Legal team size: Three

Country you’re based in: Kenya

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Cynthia Opakas is an advocate of the High Court of Kenya with eight years’ legal experience in energy, natural resource and dispute resolution. Currently, Cynthia works at GreenMax Capital Group as legal counsel where she leads the legal front of the organisation’s core business lines which are in fund management, transaction advisory, and consulting within the renewable energy sector.

Cynthia is also an energy regulation expert and has supported Kenya’s regulator in developing and implementing various compliance processes under the country’s Energy Act 2019. She is trained in energy law, mineral law, and corporate governance. Cynthia is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and a mediator with the Kenyan judiciary.

Academically, Cynthia has an LLM in International Energy Law and Policy from the University of Dundee in the United Kingdom, a postgraduate diploma in Law from the Kenya School of Law and an LLB from Moi University in Kenya. Cynthia has also undertaken a number of professional training courses in the energy sector, including the University of Cape Town’s programme on risk management and leadership in the energy sector, as well as the Open Africa Power programme initiated by the Enel Foundation and co-managed by SEforALL. In addition, she holds a certificate in Climate Change Studies from the Oxford Climate Society.

Beyond her professional career, Cynthia is actively involved in social impact initiatives. She he volunteers as a member of the energy transition committee of the Association of Women in Energy and Extractives in Kenya (AWEIK) and is a board member of Spur Africa, a not-for-profit organisation focused on advancing education and providing social support for children in Kenya.