MICRO-BIO

• My name is Abdelatif Own and I'm a Libyan by birth and an international citizen by nature and experience. I grew up in a loving house of 5 children and one of the world's most amazing parents a person could ask for. At the tinder age of four, I was...More

  My name is Abdelatif Own and I'm a Libyan by birth and an international citizen by nature and experience. I grew up in a loving house of 5 children and one of the world's most amazing parents a person could ask for. At the tinder age of four, I was introduced to international cultures during my parents' constant travel around the world as Libyan diplomats. My parents made sure that no matter were we went, we would never lose sight of who we are while embracing new cultural environments and learning from the good it offered. They would become my home away from home whenever I accompanied them on their assignments. I'm a survivor by 90% chance and 10% determination. I survived the Libyan civil uprising in 2011 and faced lethal aggression from both sides of the conflict while volunteering for NGO's such as the Red Cross and the Libyan Red Crescent. A year later I battled lymphatic cancer for almost a year while being half a world away from Libya in Kyoto, while continuing my graduate studies at the same time. 

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EXPERIENCE

• Sophia University

  • PhD Candidate
  • Global Environmental Studies
  • September 2016 to Present

• Central Bank of Libya

  • Money Market Dealer and Forex Trader
  • Treasury Department
  • January 2009 to August 2011

• AVIS Rent-a-Car Libya

  • Marketing and Sales Assistant Manager
  • Corporate Logistics
  • June 2006 to December 2008

• The New York Times Syndicate

  • Intern
  • Marketing Department
  • October 2004 to April 2005

EDUCATION

• Sophia University

  • PhD Candidate
  • September 2016 to Present

  When I was a child growing up in my hometown back in Libya, I noticed different behavioral attitude towards the environment and land among two different generational groups. One generation, mostly senior citizens like my late grandfather, relied heavily on land for subsistence through farming and irrigation techniques and was conservative with the environment to ensure future harvest. The other generation was mostly born after the oil boom taking advantage of the new found wealth that enabled it to import many goods from around the world, turning into a consuming society that cared less for the environment and neglected acres of lands they inherited from previous generation and led to the wrong notion of endless natural resources. The arrival of Petrodollar has provided urban employment and created high rural migration, while simultaneously using government loans to purchase land for recreation rather than farming in a country where only 1.25% of its land is suitable for cultivation. With current unrest still raging on since the 2011 uprising, this particular generation found itself lacking many basic goods including vegetables and water, and to make up for this scarcity it imports large quantities of the mentioned good from neighboring countries like Egypt and Tunisia. With this in mind, I plan with my research to spark a national debate about the urgent need to develop a national environmental and sustainable development strategy. If countries such as Rwanda, Angola, and Sierra Leone can transform from post-conflict to environmentally sustainable, while countries like Saudi Arabia and UAE are transforming from oil-based economy into renewable energy sources, isn't it about time for Libya to follow in these footsteps and ensure its survival in an uncertain future?

• Doshisha University

  • Masters of Business Administration
  • September 2012 to March 2015

  Conducted research on practical methods and plausible business strategy to be used by international companies and foreign who are considering engaging in business activities in Libya during its post-war period that resulted in radical change of the country’s institutional framework. To corroborate the proposed strategy, the research used Sumitomo Corporation as an example on how to approach the target area in a manner that befits both the interest party and the host nation.

• Berkeley College in New York

  • Bachelor in Business Administration
  • September 2002 to December 2005

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