Ola Brown, born Olamide Orekunrin in 1986, is a British-Nigerian medical doctor, healthcare entrepreneur, investor and author whose career has combined medicine, emergency healthcare, aviation and technology.
She is best known as the founder of Flying Doctors, a healthcare company established in Lagos in 2007 to provide emergency medical services, and as a founder of Greentree Investment Company, an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in African technology startups.
Brown has built her career around improving healthcare delivery while also investing in businesses and technologies capable of addressing some of Africa’s most pressing healthcare challenges. Her work has earned international recognition, including being named a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader and receiving a national honour from the Nigerian government.
Early Life and Education
Ola Brown was born in London, England, in 1986.
She studied medicine at Hull York Medical School, a joint medical programme operated by the University of Hull and the University of York. After completing her medical education, she worked in acute medicine within the United Kingdom’s National Health Service.
Her academic journey later expanded beyond clinical medicine.
Brown received a Japanese MEXT scholarship that enabled her to continue her studies in Tokyo, where she undertook laboratory-based research involving induced pluripotent stem cells.
She subsequently studied for a master’s degree in Finance and Economic Policy at the University of London. She also obtained a certificate in economic policymaking from IE Business School in Spain and a certificate in accounting for decision-making from the University of Michigan in the United States.
This combination of medical, scientific and financial education would later become central to her work at the intersection of healthcare and investment.
From Medicine to Emergency Healthcare
After working in the British healthcare system, Brown returned to Nigeria and became involved in emergency medical services.
With training in aviation medicine, she became chief executive of Flying Doctors Nigeria, described in the supplied source as West Africa’s first air-operated emergency medical service.
Her work sought to address challenges surrounding emergency healthcare and the movement of patients across difficult distances in a country where access to specialised medical care can vary significantly by location.
Founding Flying Doctors
Brown established Flying Doctors in Lagos in 2007.
The company was inspired in part by the death of her sister and Brown’s stated desire to improve healthcare services in Nigeria.
Flying Doctors developed around emergency medical transportation and healthcare logistics, using aviation as part of its approach to connecting patients with medical care.
The company subsequently became one of the most recognisable healthcare ventures associated with Brown and provided the foundation for her wider work in healthcare entrepreneurship.
Brown has described her role within the organisation as increasingly focused on areas including strategy, marketing and investment.
Flying Doctors and the COVID-19 Response
Brown and her team became involved in efforts to develop new approaches to healthcare delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the height of the pandemic in Nigeria, Brown and the HealthCa team launched a mobile COVID-19 testing booth designed to reduce the amount of personal protective equipment required during testing.
The initiative formed part of a broader wave of innovation by Nigerian healthcare entrepreneurs responding to the challenges created by the pandemic.
Flying Doctors also became involved in healthcare logistics and other initiatives associated with the country’s response to COVID-19.
Building a Healthcare Investment Platform
Brown gradually expanded her activities from direct healthcare delivery into investment and venture development.
In 2018, she co-founded Greentree Investment Company with Olabode Agusto and Abasiama Idaresit.
The early-stage venture capital firm was established to provide funding to African technology startups. Its reported investments have included companies such as Paystack, Precurio and Big Cabal Media.
Through Greentree, Brown became increasingly involved in the development of Africa’s technology ecosystem, particularly businesses using technology to address large-scale economic and social challenges.
Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Company
In 2019, Brown founded the Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Company, an investment platform focused on financing infrastructure and technology across the African healthcare value chain.
The company represented an expansion of Brown’s healthcare ambitions beyond emergency medical services.
Its activities have included air ambulance services and logistics, while also exploring healthcare public-private partnerships and investment opportunities.
The approach combines Brown’s experience as a physician and healthcare operator with her growing interest in finance, infrastructure and technology.
Speaking and Global Engagement
Brown has developed an international profile as a speaker on healthcare, entrepreneurship, investment and innovation.
She has spoken at or participated in events and institutions including the World Economic Forum, TED Global, Social Media Week Lagos, the European Union, the Swiss Economic Forum, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge University and the Aspen Ideas Festival.
Her international engagements have placed African healthcare challenges within wider discussions around technology, investment and economic development.
Writing and Publications
Brown is also an author and contributor to healthcare discussions.
She has published books including EMQ’s in Paediatrics, Pre-Hospital Care for Africa and Fixing Healthcare in Nigeria: A Guide to Public Healthcare Policy.
Her writing has explored subjects ranging from emergency medicine and pre-hospital care to the structural challenges facing healthcare systems in Nigeria.
She has also written for or contributed material to publications and professional journals including the British Medical Journal, the Journal of Emergency Medical Services, the Niger Delta Medical Journal, The New York Times and The Huffington Post.
In addition, she has served as an editor of the International Journal of Emergency Services.
Awards and Recognition
Brown’s work has attracted recognition from both African and international organisations.
In 2013, she was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and was also included on Forbes’ list of the 20 Young Power Women in Africa.
In 2015, Forbes Africa included her among its 30 Under 30, while YNaija recognised her among its 100 Most Influential Women in Nigeria.
In 2018, she received the Silverbird Group Extraordinary Business Achievement Award in Lagos. The supplied source describes her as the youngest person to receive the honour.
She was also included in the YNaija Business Power List in 2020.
In 2022, Brown received a national honour from the Nigerian government, being conferred with the title of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) by President Muhammadu Buhari.
She was subsequently recognised by African Folder among female African founders to know in 2023.
Controversy and Legal Dispute
Brown and Flying Doctors have also faced public scrutiny.
In 2020, a negligence lawsuit was filed against Flying Doctors and Brown by the family of a deceased patient, Nabil Hanga.
The family later withdrew the suit.
The existence of the lawsuit formed part of the public record surrounding Flying Doctors, although the supplied source does not establish a finding of liability against Brown.
Healthcare, Technology and Investment
A defining feature of Brown’s career has been her movement between different areas of the healthcare ecosystem.
She began as a medical doctor, gained experience in emergency medicine and aviation healthcare, and subsequently moved into entrepreneurship, investment and healthcare infrastructure.
Her work with Flying Doctors addresses healthcare delivery directly, while her investment activities seek to support businesses developing new technologies and services.
This combination has enabled her to approach healthcare not only from the perspective of a physician but also as an entrepreneur and investor.
Personal Life
Ola Brown is married to David Brown.
Her public career has largely centred on medicine, entrepreneurship, investment and healthcare innovation.
Ola Brown Today
Ola Brown’s career represents an intersection of medicine, entrepreneurship, technology and investment.
From establishing Flying Doctors in Lagos to co-founding Greentree Investment Company and creating the Flying Doctors Healthcare Investment Company, she has expanded her role from medical practitioner to healthcare entrepreneur and investor.
Her work has focused on a central challenge facing many African countries: how to improve access to quality healthcare while building sustainable businesses and technologies capable of supporting that improvement.
Through emergency medical services, healthcare investment, technology initiatives, public speaking and writing, Brown has built a profile that extends well beyond conventional medical practice.
Her career continues to illustrate how medical expertise can be combined with entrepreneurship and investment to address systemic challenges in Africa’s healthcare sector.
Editorial Note
The supplied Wikipedia article itself carries a promotional-content warning. Some descriptions of organisations and achievements should therefore be independently verified before publication, particularly claims about being the first in a particular category, company activities and current roles. The legal dispute involving the late Nabil Hanga has been presented neutrally because the source states that the suit was subsequently withdrawn.