Caroline Popoola has built a career around transforming childcare while creating meaningful opportunities for communities across the UK and Africa.
Back in 2004, Caroline Popoola made a bold career change. After spending more than a decade in insurance underwriting, she opened her first early years setting. She saw a growing need for quality childcare and was determined to create spaces where children could thrive in safe, nurturing environments.
That decision led to the founding of Alpha Childcare Limited and Alpha Chains Limited. What started as a single nursery has now grown into a network of 14 locations across Greater London, employing over 95 staff members and supporting hundreds of families.
Popoola’s business philosophy focuses on balancing educational excellence with sustainable growth. This model has allowed her to scale her operations while maintaining the high standards parents depend on.
Beyond running her own nurseries, she helps others through the Caroline Popoola Consultancy, where she guides new and struggling nurseries on building solid business foundations and improving their management practices.
“We must raise children to tolerate differences and to seek out and celebrate diversity. Only then can we hope to create a future generation that values inclusivity over exclusivity, unity over division, and love over hate,” Popoola shared in an Instagram post.
Her impact reaches well beyond childcare. Through the Caroline Popoola Foundation, a registered UK charity, she runs a food bank that serves over 150 low-income families monthly across London. The foundation also awards bursaries to help young people pursue higher education and provides small grants to budding entrepreneurs. These programmes show her deep commitment to community welfare and empowerment.
In recent years, she has expanded her influence into Africa through Alpha Global, which organises the Early Years Childcare Conference in Lagos, Nigeria. The annual conference has become an important platform where educators, childcare operators and policymakers come together to share insights and shape the future of early years education across the continent. Recent editions have attracted more than 2,500 participants, according to organisers.
Having lived and worked between the UK and Nigeria, Popoola draws on both experiences to inform her leadership and social initiatives. Today, she’s recognised for expanding access to early years education, supporting families and championing women’s leadership.
Caroline Popoola serves on the executive committee of WIMBIZ International, a global network dedicated to advancing women in business and leadership. Her involvement reflects her passion for gender equality and mentorship, which naturally complements her work in early childhood education.
Her work focuses on childcare, philanthropy and advocacy, positioning her among a new generation of entrepreneurs who are redefining the relationship between business success and community development in the UK and across Africa.
