Ocean Expertise

I’m an ocean sustainability and blue economy expert with 20+ years of experience (10 in organisational leadership roles). Currently, Im Director/Trustee at both the Marine Conservation Society, a leading ocean conservation charity in the UK. I also serve as Ocean and Finance Specialist at the United Nations Environment Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI). Previously, I was Senior Strategic Expert in Blue Economy at the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and Head of The Economist’s World Ocean Initiative.

As part of my role as Senior Strategic Expert in Blue Economy at UNIDO in 2024 I presented findings from the discussion paper I wrote, Blueprint for Sustainable Development: The Blue Industry Contribution to the Blue Economy Agenda, at the Expert Group Meeting in Vienna.

I was the head of the World Ocean Initiative (WOI) for around four years (2019-23). WOI is part of Economist Impact, which combines think-tank rigour, media brand creativity and global influence to catalyse growth and change in the world. Economist Impact brings together policy research and insights, data visualisation, custom storytelling, events and media under one brand. My mission was to support the sustainable development of the ocean economy by harnessing the convening power, research capabilities and media amplification of Economist Impact.

Examples of my achievements as WOI head include the publication of a major study on A sustainable ocean economy in 2030: Opportunities and challenges, a data visualisation on how the ocean flows through all 17 SDGs, introducing and running the Ocean Changemakers Challenge, and building a growing ocean community around the relaunched WOI website at impact.economist.com/ocean.

As head of the World Ocean Initiative I was primarily responsible for developing, shaping and implementing the Initiative’s vision and strategic objectives. This includes ensuring the Initiative’s leadership on global discussions on the Blue Economy as well as leading, developing and implementing the Initiative’s thematic areas of focus.

I have also played an important role in the development of the programme for the World Ocean Summit (WOS), the premier global event at which policymakers, business leaders, campaigners and scientists gather for a full and frank discussion about accelerating a sustainable ocean economy. I regularly moderate and speak at WOS and at other global ocean-related events.


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