Sade Fawehinmi Olapade-Olaopa

Executive MPA 

Class of 2018

I joked with friends at the time that I had never been instructed by so many world-renowned experts: from experienced public policy professionals and field practitioners to authors and senior politicians. It really felt like we got the global best of the best.

Sade is a Senior Advisor at the Environment Agency

Sade F.O.O
Sade Fawehinmi Olapade-Olaopa, EMPA

Before LSE, I had an interest in water, wastewater, and the wider environment. It is what drove me to undertake an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering and then a PhD in water sciences. Following my doctorate, I was fortunate enough to work on projects across the globe as well as in the UK. Much of that work focused on designing and engineering water and wastewater infrastructure. My experiences during those years broadened my perspective: highlighting how critical good public policy was, and continues to be, to deliver access to clean, affordable water and effective protection of the environment. It became increasingly clear that I needed to improve my knowledge of this subject area.

I came to the School of Public Policy (SPP) solely to fulfil this objective. I would deepen my understanding of policymaking and return to the water sector equipped with new tools to drive change. SPP gave me so much more.

Over the eighteen-month Executive Master of Public Administration (EMPA) programme, I was privileged to learn from and alongside a global, diverse and inspiring cohort, many of whom I am still friends with today. These students were at the forefront of their respective fields, from international development and diplomacy at multilateral organisations, to government policy and regulation, science, entrepreneurship and finance. All were focused on bettering their communities and society at large.

Additionally, the quality of the teaching and the calibre of the instructors were excellent. I joked with friends at the time that I had never been instructed by so many world-renowned experts: from experienced public policy professionals and field practitioners to authors and senior politicians. It really felt like we got the global best of the best.

I continue to use everything I learnt during the EMPA in my work. I currently work for the Environment Agency, leading and facilitating the development of new statutory guidance and legislation on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). This work became necessary after our exit from the European Union, and will underpin the permitting and regulation of a key industrial sector, and ultimately mitigate pollution and protect the environment.

I am also a fiction writer (writing with the nom de plume of Sade Foo). Although I have written all my life, it was at LSE I began to write seriously. Much of my writing is political, focusing on social justice issues and incorporating principles I picked up during the political science module at LSE.

I am so grateful for my time at the university. It is not an exaggeration to say it has catapulted my career and made me who I am.

Sade is happy to connect via LinkedIn.