T. Valerie Onu

Telojo "Telly" Valerie Onu
Finance, Strategic Partnerships & Transformation Specialist

Telojo "Telly" Valerie Onu is a distinguished expert in finance, strategic partnerships and organizational and digital transformation, who brings a unique blend of expertise in climate and disaster risk finance and insurance (CDRFI), alternative investments, and governance to drive transformative collaborations across the Caribbean region. Her integrative approach combines empathy-driven stakeholder engagement with innovative financing mechanisms and outcome-focused intervention design.

As the Management Director of Quintessence Consulting Inc., Telly orchestrates complex multi-stakeholder initiatives while designing governance frameworks and sophisticated financial instruments. As an impact-drive asset manager, under Valerie Capital Ltd., her work spans innovative investments and blended finance to partnership development, demonstrating her multidisciplinary and integrated approaches to financing.
Telly's multifaceted expertise is exemplified through several key achievements:
Governance & Alternative Investments:
Designing innovative financial products and alternative investment instruments
Developing governance frameworks for financial market infrastructure
Structuring sustainable financing mechanisms for development initiatives

Climate Finance & Risk Management:
Spearheading CDRFI product design that integrates risk-transfer instruments with ecosystem-based adaptation strategies
Implementing Technical Workshops on Parametric Product Design across six Caribbean Islands
Contributing to the Regional Renewable Energy Landscape Assessment under the UK Green Cities Infrastructure Programme
Contribution to the design of the new UK Climate Resilient Infrastructure Platform (UKCRIP) Facility under the UK Green Cities Infrastructure Programme
Strategic Partnerships & Transformation:
Leading strategic alliance programs that transformed the business incubation network in St. Vincent & the Grenadines and was utilised in ecosystem building across the Caribbean
Development entrepreneurship and innovation networks in the Caribbean.
Developing comprehensive partnership frameworks for major regional and international institutions
Facilitating high-impact stakeholder engagement programs resulting in successful public-private partnerships

Her approach to partnership development is distinguished by its focus on human-centered design and outcomes-based methodology, enhanced by deep understanding of financial mechanisms and risk management. This comprehensive perspective enables her to create partnerships that are not only collaborative but financially sustainable and resilient.

Telly holds an Executive Masters in eGovernance from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) in Lausanne, Switzerland, a PGCert in Climate Adaptation Finance from Frankfurt School of Finance & Management, and is a recipient of the prestigious 100 Women in Finance CAIA Charter Scholarship. Her academic credentials are complemented by extensive practical experience in facilitating transformational partnerships across the Caribbean region with the like of the Eastern Caribbean Central Bank (ECCB), German Savings Bank Foundation International, and work with regional and international organisations such as Climate Policy Development Centre (CPDC), Caribbean Export, Caricom Development Fund (CDF), GIZ and World Bank to name a few.

As a thought leader in Sustainable Finance & Ecosystem development, Telly brings expertise in:
Multi-stakeholder engagement and facilitation
Partnership strategy development and implementation
Innovative financing and risk management solutions
Climate resilience and adaptation strategies
Governance framework design
Alternative investment structuring
Change management and organizational transformation
Cross-sector collaboration frameworks

Through her integrative approach to partnership development and ecosystem development, Telly helps organizations create sustainable, resilient, and financially viable collaborative initiatives that drive meaningful change in the Caribbean region