Misan Bolorunfe is a management consultant whose work on major projects in the UK and Nigeria is inspiring the next generation of women leaders. From shaping growth strategies to driving sustainability-focused innovations, she combines sharp analytical skills with a deep understanding of local markets.
In this interview, Misan reflects on the lessons that have guided her career and shares her vision for empowering young women to lead boldly. Excerpts:
What inspired you to pursue a career in management consulting, and which experiences have been most instrumental in shaping your expertise?
I joined consulting to solve high-impact problems in real time. While I was studying at Baylor University, part of my specialisation was in social entrepreneurship, and it was there that I learned how every business decision ripples through communities and ecosystems, and I was hooked.
Since then, I’ve naturally gravitated toward the consumer and ESG challenges that others shy away from. I thrive on those tough questions: how to grow market share without leaving communities behind, and I’ve learned that principled leadership is the linchpin: anchoring every choice in a clear set of values to navigate difficult trade-offs. Solving these problems with purpose keeps me curious and inspired every day.
How do you define “principled leadership,” and in your experience, why is it critical when guiding businesses to embrace both growth and environmental responsibility?
To me, principled leadership is about asking “What’s the right thing to do?” before “What’s the most profitable thing to do?” and having the courage to act on that answer, even if it means tougher trade-offs in the moment. In practice, that means choosing suppliers who pay living wages, even if their prices are higher, or investing in energy-efficient manufacturing that pays for itself over the years.
On a macro scale, principled leadership shifts capital toward ventures that generate positive externalities, reducing systemic risk, fostering innovation, and strengthening the social fabric that underpins consumer demand. Companies that lead with purpose catalyse new markets: sustainable materials, circular-economy services, and inclusive financial products. They also weather economic downturns more effectively, because stakeholders reward consistency and accountability.
Drawing on your own expertise, how do you integrate environmental and social goals into consumer-focused engagements without sacrificing commercial results?
The key is to start by understanding the consumer, what they value, what they’re willing to pay for, and what emotional connection they have with the brand. Then we work backwards to build initiatives that align environmental and social goals with those motivations.
For example, at Strategy&, I served as an ESG advisor to a leading global beverages company, delivering several initiatives that wove environmental and social goals directly into core business priorities. We built custom decarbonization tools and mapped carbon emissions across the entire value chain, then piloted refillable-bottle systems and modelled the economics of bottle-return programs. By structuring volume rebates and cost savings around higher return rates, we ensured that each sustainability initiative also drove margin improvements, so ESG wasn’t an add-on, but a value creator.
Some countries are getting it right, too. I’ve seen entire nations adopt incentives that mirror these corporate programs. In the Netherlands, “pay-as-you-throw” waste fees and subsidies for
Waste-to-resource plants create economic rewards for recycling and circular-economy solutions. These country-level incentives prove that when you align financial levers with environmental goals, you ignite behaviour change, unlock innovation, and turn sustainability into a growth catalyst for the entire economy.
Local content strategies can unlock deep consumer relevance, but they often face hurdles. From your experience, what are the biggest barriers to scaling local content initiatives, and how have you successfully co-created solutions with local teams to overcome them?
I believe a critical and often overlooked piece of this puzzle is capacity building. In many markets, the biggest barriers to scaling local content initiatives are gaps in technical know-how, organisational structures that treat local teams as mere executors, and misaligned incentives between headquarters and regional stakeholders. Without the right skills, governance frameworks, and supply-chain capabilities in place, even the most well-intentioned global mandate can stall at launch.
Recently, I have been working to design a leadership training programme focused on targeting community and industry stakeholders with a goal of equipping them to adapt local content for their own markets. Projects like this i.e., training, policy integration, and hands-on technical support at the outset, transform local content from a compliance hurdle into a genuine competitive and social advantage.
On a consumer level, that capacity building translates into products and campaigns that truly reflect local tastes, values, and needs. Empowered local teams bring cultural nuance to everything from flavour profiles and packaging design to storytelling and promotions, creating offerings that feel tailor-made rather than one-size-fits-all. The result is deeper engagement, stronger brand loyalty, and a more satisfying customer experience, because consumers see themselves authentically represented in the brands they love.
Which emerging consumer trends are you most excited about in driving the next wave of sustainable product innovation?
I’m especially excited about the rise of conscious convenience as consumers want products that are easy, affordable, and good for the world. It’s pushing brands to rethink everything from packaging to supply chains.
Whether it’s refill-on-demand home dispensers for household cleaners or single-serve meal kits designed around perfectly measured ingredients, these innovations lower the barrier for everyday consumers to act sustainably without changing their routines.
On International Women’s Day, what lesson from your path would you share with a young woman dreaming of a career that blends consulting, consumer insight, and social impact?
Don’t wait to feel ready. Start where you are. Early on, I often looked around and didn’t see many people who looked like me or came from my background. But I realised that was also my advantage: I could ask different questions, see different angles, and bring something fresh to the table.
If you care about people and how they live, spend, and thrive, there is space for you. Step into that space and own it completely. And along the way, don’t underestimate the power of mentorship and intellectual curiosity. Seek out people who challenge and inspire you, ask bold questions at every turn, and let a network of thoughtful mentors sharpen your thinking; it’s through learning from others and nurturing your curiosity that you’ll accelerate your growth and uncover the next breakthrough.
