John helped establish the Council's focus on global health. Amongst his accomplishments with the Council were his contributions to an action plan on the Ebola crisis, which subsequently lead to the development of the 2017 Dublin Charter for One Health.
Professor John Wyn Owen's career spanned public, private and charity sectors in the UK and internationally, including National Health Service (NGS); the Civil Service as first Director of NHS Cymru Wales; Director General, NSW Health State Government, New South Wales and Chair, Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council; Director, United Medical Enterprises, a UK Government established company providing health services development globally for governments, aid agencies, the World Bank and WHO; prior to retirement, Secretary of the Nuffield Trust directing its programmes including global health, security and foreign policy. Previously a Member of the Hong Kong Chief Executive's SARS Expert Committee at the time of the outbreak and which report in 2003 "SARS in Hong Kong: From experience to action"; Until 2013, Wales member on the Board of the Health Protection Agency.