Winnie Byanyima

Winnie Byanyima is the Executive Director of Oxfam International and a global leader on women’s rights, democratic governance and peace building.  A Ugandan native, she served eleven years in the Ugandan Parliament and is a signatory to the country’s 1985 peace agreement.  She also worked at the African Union Commission and as Director of Gender and Development at the United Nations Development Program.  Byanyima co-founded the 60-member Global Gender and Climate Alliance and chaired a UN task force on gender aspects of the Millennium Development Goals, and on climate change.  She holds a M.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering in Energy Conservation and the Environment from the University of Cranfield.