Federica Mogherini has been the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission since 1 November 2014.

She was the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs from February to October 2014 and a Member of the Italian Parliament (Chamber of Deputies), where she was elected for the first time in 2008. In her parliamentary capacity, she was the Head of the Italian Delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and Vice-President of its Political Committee (2013-2014); member of the Italian Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (2008-2013); Secretary of the Defence Committee (2008-2013) and member of the Foreign Affairs Committee.

 

Karmenu Vella is the European Commissioner for Environment, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs. He was born in Malta in June 1950. Mr Vella graduated in Architecture and Civil Engineering, and later obtained a Master of Science in Tourism Management from the University of Sheffield. He was first elected to Parliament in 1976 and continued to be re-elected in the elections that followed for nine consecutive times. During his political career he has exercised governmental responsibilities as Minister for Public Works, as Minister for Industry and twice as Minister for Tourism. Mr Vella had also held various senior posts in the private sector.

As European Commissioner, he is mandated to engage in shaping international ocean governance in the UN, in other multilateral fora and bilaterally with key global partners of the EU. As a part of his mandate, he has presented in November 2016 – together with the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy – the European Commission's strategy "International ocean governance: an agenda for the future of our oceans".

 

Dr Joseph Muscat was born on 22 January 1974. He graduated with Honours from the University of Malta in Public Policy and later as Master of European Studies. In 2007 he attained a Doctorate of Philosophy in Management Research from the University of Bristol. He successfully contested the first European Parliamentary elections in Malta in 2004. In 2006 he was the recipient of the Outstanding Young Person of the Year. In June 2008 he was elected as the Leader of the Partit Laburista.

Dr Muscat took office as Prime Minister of Malta on 11 March 2013 and was re-elected on 3 June 2017.Prime Minister Muscat is currently the Commonwealth Chair-in-Office and in the first half of 2017 led Malta’s Presidency of the European Union. He is married to Michelle and they have twin daughters, Etoile Ella and Soleil Sophie.

 

Sylvia A. Earle is a National Geographic Society Explorer in Residence, Founder of Mission Blue, Founder of Deep Ocean Exploration and Research Inc. (DOER), Ocean Elder, and former Chief Scientist of NOAA. Author of more than 200 publications and leader of more than 100 expeditions with over 7,000 hours underwater, Dr. Earle is a graduate of Florida State University with M.A. and PhD. degrees from Duke University and 29 honorary doctorates. Her research concerns the ecology and conservation of marine ecosystems and development of technologies for access to the deep sea. She is the subject of the Emmy Award winning Netflix film, Mission Blue. She is the recipient of more than 100 honors and awards including Time Magazine’s first Hero for the Planet, a Library of Congress Living Legend, UNEP Champion of the Earth, Glamour Magazine’s Woman of the Year, the 2009 TED Prize, the Explorers Club Medal, the Royal Geographic Society Patron’s Medal, and the National Geographic Hubbard Medal. Dr. Earle is a tireless advocate for Marine Protected Areas.

 

Emily Penn is an Ocean advocate and Skipper. She has seen first-hand how much plastic ends up in our ocean. She has organised the largest ever community-led waste cleanup from a tiny Tongan island, trawled for microplastics on a voyage through the Arctic Northwest Passage, rounded the planet on the record-breaking bio fuelled boat Earthrace, and worked on a sailing cargo ship trading western supplies for coconuts. Emily Penn splits her time between running eXXpedition - a series of all female voyages to expose the ‘invisible’ microplastic and toxic pollution in our seas - and working on solving the ocean plastics issue with Parley for the Oceans and other corporate clients.

Prior to this, Penn co-founded Pangaea Explorations to enable scientists, filmmakers and everyday people gain access to the most remote parts of our planet via a 72ft sailing expedition vessel; collecting data on global issues and along the way discovered previously unknown oceanic gyres – huge areas of plastic pollution accumulation.

 

Adrian Grenier is an actor, filmmaker, social good advocate and now UN Environment Ambassador raised in New York City. As an actor he is best known for playing the iconic role of A-list movie star Vincent Chase in eight seasons of the HBO smash hit “Entourage.” Grenier broadened his work behind the camera as a documentary filmmaker through his company Reckless Productions. He is also a passionate environmentalist who actively supports organizations focused on habit-changing education including The SHFT Mobile Kitchen Classroom and the Lonely Whale Foundation. Grenier serves as a social good advocate on behalf of Dell, championing healthier, eco-friendly choices through digital storytelling and advocacy.

