Investigative campaigning organisation Global Witness is adding a wealth of new experience to its board of non-executive directors by welcoming four new members
Joining the organisation’s board with immediate effect is climate justice activist Vanessa Nakate, climate leader Rachel Owens, philanthropic advisor and entrepreneur Olaf Hahn and independent consultant and human rights advocate Oliver Hudson.
Bios for the new board members can be found below.
Mike Davis, Global Witness CEO said:
“Global Witness is proud to welcome such a wealth of experience to its board in these four new members.
“As a hard-hitting, investigative campaigning organisation it stands us in good stead to add to the expertise, perspectives and knowledge, at our board level.
“It’s vital that we have such expertise to help guide us in our mission to expose the mechanics of how industries are profiting from climate breakdown, while also providing insight as to how best to platform our partners around the world whose voices need to be listened to as we work towards climate justice.”
Vanessa Nakate
Vanessa is a climate justice activist from Uganda, dedicated to raising awareness about the impacts of the climate crisis – especially on the African continent – and advocating for climate justice. As the author of A Bigger Picture, Vanessa aims to bring a new African voice to the climate crisis and taking opportunities to contribute her skills and knowledge to work with frontline communities and drive positive change in climate action. She is the Co-founder of the Tard Foundation.
Rachel Owens
Rachel Owens is a senior leader with over 16 years of experience in sustainable finance, climate change, human rights, corporate accountability, and anti-corruption from the philanthropic, non-profit and government sectors. She is the CEO of the Solar Stewardship Initiative and also serves as a Non-Executive Board Director at Eurosif, the European Sustainable Investment Forum. From 2015 to 2022, Rachel played a critical role at Global Witness, establishing the organisation’s first EU office and leading high-profile campaigns on corporate accountability, climate and anti-corruption.
Olaf Hahn
Olaf is a philanthropic advisor and an entrepreneur with a career spanning academia, business, and the non-profit sector. He has held leadership positions at major philanthropic organisations, including the Robert Bosch Foundation and the Jacobs Foundation. As the founding director of Education Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA), he played a key role in strengthening tertiary education across the continent. He also serves as Director of the HundrED Foundation in Geneva.
Oliver Hudson
Oliver is a lawyer (non-practising) who has worked internationally in both the public and private sectors. As an independent consultant, he undertakes work for foundations and civil society organisations primarily focussed on organisational issues. He is also on the Independent Monitoring Board of a London prison, which monitors and reports on how the men are treated and supported during their incarceration. While living in Brazil, Oliver worked for Conectas Human Rights in Brazil, initially as editor of the Sur International Journal for Human Rights. Previously he worked for the United Nations Development Programme in Brussels as well as two international law firms.