Ariatu PR Founder, Ronke Lawal is an award-winning entrepreneur, public speaker and Public Relations specialist. Born in Hackney, East London she graduated with honours from Lancaster University and the University of Richmond Virginia (USA) with a degree in International Business (Economics), she started her own PR and Communications business in 2004. Ariatu Public Relations specialises in PR and Communications for clients in a range of B2C industries; including lifestyle, consumer goods & the creative  enterprise sector with a particular focus on reaching Black audiences and engaging with African and Caribbean diaspora communities. She consults individual clients from a range of professional and creative sectors on PR strategy, crisis management and harnessing their personal brand identities; and facilitating training in personal branding, PR strategy and holistic media training. 

In January 2010, Ronke became the Chief Executive of the Islington Chamber of Commerce where she remained until the end of 2012. She joined the board of Trustees of Voluntary Action Islington in 2012 and was on The Employers Panel for the National Employment Savings Trust from 2011-18.  In 2018 she became a director on the board of directors at the Charted Institute of Public Relations. She has been a mentor for The Cherie Blair Foundation, The "Success Looks Like You" Initiative and The BME PR Pros initiative as well as a mentor to entrepreneurs and creatives in a range of sectors.

In 2010 Ronke was named as one of the Top 400 women of the year in the UK for her work with the Islington Chamber of Commerce. In 2011 Ronke was honoured to receive a Precious Award for Inspirational Leadership. In 2019 Ronke received an alumni award from Lancaster University for making a substantial contribution to her field of work and developed an outstanding reputation among her peers.  In 2020 Ronke won the award for PR & Comms Influencer of the Year at the Vuelio online influence awards. 

In 2021 Ronke became a Fellow of the RSA (Royal Society for the Encouragement of the Arts, Manufactures, and Commerce).  In 2022 she was appointed as an honorary professor of entrepreneurship and strategy at The Lancaster University Management School.  In 2024 Ronke was appointed Chair of the Black Women in Comms group for the UK Black Comms Network.

She is a passionate advocate for enterprise, equality and equity through diverse and inclusive leadership. She is regularly invited onto a variety of media platforms to share her insights on pop culture, current affairs, business and more.

Her varied passions outside the business world include; TV (The Office, The Golden Girls), films (including Buster, Eddie Murphy’s pre 2000 body of work and pretty much anything by Pedro Almodovar), pop culture, shoes as an art form, food (mainly yam, plantain, efo riro and chillies), travel, music (mainly Shina Peters, Sade, Luther Vandross, Anita Baker, Lionel Richie and Sting), literature and most importantly living a life that she loves.

Connect with Ronke on LinkedIn, tweet  her @ronkelawal and watch her business videos on YouTube.

Name Pronunciation - Ron-keh La-wal