Red Lobster CEO Damola Adamolekun to Share Executive Insights at N.C. A&T Chancellor’s Speaker Series

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Oct. 22, 2025) – Damola Adamolekun, CEO of Red Lobster, will headline North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s upcoming Chancellor’s Speaker Series, “The CEO Edge – Commanding Every Opportunity.”

The event will take place Thursday, Nov. 13, at 6 p.m., in Harrison Auditorium. Alumnus Craig Stokes ’04 will moderate the discussion.

As a dynamic young leader in the restaurant industry already in his second major CEO role at the age of 36, Adamolekun will offer compelling perspectives on leadership, innovation, and navigating challenges in today’s evolving business landscape. His corporate experience across the finance and restaurant industries lends the perfect opportunity for sharing lessons learned, seizing moments and professionally pivoting.

Adamolekun was recognized on Fortune’s inaugural 100 Most Powerful People in Business list in 2024. Notably, he strategically led a dramatic turnaround at Red Lobster and a growth trend that shows no signs of slowing.

In his prior role as CEO and director of the P.F. Chang’s restaurant chain and partner at Paulson & Co., a New York-based investment firm and the principal owner of P.F. Chang’s, Adamolekun played a vital part in the sourcing and subsequent management of several of the firm’s largest investments with a focus on hospitality and healthcare services. He also served as an operating partner at Garnett Station Partners.

Previously, Adamolekun also worked in the Investment Banking Division of Goldman Sachs and as a private equity associate at TPG Capital. He serves on the board of Inday and the National Restaurant Association.

With a B.A. in economics and political science from Brown University and an MBA from Harvard Business School, Adamolekun’s business acumen and extraordinary success has garnered the attention of news outlets and business platforms globally. He has been featured in numerous publications and on multiple news broadcasts and networks, including Bloomberg News, CBS Evening News, CNBC, CNN, Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Nation’s Restaurant News, New York Business Journal, The Wall Street Journal, Today, Yahoo Finance and numerous others.

He has been the recipient of numerous awards, including three GLOBEE Leadership Gold awards for CEO of the Year. Additionally, he was named to the Power List in Nation’s Restaurant News among the most innovative and inspiring leaders in the restaurant industry.

Stokes is a multifaceted entrepreneur, host and producer who has been active in media and business for over two decades. He is the host of the upcoming reality competition show, “Kind & Seek,” and the owner of a Chick-fil-A franchise in Los Angeles. Prior to opening his restaurant, Stokes developed and hosted two popular web series, Style Minute and Craig Stokes Presents: The Show, and has produced and starred in other projects like the independent film “Whirlpool.”

He was recognized by The Huffington Post as one of seven HBCU Alumni to Watch and has spoken to over 100,000 youth and college students on the UNCF Empower Me Tour alongside figures like Tatyana Ali and Malik Yoba. Originally from Fayetteville, North Carolina, he is also a 20-year officer in the Air Force Reserves. He earned a B.S. in architectural engineering from A&T and an MBA from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro.

Tickets for the speaker series will be available Nov. 3 at the University Ticket Office located in Brown Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

Members of the media interested in this event should contact Jackie Torok, director of media relations, at jtorok@ncat.edu.