In this episode of WHAT THEY SAY, Amy-Lee and Jess sit down with hospitality heavyweight Ayo Akinsete, Chief Operating Officer at The Dean Group, to talk about making space when you’re not given it- and leading with calm, credibility and quiet confidence. From Ile-Ife in Nigeria to South Carolina, Vegas, London and now Ireland, Ayo has built a global career across some of the world’s most recognisable lifestyle hotels. But this isn’t a CV recap. It’s a conversation about what it really feels like to be the only one in the room - and choose to stay anyway.Together, they get into:How to build credibility in industries that weren’t built with you in mindRepresentation that’s real, not just a line in a strategy deckCultural intelligence, mentorship and opening doors for the next generationWhy leadership is less about ego, more about servicePlus, Ayo jumps into our They Say / We Say quickfire, giving his take on big leadership clichés like "you have to fit in to lead" and "calm leaders finish last". WHAT THEY SAY is the podcast from THEY SAY STUDIOS- where creative meets digital, work meets real life, and there’s always a bit of chaos. Made for women building big lives, not just big careers, and for anyone carving out space in rooms that weren’t designed for them.