Denise Adaoyibo Okpala

Trustee

Denise is a Chartered Scientist and Chartered Marine Scientist. She has worked with the Economic Community of West African States for over 13 years on a variety of projects including the West African Biodiversity and Climate Change Project and the Agro-Hydro- Meteorological (AGHRYMET) Committee, where she worked on policy making. Before this, she worked in the Oil and Gas Division of the Federal Ministry of Environment and the National Institution for Oceanographic and Marine Research, both in Nigeria. She is an Expert Reviewer of the IPCC and an Application Review Panel Member for the IES. She is passionate about EDI.

Denise has a Bachelors degree in Marine Sciences from the University of Lagos and a Masters degree in Environmental Planning and Management from Johns Hopkins University. She is currently carrying out her doctoral research at University College London, where her research explores advancing sustainability initiatives in the health sector to reduce carbon emissions. Denise seeks to apply her crosscutting, interdisciplinary experience to achieving the IES goals in line with its Theory of Change.

She was elected to the IES Council in April 2024.