Dr Ese Stephen Owie is an accomplished public international law, international trade law, trade policy, trade economics, energy and sustainable finance practitioner. In the course of a sterling multi-jurisdictional career spanning over two and half decades, Dr Owie has garnered extensive experience in advising national governments, multilateral agencies, third sector organizations, and private organisations on sustainable trade, regional economic integration, renewable energy and infrastructure optimisation strategies, amongst others.

He is the Co-founder and President of The Cavendish Institute, which provides timely, pragmatic and cost-efficient advice, representation and capacity building in the context of trade negotiations, formulation and implementation of national trade policy, and the settlement of disputes. He previously served as Executive Director & Chief Responsibility Officer of the Centre for International Trade & Policy (CITaP), Geneva, Switzerland; and currently serves as Senior Advisor to the Remaking Trade for a Sustainable Future Project.  

Dr Owie is also currently an Associate Professor of International Trade Law, International Relations, Trade Diplomacy, and Policy at EUCLID (Pôle Universitaire EUCLIDE / Euclid University). He has held Visiting Research Fellowships at leading institutions, including the University of Lincoln (UK), the University of Cape Town (South Africa), and the Lagos Business School, Pan-Atlantic University (Nigeria). He commenced a Visiting Fellowship at the University of Essex Law School (UK) in 2024, with his fellowship advancing among other things, a research and policy agenda on “Integrating Sustainability into the Rules of Global Trade”.

A consistent advocate of the convergence of theory and practice in governance especially in emerging economies, between 2009 and 2011, Dr Owie served as Special Adviser (Cabinet Rank) to His Excellency Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, Nigeria, and as Executive Chairman (Cabinet Rank) of the Edo State Board of Internal Revenue and a Member of the State Executive Council. He also served as a member of the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s apex tax regulatory statutory body, the Joint Tax Board. 

Dr Owie is also deeply committed to advancing climate action and its intersection with sustainable development. He co-founded Climate Change Africa (CCA), a third sector policy action and research centre that is committed to taking urgent action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, speed the global shift to renewables, and foster a sustainable green economy. He is currently the CEO of the University of Oxford Climate Alumni Network (OxCAN), a UK-registered charity, and spearheads initiatives that mobilise Oxford alumni, academics, and policymakers globally to drive impactful climate solutions. 

Dr Owie earned a DPhil in Public International Law from the University of Oxford (UK), where he was a member of Linacre College. He also holds an LLM in International Law from the University of Hull (UK), where he graduated with distinction and was awarded the Josephine C. Onoh Memorial Prize for the Overall Best Graduating Student. He obtained a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) from the University of Benin (Nigeria) and a BL from the Nigerian Law School. In recognition of his visionary leadership and commitment to Africa’s startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem, Dr Owie was invited to join the 2024–25 cohort of the Foundry Fellowship at the Kuo Sharper Center for Prosperity and Entrepreneurship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).