Speaker for 39th Annual Lecture announced: Gareth Owen OBE
The Master is pleased to announce that Gareth Owen OBE, Humanitarian Director, Save the Children UK will be our main Speaker at our 39th Annual Lecture on Monday, 13th May 2024.
Gareth has worked in the Aid Sector for 30 years and for Save the Children since 2002. He trained initially as a civil engineer, which to this day, helps him in his humanitarian work.
Gareth has been directly involved in the immediate response to many global emergencies, in Asia (2004 Tsunami), Iraq, Haiti, and many other places. He has extensive operational experience of how aid agencies need to respond in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. He believes that the fundamental ‘on- the-ground’ requirement, on every occasion, is a clean water supply and effective sanitation.
As a Director of Save the Children (STC), Gareth also focuses on strategy — requirements such as global fundraising, budgetary allocation, relationships with the UN and other NGOs, and cooperation between governments. This ensures that STC and other agencies can be operationally effective when the next emergency strikes.
Lives are saved with water in a humanitarian crisis. Gareth will tell us how this happens in practice, and will address questions like:
- How are expert staff sourced, and then fashioned into an effective team?
- What are a field team’s immediate priorities?
- How are people kept safe?
- How are key supplies sourced and protected?
- How is decision-making kept rational in such emotionally charged situations?
Gareth will address these questions and more, with narratives from his own experience. He will be joined by an ‘in-field’ colleague to reveal the reality of disaster relief in real time.
View the event flyer.