 

Afroz Shah is a practising lawyer / counsel at Bombay High Court. Afroz Shah is a LLM (GOLD MEDALIST) - Master in law from Mumbai University. His area of practise includes appearing in constitutional challenges to acts of legislature, write petition, Arbitration, Suits, etc.. He has appeared in several landmark cases like service tax matters. He is also a Special counsel for the Government of India at Bombay High court. Shah is an ocean lover, child of the environment and a beach cleaner. He has been cleaning the beach, the ocean and the mangrove for past 100 weeks along with volunteers. Thousands of volunteers are cleaning with Afroz Shah every week. The UN has labelled this beach clean-up the biggest beach clean-up in the world history. More than 7.2 million kgs of plastic and filth has been removed from the ocean and the beach. In Afroz Shah’s words “The cleaning will continue till the ocean is made plastic and filth free”.

Apart from cleaning the beach, Shah is also running awareness programme in schools, colleges, commercial establishment on how to handle plastic and to reduce the empathy to plastic. Afroz Shah is the recipient of the highest international environmental award by the UN Environment – Champions of Earth for 2016; equivalent to the Nobel prize in the field of environment protection. Shah is the first Indian to receive this highest UN Environment award. Shri Narender Modi , the Prime Minister of India called “Afroz shah “an inspiration for the entire country. Afroz Shah intends to practice as lawyer and at the same time continue the cleaning of the environment and the ocean. He wants this successful model of clean-up to replicated all over India and the world. He gives a simple message to people by his action that we must build our bond with the environment and the ocean and the water bodies.

 

Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is a marine biologist, policy expert, conservation strategist, and Brooklyn native. She is founder of Ocean Collectiv, a strategy consulting firm for conservation solutions grounded in social justice. She teaches at New York University as an adjunct professor, and volunteered as co-director of partnerships for the March for Science. As executive director of the Waitt Institute, Ayana Johnson co-founded the Blue Halo Initiative and led the Caribbean’s first successful island-wide ocean zoning effort. Previously, she worked on ocean policy at the EPA and NOAA, and was recently a TED resident and Aspen Institute fellow. She blogs and tweets about how we can use the ocean without using it up on the National Geographic blog and @ayanaeliza.

 

Isabella Lövin is Minister for International Development Cooperation and climate of Sweden, and Deputy Prime Minister. She is also spokesperson of the Green party. She is co-chair of the International Dialogue on Peacebuilding and Statebuilding. Former elected Member of the European Parliament (2009–2014) where she was a leading member of the Greens in the Fisheries and Development Committees, involved in the reform of the EU Common Fisheries Policy.

 

Sun Shuxian was born in January 1966 in Shandong Province of China and graduated from the Environment Management Major of China Ocean University. He is long dedicated to ocean science and technology, ocean management and law enforcement during his career in State Oceanic Administration (SOA), serving on such posts as Director-General of Sea Use Management Department, Director-General of the First Institute of Oceanography, Party Secretary and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of China Marine Surveillance, and Chief-Engineer of SOA. He is now the Deputy Administrator of SOA as well as China Coast Guard.

 

Nicky Davies is an environmental lawyer by training and is currently on the Board of Directors of the Oil and Gas Action Network and PlugIn America; she lives in Oakland California. Nicky Davies has been the Program Director of the Plastics Solutions Fund since its launch in January 2017. From 2012 to 2016 she was the Program Director of Greenpeace USA and the Deputy Head of Climate and Energy Campaigns for Greenpeace International from 2007 unil 2012. Prior to that Nicky ran a small NGO in her native Australia, working across a whole range of local environmental issues, including climate change, waste management & water conservation.

 

Dr. Enric Sala is a former university professor who saw himself writing the obituary of ocean life, and quit academia to become a full-time conservationist as a National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence. He founded and leads National Geographic Pristine Seas, a project that combines exploration, research, and media to inspire country leaders to protect the last wild places in the ocean. To date, Pristine Seas has helped to create 15 of the largest marine reserves on the planet, covering an area of over 5 million square km. Enric Sala has received many honors, including 2008 World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader, and fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Sala serves on the boards of the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Global Fishing Watch, and the National Aquarium, and advises international organizations and governments.

