Katharine Owen

About

A dynamic, results-driven global health leader with 20 years’ experience, including 14 years in Sierra Leone. Proven success in a wide variety of government advisory and leadership positions including directing NGO consortiums and managing multi-million dollar budgets. A dot-connector with a track record of highly effective strategic planning, resource mobilisation, team building, and taking to scale innovative breakthrough solutions to complex problems in resource-constrained contexts and rapidly evolving emergencies. Specific technical expertise in health financing, HSS, RMNCAH, outbreak preparedness and response (Ebola, COVID-19, cholera, anthrax), emergency vaccine deployment, strategic behaviour communication, and community engagement.

Experience

• Government of Sierra Leone (6 yrs 2 mos)
  • Health Advisor to the Vice President of Sierra Leone
    Jan 2022 - Present · 4 yrs 6 mos

  • Acting Director, SUN and Food Systems Coordination Unit, Office of the Vice President, Sierra Leone
    Oct 2024 - May 2026 · 1 yr 8 mos

  • Technical Advisor - National COVID-19 Emergency Response
    May 2020 - Jan 2022 · 1 yr 9 mos

• RCCE Advisor, Emergency Register at UK-Med
  Sep 2023 - Present · 2 yrs 10 mos

• Health Specialist at International Rescue Committee
  Jan 2022 - Jul 2025 · 3 yrs 7 mos

• Technical Advisor - Global COVID-19 Emergency Response at GOAL Global
  Apr 2020 - May 2020 · 2 mos

• EBODAC Consortium Regional Project Coordinator at World Vision
  Jan 2018 - Mar 2020 · 2 yrs 3 mos

  Conceptualised, launched, and coordinated regional EBODAC Gap Analysis Project – an initiative to create an evidence-based gap analysis tool for systematic country-level assessment of demand-side readiness to deploy an Ebola vaccine.