Olwen Byrne joined the Elders in 2026, as policy lead integrating and strengthening human rights, gender equality and women in leadership, and intergenerational dialogue. 

A practitioner in human rights and gender equality, Olwen has over a decade of experience within multilateral and non-profit organisations. Most recently, she served as Human Rights and Inclusion Advisor to the UN Resident Coordinator and Country Team in Ghana, leading advocacy, strategy, and coordination to ensure no one is left behind. She also held leadership and advisory roles at the Council of Europe, Open Society Foundations and Transparency International, strengthening human rights, rule of law and governance across 35+ countries and in the Eastern Partnership. Her career has spanned coalition and capacity building, legal reform, monitoring and reporting, and policy and programme development. 

Olwen has a Masters in International Relations from Leiden University. In her spare time, she enjoys anything music related, escaping to nature, and is a yoga enthusiast.