 

Heraldo Muñoz is the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile. He has served as Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Assistant Administrator and Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean of the UNDP.

Mr. Muñoz served as Ambassador-Permanent Representative of Chile to the UN. He was the Chairman of the UN Peace-Building Commission, Facilitator of the UN Security Council Reform Consultations, and President of the UN Security Council. He was also Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry into the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto. He has held several positions in the Government of Chile: Minister Secretary General of Government, Deputy Foreign Minister, Ambassador of Chile to Brazil and Ambassador of Chile to the OAS. He has written and edited over a dozen books. His book, The Dictator’s Shadow, won the 2009 WOLA-Duke University Book Award. His latest book is “Getting Away with Murder: The Assassination of Benazir Bhutto and the Politics of Pakistan”.

 

Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard (Beauséjour), Canada. Dominic LeBlanc was first elected to the House of Commons in November 2000 and re-elected in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2011 and 2015. He was appointed as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard in May 2016. He also served as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons from November 2015 to August 2016.

Mr. LeBlanc has served on the Special Committee on Non-Medical Use of Drugs and the Standing Committees on Fisheries and Oceans, Transport and Government Operations, National Defence and Veterans Affairs, Public Accounts, Procedures and House Affairs, International Trade, Justice and Human Rights, and Foreign Affairs. He has also served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence. On July 10, 2004, Mr. LeBlanc was sworn in as a Member of the Privy Council for Canada and appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Deputy Chief Government Whip. He has served as Opposition Critic for International Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, Justice, Defence, and Foreign Affairs. Mr. LeBlanc received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Toronto (Trinity College), a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New Brunswick, and a Masters of Law from Harvard Law School. Academic successes include the Dean’s List at the University of New Brunswick’s Faculty of Law, a scholarship from the New Brunswick Branch of the Canadian Bar Association, and the Graduating Average Prize from the University of Toronto (Trinity College). Prior to his election to the House of Commons, Mr. LeBlanc was a barrister and solicitor with Clark Drummie in Shediac and Moncton, New Brunswick. From 1993 to 1996, Mr. LeBlanc was special advisor to the Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien. Mr. LeBlanc is married to Jolène Richard, a judge of the Provincial Court of New Brunswick.

 

Hon Dalton Tagelagi is the current Minister for Natural Resources,Government of Niue and serving his second term as a Cabinet Minister.  His previous portfolio include Telecommunication, Power Generation, Broadcasting, Maritime and Civil Aviation.  

Hon Dalton Tagelagi have led a number of high level negotiation teams on behalf of the Government of Niue and had
undertaken the role of Acting Premier of Niue and Foreign Affairs Minister from time to time.  He is a sports enthusiast and have represented Niue at the Pacific Games and Commonwealth Games.

 

Henry Puna, Prime Minister, Cook Islands. Prime Minister Henry Puna has a degree in law from the University of Auckland in New Zealand and the University of Tasmania in Australia. He practiced law for several years before entering politics. As a public servant Prime Minister Puna has held the Head of Ministry position of Secretary of the Cook Islands Ministry of Transport.

Prime Minister Puna won his seat in Parliament at a 2005 by-election in the constituency of Manihiki. In September 2006, following the retirement of party leader Sir Geoffrey Henry, he was elected leader of the Cook Islands Party. He was re-elected as MP for Manihiki during the 2010 election.On 30 November 2010 he was sworn in as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands.

 

Jeremy Darroch, Group Chief Executive Officer, Sky. Jeremy Darroch joined Sky as Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director in 2004 and was appointed to his current role in December 2007. Jeremy has extensive experience in the retailing and fast-moving consumer goods sectors. Prior to joining Sky, he was Group Finance Director of DSG International plc, formerly Dixons Group plc. He has also spent 12 years at Procter & Gamble in a variety of roles in the UK and Europe. Jeremy is a former Non-Executive Director and Chairman of the Audit Committee of Marks and Spencer Group plc from 2006 to 2013.

