Owen has been working with CEP as a retained freelance consultant since January 2004. He has worked on numerous SA/SEAs including the East of England RSS14, and SEAs of Tower Hamlets UDP review and the South Kilburn SPD, Brent LDF.  He also has extensive experience in combining research and stakeholder engagement with an understanding of sustainability and strategic environmental issues at local, regional and national levels.  For example a review of progress against the UK sustainable development headline indicators for the Sustainable Development Commission and an assessment of the Yorkshire and Humber regional economy, social and sustainable development issues.  Other projects have included a research-based analysis of sustainable development metrics, tools and toolkits, mapping the coverage of current guidance on sustainable construction and conducting stakeholder focus groups as part of a national review and assessment of public awareness, attitudes and perceptions towards energy efficiency.

Owen graduated from the University of Bristol in 1995 with a BSc in Economics and Sociology.  He then gained two years experience of local environmental education action while volunteering with an NGO in Southern France.  On his return, in 2001 he completed an MA in Environmental Economics from the University of East Anglia.  While studying for his Masters, Owen also worked as an Associate Researcher at the Centre for Social and Economic Research on the Global Environment (CSERGE) contributing to environmental consultancy projects for clients such as the DETR, UNEP and the European Commission.  Following his Masters Owen spent two years working in Fiji for SOPAC: a Pacific-regional inter-governmental organisation promoting sustainable resource use and community livelihood improvements. His work in Fiji included the development of Pacific Island Country Profile papers, highlighting resource and sustainable development issues and contribution to a draft regional Sustainable Development Strategy paper, as well as contributing to an SEA of Fiji’s Tourism Development Plan