Gareth Owen

Gareth began his aid career in Somalia in 1993 and has spent the last 30 years working in the humanitarian sector. He joined Save the Children in 2002 as an Emergency Adviser and became Humanitarian Director in 2007. Gareth has led responses to many major emergencies, most notably the Iraq conflict, the Asian tsunami, Cyclone Nargis, Haiti & Pakistan earthquakes, East Africa & Niger famines and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. He has played a pivotal role in the development of Save the Children’s humanitarian capacity and in the establishment of successful collaborative enterprises including Elrha, the START Network and the Humanitarian Leadership Academy. Gareth was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to emergency crisis response abroad and published his first book, “When the Music’s Over – Intervention, Aid and Somalia” in 2022.