OMEMO was modeled around Signals encryption. And I don't think being "respected" makes a persons statement less or more worthy, assuming we don't take into account this same individual failed to follow responsible disclosure and intentionally harassed aswell as spread FUD about the Matrix project. Something which has been audited by Ukraine, France and other reputable organisations.
Signals threat model is fundamentally flawed. If you distrust Signal infrastructure and need E2E to secure yourself then having a closed client from Google Play or App Store in direct control of the developers ensures nothing. XMPP is much more safe and reliable and uses the same encryption technology as Signal, or even Telegram as it allows non-official clients that also support E2E. Signal is useless. That and the fact Signal doesn't even run on some devices, whereas XMPP or Telegram usually will.