Philip Oleche

Founder & Chair, Environmental Restoration Movement

 
 

Biography

My name is Oleche Philip, and I am an urban planner passionate about generating positive impact through my work. That is why my mission is to help cities become more sustainable, equal, and resilient in the face of climate change.
 
In 2012, I graduated with Bachelor’s Degree in Agroforestry and Urban Development. During that year, I volunteered in a university extension project that aims to promote climate change advocacy and general environmental conservation in Eldoret and Nairobi towns. Earlier in 2011, I went for field attachment in a local NGO where I leant a lot about climate change, Agroforestry, advocacy and general management.
My participation in these project allowed me to improve my communication skills, my competence of working in teams and my creativity.
 
In 2013, I joined KCB Bank as a Sales Representative where I mainly dealt with retail banks product in Eldoret where I excelled. This experience sharpened my intercultural awareness, my self-starter approach, and my ability to be flexible and adaptable, all of which I have taken forward since then. In 2015, I joined customer experience in the same bank, a department that was highly monitored and only highly experienced teams works there, I was privileged to be part of that and underwent a very rigorous training and leant a lot about call center, customer retention, and general customer experience. I also acted as sustainability champion, during this time, I was first introduced to the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs, which paved my professional choice of working with sustainability within urban planning and policy.
 
In 2021, I co-founded and became coordinator of the Environmental Restoration Movement Kenya, promoting climate actions at the local level. With this experience, I developed organizational and interpersonal skills, including team leadership. In 2018, I joined a management trainee program where I went through a two-year training majorly on management, personal development, general banking products and services. I graduated from the program in 2020 and currently, I am working as a compliance manager and Sustainability Champion in the division.
 
My goal is to work with in sustainability field and majorly in cities in the transition to a low-carbon economy at an international level.