 

Wietse van der Werf, Chief Executive Officer, Sea Ranger Service. Actively involved in environmental conservation since 1996, Van der Werf has initiated initiatives that bring citizen participation to ocean conservation. His efforts training Citizen Inspectors to collect data on illegal fishing and the mobilisation of private pilots to donate flying hours for environmental monitoring purposes earned him the prestigious Future for Nature Award in 2016. His focus in recent years has been on launching The Sea Ranger Service: the world’s first international maritime ranger service. The initiative, which has been established as a social enterprise, follows an approach that simultaneously tackles youth unemployment, redevelops derelict port areas and regenerates marine biodiversity. Running the Sea Ranger Service as a business instead of an NGO is ensuring the implementation of conservation measures at sea can be realised more cost-effectively and financially sustainably.

 

Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent, Senior Fellow, Oceans Beyond Piracy. After reading mathematics at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, Admiral Sir James Burnell-Nugent served in the Royal Navy for 37 years, latterly as Second Sea Lord and then Commander-in-Chief Fleet, retiring in 2007. He commanded the conventional submarine HMS OLYMPUS, the nuclear submarine HMS CONQUEROR, the frigate HMS BRILLIANT and the aircraft carrier HMS INVINCIBLE. He saw active service in Northern Ireland, the Cold War and in the Bosnia, Iraq, Kosovo and Afghanistan Campaigns. When not in command, Sir James served in the Ministry of Defence, undertaking leading roles in long term strategic planning and resourcing. In recognition of his contribution to change and efficiency programmes in the MoD, he was loaned to HM Treasury to work on the same themes across Government. He was awarded an operational CBE for inspirational leadership in 1999 and knighted by Her Majesty the Queen in 2004.

Since 2008 he has built up a portfolio of non-executive roles in the private and not for profit sectors. He is a Non Executive Director of the FTSE 250 defence and security technology company QinetiQ, Chairman of Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Chairman of a renewable energy start up, Witt Ltd. He is a Senior Advisor to the investment bank Evercore, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Risk Intelligence, based in Copenhagen, and a Senior Advisor to the resilience practice, Regester Larkin by Deloitte. He has been an advisor to Shell Shipping and the Oil Companies International Marine Forum on Maritime Security and is currently a Senior Fellow of the NGO, The One Earth Future Foundation, based in Colorado, with a particular interest in Maritime Security. He has his own company, Orchard Leadership, which helps with leadership development of individuals and small organisations. He is Vice Chairman of the St Paul’s Cathedral Annual National Service for Seafarers, a Governor of Stowe School and a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. His family have lived in Devon since 1976. He was High Sheriff of Devon in 2015-16.

 

Prof. Robert Dussey is the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation and African Integration of Togo.

He has been University Professor of Political Philosophy at University of Lomé and has served as a Diplomatic Advisor to the President of the Togolese Republic. He has been Member of the Africa Bureau of Community of Sant’Edigio, Rome, Italy. and was a Special Ombudsman of that Community. He has written and edited many books, novels, political and philosophical essays and numerous papers on philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes and Emmanuel Kant. He has published essays on political and social issues such as, inter alia: HIV-AIDS, armed conflicts and sustainable peace and reconciliation in Africa, armies in Africa, political pluralism and democratic challenges in Africa etc. One of his most famous essays is “L’Afrique malade de ses hommes politiques” (an essay on political governance in Africa).

 

Danny Faure, President of the Republic of Seychelles. Mr. Faure was sworn in as President of the Republic of Seychelles On 16th October 2016. Before, in July 2010, Mr Faure was appointed Vice-President holding Ministerial portfolios for Finance and Trade, Public Administration, and Information Communication Technology.

He has overseen the implementation of the first generation of reforms under the macro economic reform programme which started in October 2008. He continues to direct the second generation of reforms as part of the on-going economic programme. As a young man, Danny Faure worked with the SPPF organization. He became the Chairman of its Youth Wing and was elected as a member of the Central Committee of the Party. In June 2009 he was appointed Secretary General of the Party. With the return of Multi-Party in Seychelles in 1993, Danny Faure was appointed Leader of Government Business of the majority Party in the National Assembly, a post he served for 5 years. Danny Faure was first appointed as Minister in April 1998 when he became Minister for Education, In 2001, he assumed the role of Minister for Education and Youth, which he held until July 2006. In 2006, Mr Faure was appointed Minister for Finance. He was assigned portfolio responsibilities for Trade in July 2007 and Industries in August 2009. He was appointed Designated Minister in April 2004 up to June 2010.

