Exclusive interview with new Movember CEO Owen Sharp

Owen Sharp has been the CEO of several organisations, but his key focus and passion has always been men’s health.

Sharp was the CEO of Prostate Cancer UK for five years before joining the Movember Foundation as COO in October 2015. Most recently, he was named as the foundation’s new CEO, taking over from co-founder and then CEO Adam Garone. Sharp started the new role on 1 June.

Third Sector recently spoke to Sharp to find out more about men’s health, the move from Prostate Cancer UK to Movember, and what he hopes to achieve in the new position.

TS: How do you feel about becoming the CEO of the Movember Foundation?

OS: I am immensely proud to have been appointed to the role and really excited to be leading such a great organisation. I am a proud Mo Bro and I could not be more excited to be picking up the baton from Adam Garone who has done such a fantastic job of leading Movember to become the global force that it is today.

TS: What motivated you to change organisations from Prostate Cancer UK to the Movember Foundation?

OS: I was at Prostate Cancer UK for five years and we did a great deal to grow the charity and the profile of the cause. During this time, we worked closely with the Movember Foundation as one of their long term Men’s Health Partners so I developed a good understanding of the work that they do. When the opportunity came up to join the Movember Foundation to be part of their global efforts in key areas of men’s health, including prostate cancer, it was a chance that I could not turn down.

TS: How has your last seven months with the Movember Foundation as COO been?

OS: I have been immersing myself in in the incredible network of global staff, partners and connections and learning a lot about the global perspective on men’s health that makes this organisation so special. I acquired some additional responsibilities in my role as COO, having moved from the Programs side of the business. It’s been a really great and challenging seven months and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into being CEO of the Foundation.

TS: When you moved to the position of COO, did you have any idea you may be the CEO 7 months later?

OS: I did take on extra responsibilities once I moved into the role of COO. However, the process to find and appoint a CEO only commenced this year, and it was a comprehensive process involving a number of candidates internationally.

TS: Do you have any plans to move to Australia? How will you manage living in the UK and being CEO of a predominantly Australian charity?

OS: While Movember was founded in Melbourne and its spiritual home will always be Australia, it really is a global organisation now and the CEO could be based in any of our key markets. The Movember Foundation is in 21 countries now and has offices in four cities – Melbourne, Toronto, LA and London. I don’t have plans to relocate to Melbourne, but I will be travelling a lot between the offices.

TS: You worked as a nurse before embarking on your journey of being CEO for several organisations, what made you want to work in health?

OS: I initially stumbled into healthcare, having originally thought my career would be in journalism. I can thank my Mum for the introduction to the world of healthcare, as she was a clinical leader all her professional career. I have had incredible opportunities throughout my career in the healthcare sector and more lately in the charity sector. That is why I am so excited to have the opportunity to lead a global organisation at the forefront of both worlds.

TS: You were the CEO for Prostate Cancer UK and now CEO of the Movember Foundation. Why did this particular health cause call to you (men’s health)?

OS: From the earliest days of my clinical training, I have too often seen the huge impact that poor health has on the lives of men and the people that care about them. Men are dying years earlier than they need to and I passionately believe that this is a problem that must be solved.

TS: Do you think men’s health gets enough attention and coverage?

OS: Certainly not. However, I do think that is starting to change and the Movember Foundation has been a big part of that. We all need to do more – services need to be much better at meeting the needs of men, politicians and policy makers need to stop ignoring this issue and men need to step up and be more proactive. This will only happen if we keep the momentum going and that is why increased attention and coverage is vital.

TS: In an article for the Huffington Post you wrote, “As Chief Executive of Prostate Cancer UK, I’m happy to ruffle a few feathers and take approaches not usually associated with charities if it means saving men’s lives.”  What did you mean by this?

OS: It was all about challenging some of the standard ‘norms’ that too often limit the impact of charities. For example, we made sure that we talked to men the way that they talk to one another. We undertook work where men are, such as the pub or the footy, rather than where we thought they should be. We also challenged the traditional model that it is mainly women who engage with charities. More than two thirds of our donors were men, which is something I was very proud of. The Movember Foundation, in particular, is known for doing things differently and disrupting the status quo. We will continue working this way by funding projects that others might not, speaking about issues other organisations might not be able to or might not feel comfortable speaking about and, most importantly, changing the face of men’s health by getting men to take action when it comes to their health and wellbeing.

TS: You also wrote about the importance of volunteers. Do you think volunteer’s work is often forgotten about?

OS: Volunteers bring a unique value to charity sector organisations. The breadth of skills and contributions volunteers are making are not always properly acknowledged. Through my experiences in volunteer led organisations such as Victim Support, I have learnt that optimising the contributions of volunteers does take a real commitment of time, resource and effort from the very top of the charity – however, the energy and value they can add is enormous.

TS: What do you hope to accomplish in your new position? 

OS: The Movember Foundation is in a really unique position. As the world’s largest global men’s health organisation, we can use our reach to impact men’s health in a positive way. Everything that I do will be focused on leading the Movember Foundation to achieve it’s objective of changing the face of men’s health forever by building on the incredible things it has already achieved. We are clear that we are all about having fun whilst doing good. This is the best way to engage men, and society at large with the health issues men face, and so I know that any success I have will be underpinned by doing a lot of good and having a lot of fun!