Mary Dinah

Mary Dinah is an entrepreneur, humanitarian and human rights activist. She is the founder and CEO of the Mary Dinah Foundation and the managing director of M.A.D Hospitality, a London-based hospitality consulting firm.

Early life and education Dinah was born in Nigeria and spent part of her early life in Lagos and Paris, During her secondary school years in London, she undertook modelling work following an introduction to a modelling agency. She later completed MSc in International Hotel Management from the University of Surrey. She has also undertaken further studies in business and leadership, including programmes at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School, Harvard University, and the University of Cambridge Judge Business School.

Dinah is a United Nations Fellow and completed a postgraduate degree from the United Nations Institute of Training and Research (UNITAR) in Geneva, Switzerland.

Career and social initiatives

Dinah has worked in the hospitality sector with international hotel groups, including Hilton, Marriott, Four Seasons, Le Meridien, Sheraton and Starwood hotels. She has additionally undertaken work with Yoko, a London-based jewellery company.

Mary Dinah Foundation In 2006, Dinah founded the Mary Dinah Foundation, an international non-profit organization that focuses on issues related to food access and community support in parts of West and Central Africa.

Its activities have included food distribution programmes, as well as initiatives related to health awareness, education, and sanitation. The foundation has also been associated with efforts addressing food insecurity and aligns with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger. Through its Zero Hunger Program, the Foundation supports refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) living in crisis zones and affected regions by war and terrorism.

As of 2023, the Foundation has distributed over 42 million meals and nutritional supplements to pregnant and lactating women, and infants.

Job-Link

In 2014, Dinah established Job-Link, Nigeria's first Job Centre. The initiative has been associated with job placement services, employability training programs, and curriculum vitae (CV) support workshops. It connected over 10,000 youths to work and created an employability training program, training 3,000 people on employability skills, and administering over 2,000 CV clinics.

Through the initiative, a career counselling program for women, known as the Power of Women Association (P.O.W.A.), was developed in collaboration with a state Ministry of Women’s Affairs. The program has been associated with services supporting women, including counselling and awareness activities.

Honors and awards Dinah has been the recipient of several recognitions and awards from academic institutions and organizations. These include the British Council Social Impact Award, the British High Commission Future Leaders Award, and the Vice Chancellor’s Award at the University of Surrey.

She has also received the Lagos State Governor’s Award for Impact and the University of Nottingham Special Achievement Award. In addition, she has been listed in the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD) Global Top 100 under 40.

Dinah has also received the Marriott Golden Circle Award in connection with her work in the hospitality sector.