Guy Levene OBE

Guy Levene OBE is a former British Army Lieutenant Colonel, entrepreneur, conservationist and renewable energy innovator whose remarkable career spans military leadership, peacekeeping, sustainable tourism and engineering. Having spent more than 30 years serving in the British Army and working extensively across Africa, Guy is an experienced keynote speaker on leadership, resilience, adaptability and decision-making under pressure. Among his greatest achievements was being appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE, in the 2012 Queen’s Birthday Honours, recognising his work supporting the Eastern Africa Standby Force and strengthening regional peacekeeping capability.

Guy began his military journey at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in 1983, before serving in appointments across Germany, Northern Ireland, Canada, the Falkland Islands and Africa. Developing considerable expertise in logistics and operational planning, he became Senior Logistics and HR Officer in the Falkland Islands, responsible for supporting a 1,650-strong military and civilian establishment, managing a 6,000-mile supply chain and overseeing a £20 million annual capital works programme. Alongside his service, Guy strengthened his academic expertise with an MSc in Operations Management from the University of Manchester and an MA in Defence Studies from King’s College London. He later became Directing Staff at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, lecturing, mentoring and supporting military personnel drawn from across Africa.

In 2009, Guy was appointed Military Advisor to the Eastern Africa Standby Force, providing technical military advice to a multinational African peacekeeping force and supporting training connected with operations in Somalia. His work included liaison with the African Union, capacity building and infrastructure development, ultimately contributing to his appointment as an OBE in 2012. Guy subsequently channelled his experience into entrepreneurship and conservation, becoming Lodge Owner and Managing Director of Jember Ltd and developing Bale Mountain Lodge, an award-winning eco-lodge within Ethiopia’s Bale Mountains National Park. The venture combined sustainable tourism with conservation, scientific research and community development in one of Africa’s most important natural environments. Guy later returned to military service as British Military Advisor to the Ethiopian Peace Support Training Centre, helping develop training for Ethiopian personnel deployed on international peacekeeping operations. His wider commercial career has included logistics, security and land consultancy, as well as serving as Chief Executive Officer of Spiralis Energy from 2023 to 2025, where he helped advance innovative tidal energy technology. Today, he is the Founder of Greenwater Ventures, continuing his work on new approaches to renewable tidal power.

When hired as a keynote speaker, Guy gives audiences access to lessons developed through situations where leadership, judgement and adaptability carried genuine consequences. Drawing on experiences that include military operations, entrepreneurship, the Ethiopian civil war and being held hostage for seven weeks by an armed group, Guy combines humour, honesty and compelling storytelling with practical lessons audiences can apply to leadership and business. His philosophy captures the spirit of his career: ‘Every worthwhile thing I’ve ever done began with somebody telling me it couldn’t be done.’