidding to represent the profession.’
Oki was put forward as a potential candidate in May after being chosen by an informal collective of early-career architects, students and architectural activists keen to shake up the institute.
