Passion, Purpose, and the Journey to Pax Foster Limited
My life’s purpose is simple: to build a meaningful career while creating lasting environmental impact. From an early age, I knew I was destined to work with the environment, the built space, and sustainability. Guided by passion, purpose, and destiny, I have invested my life in mastering environmental management, waste management, and sustainability research, while nurturing my love for teaching and mentoring.
Environmental protection isn’t just my profession—it’s my passion. From childhood to today, I’ve dedicated my life to building sustainable solutions and inspiring change.
As a child, I often wondered: Why can’t the whole town be as clean as our home?
A Childhood Shaped by Mentorship and Curiosity
I grew up in one of the rural towns in eastern Nigeria in a household where education, planning, and care for the environment were part of daily life. My father was a medical doctor, and my mother, a town planner, became my first mentor. From a young age, I accompanied her on urban renewal projects, building inspections, site analyses, and report preparations, gaining hands-on exposure to the built environment.
While other children played, I was immersed in her work, asking questions in rooms full of professionals and learning from her expertise. This early experience sparked my lifelong passion for the built environment, waste management, and sustainable planning.
Inside the hospital and our home, cleanliness and order prevailed—but stepping outside revealed a different world: smoke, dust, and unmanaged waste.
Even as a child, my natural concern for cleanliness and sanitation was recognized by everyone around me. In elementary school, I was often elected class sanitation monitor, and in secondary school, I became school sanitation prefect. My leadership in keeping our environments clean became a defining part of who I am.
“My love for the built environment and disdain for pollution shaped my path early on.”
“I knew what I loved, so I built the skills to do it exceptionally well—research, planning, and innovation in sustainability became my focus.”
From Passion to Profession: Academic Excellence
Knowing what I loved, I pursued a BSc in Urban and Regional Planning, excelling in subjects such as Urban Design, Architecture, Surveying, GIS, and Landscape Planning. I graduated as one of the top-performing students and was recognised as the best female student in my class. My academic excellence was shaped by early exposure to professional planning literature and active participation in conferences alongside my mother.
For my undergraduate project—Problems and Prospects of Waterfronts—I examined waste disposal along Nigerian waterfronts, proposing strategies to reduce marine pollution and create sustainable recreational and commercial spaces.
To deepen my expertise, I completed an MSc in Environmental Technology and Management, focusing on developing an electronic waste management system for higher institutions in Rivers State.
Professional Experience: Industry Impact and Leadership
My career began in the oil and gas sector, where I worked as a Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) Advisor at Total Energies and ENI. I led projects in:
Hazardous waste management (oil sludge, drilling waste)
Environmental monitoring and auditing
Sustainability and compliance initiatives
Even in these high-pressure roles, I continued to teach and mentor colleagues, delivering HSE inductions, creating training materials, and leading workshops. My ability to translate complex challenges into actionable solutions became a hallmark of my work.
Seeking to contribute to the global energy transition, I pursued a second master’s degree in Energy Transitions and Sustainability at Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, focusing on circular economy and waste management in renewable energy.
Leadership in Sustainability and Advocacy
At RGU, I gravitated naturally into leadership roles:
- Elected Head of the Climate Action Network, Go Green student group
- Passed a Fossil-Free motion, helping the university commit to divest from fossil fuels and invest in greener initiatives
- Delivered workshops on energy efficiency, personal sustainability, and behaviour change, earning 180 volunteering hours and a recognition award from the Student Union
- Supported the 2023 Higher Education Impact Ranking submission, drafting waste management policies, Net-Zero strategies, and sustainability procedures aligned with the UN SDGs.
This work positioned me for engagement with People & Planet UK, where I served as a Sustainability Researcher, contributing to the 2024 University League Tables assessment, and was subsequently elected Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees, a role I continue to hold.
The Birth of Pax Foster Limited
I realised I could make a broader impact by working with multiple organisations, rather than being confined to one. Through research and reflection, I identified my core strengths in:
- Environmental compliance
- Waste management
- ESG reporting
- Sustainability advisory
From this vision, Pax Foster Limited was born—an independent consultancy helping organisations integrate sustainability, compliance, and innovation into their operations.
“Pax Foster Limited embodies my purpose, passion, and commitment to making a measurable difference in the world.”