Oliver Courtney is a campaigner with a passion for stories of social change. Recently appointed Global Witness’ Head of News, he currently leads the organisation’s efforts to expand its influence amongst key global audiences.
In his 6 years at Global Witness, Oliver has consistently used new storytelling techniques and strategic thinking to take the organisation’s investigations to broader audiences. This work includes using undercover film to expose elite corruption in Malaysia and the US, both of which triggered significant policy reforms. He led public campaigns which drove through historic legal changes following the Panama Papers and the UK anti-corruption summit, which will help keep dirty money out of the UK and US property markets. Oliver launched Global Witness’ campaign to protect environmental activists, and used powerful human stories and big data to get campaign results in countries including Myanmar and Uganda. In 2014, he oversaw the design and build of Global Witness website.
Oliver is now spearheading Global Witness’s efforts to shape the conversations that matter in its field. This includes working to better analyse and understand key audiences, championing innovation and use of multimedia, and enhancing Global Witness’ reputation as a thought-leader on corruption and the abuse of natural resources.
