Just in: Oxford Climate Alumni Network (OxCan) Appoints Dr. Ese Owie as New CEO.
The Oxford Climate Alumni Network (OxCan) that is, among other things, focused on bringing together the unique skills and connections of Oxford University’s alumni, students, staff, and their networks to accelerate progress in solving the climate crisis, has appointed Dr. Ese Owie as its new CEO.
Dr. Owie, a leading international trade lawyer, climate change aficionado, and sustainability expert, brings a wealth of experience and expertise to his new role.
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In a statement by Michal Fonea Alexandron, OxCAN’s Chair of Trustees, the Network stated, “We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Ese Owie as the new CEO for the Oxford Climate Alumni Network (OxCan). With a successful career at the intersection of climate change, trade policy, and sustainability, he brings a unique blend of expertise that we are confident will align with the objectives of the network.
As we welcome the new CEO, we wish to convey our profound appreciation to the outgoing Chief Executive Officer, Joy O’Neill, for her dedication to duty, commitment, untiring efforts in building strong relationships for the network, and wonderful achievements”.
Dr. Owie holds a Doctorate Degree in International Law from the University of Oxford, where he was a member of Linacre College. He also holds a Master of Laws Degree (LL.M) in International Law from the University of Hull, United Kingdom, where he graduated with Distinction and was awarded the Josephine C.
Onoh Memorial Prize for the Overall Best Graduating Student. Dr. Owie earned a Bachelor of Laws Degree (LL.B) from the University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria, and a B.L from the Nigerian Law School.
Dr. Owie has also obtained several professional certificates across diverse fields from the Ernst Moritz Arndt University, Greifswald, Germany, the Vrije Universiteit Brussels, Belgium, the Said Business School, University of Oxford, United Kingdom, The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, USA, and the Public and Third Sector Academy for Sustainable Finance at the University of Oxford. Additionally, he is an alumnus of The Hague Academy of International Law.
Dr. Owie’s expertise spans climate change, trade policy, sustainability, and energy infrastructure/policy. With a career spanning over two decades, he has worked extensively with national governments, multilateral agencies, multinational corporations, and third sector organisations on climate change and sustainability issues.
He has led numerous international projects focusing on sustainable energy transition, the blue economy, climate finance, and climate-resilient infrastructure optimization strategies, among others.
Currently serving as the Executive Chairman of Numelec Africa Holdings, a Pan African healthcare infrastructure and renewable energy optimization Group, Dr. Owie also holds the position of Senior Advisor at the Cavendish Institute. In this capacity, he leads Cavendish’s client-facing Sustainability and Climate Change Advisory Team.
Speaking on his vision for OxCAN, Dr. Owie stated that, “Climate change is one of the most important challenges for society today. OxCAN shall, consequently, build a bridge from academic insight to government/boardroom action, aiming to help sovereigns, businesses, and the third sector reach net-zero emissions and build climate resilience.” Dr. Owie outlined three strategic priorities for OxCAN, that aligns with the Network’s strategic troika of ‘Learn, Connect, Act’.
“The first is building communities – facilitating peer-to-peer engagement and learning as a strategy for increasing awareness and developing climate leaders. Building on the successes recorded by OxCAN’s Working Groups, efforts would also be focused on empowering alumni to act on climate change in their respective spheres and communities.
Second is transferring knowledge – collaborating with stakeholders to support new areas of research that is particularly relevant for government and businesses with a specific focus on climate governance, finance and an equitable energy transition.
The third is translating research – supporting new areas of actionable, climate policy research that would be relevant for governments, companies and third sector organisations”, he noted.
In addition to these priorities, Dr. Owie emphasized the importance of streamlining OxCan’s global fundraising efforts to support its objectives and secure its long-term sustainability.
Under his leadership, OxCAN is poised to play a significant role in addressing the climate crisis and driving an equitable transition to a low carbon economy.