 

Susi Pudjiastuti, Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia. Susi Pudjiastuti was appointed Minister of Marine Affairs and Fisheries under President Joko Widodo’s administration on October 27, 2014. She was selected as Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries by Jokowi in the initial round of cabinet appointments, on October 26, 2014.

Susi is an entrepreneur, and is the former owner and CEO of ASI Pudjiastuti Aviation, which operates chartered and commuter service airline Susi Air. She began her career as a fishbroker in Pangandaran, West Java, and in 1996 opened a fish processing facility under her company ASI Pudjiastuti Marine Project. She also owns the famous “Susi Brand” lobster.

 

Yury Fedotov, UNODC Executive Director. Mr. Yury Fedotov was appointed by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as the Russian Federation Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV) on 9 July 2010. He holds the rank of Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. Mr. Fedotov is a member of the UN Systems Chief Executive Board, and he is the Co-chair of the Principals meetings of the UN Task Force on Transnational Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking. Prior to becoming Director General/Executive Director of UNOV/UNODC, Mr. Fedotov served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Court of St. James's in London for five years. Before that, from 2002 to 2005, he was the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation for International Organizations. Mr. Fedotov started his foreign service in 1972 as a member of the USSR delegation to the United Nations Disarmament Committee in Geneva.

 

François Lombard, Senior Vice President, Intelligence business, Airbus Defence and Space, CIS. François Lombard leads the Intelligence business within Airbus Defence and Space, covering half a billion Euros of revenues and 1,800 employees across 5 continents, in the field of satellite imagery, geospatial services and governmental intelligence solutions. Lombard has held different top executive positions in Airbus mainly in Business Development, Strategy and Operations in the defence and space segments. Amongst others he was responsible for the strategic development of the Airbus Satellite Unit as well as the international operations of the Airbus Electronics Business Line, leading industrial activities and several joint-ventures mainly in the US, India, South Africa and Russia. Before joining Airbus, Lombard worked for renowned US and German car manufacturers in finance, after sales and logistics. François Lombard studied Business Administration in France and Denmark and holds a Master’s Degree in Finance. He speaks French, English and German fluently.

 

Hans Bruyninckx is the Executive Director of the European Environment Agency, since 1 June, 2013. In 1996 Dr Bruyninckx completed a PhD in international environmental politics at Colorado State University. From 2010 until his appointment at the EEA, he was head of the HIVA Research Institute in Leuven, Belgium, a policy-oriented research institute associated with the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, where he was also head of the Political Science department from 2007 to 2010. Over the last 20 years, Bruyninckx has conducted research in more than a dozen countries, in areas including environmental politics, climate change, and sustainable development. He has taught on global environmental politics and global environmental governance in relation to the European Union (EU), publishing extensively on EU environmental policies and its role as an actor in global environmental governance. Throughout his career Dr Bruyninckx has worked with governmental agencies, civil society and businesses, often in an advisory role.

 

Pascal Lamy served for two consecutive terms as General Director of the World Trade Organization (WTO) from September 2005 to August 2013.

He was Chief of Staff for the President of the European Commission, Jacques Delors from 1985 to 1994. He then joined Credit Lyonnais as CEO until 1999, before returning to Brussels as European Trade Commissioner until 2004. Pascal Lamy was appointed, in 2015, interministerial delegate for the preparation of the French candidature for the Universal Exhibition 2025, and in 2016 President of the French Committee of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC) and chair of the European group of experts in charge of evaluating the impact of EU research funding. He shares his other activities between the Jacques Delors Institute (President emeritus), the presidency of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics, as well as various mandates or missions related to global, European or French affairs. He was a member of the Global Ocean Commission (2013-2016).

 

Neven Mimica, European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development.

Neven Mimica is a Croatian politician and diplomat, currently holding the position of European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development. Previous positions in his extensive career in public service include: Deputy Minister for Economic Affairs (2000) and Chief Negotiator for the Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union (2000-2001); Minister for European Integration (2001-2003); Deputy Speaker (2007-2011) and Chairman of the European Integration Committee (2003-2011) in the Croatian Parliament; Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Internal, Foreign and European policy (2011-2013). European Commissioner for Consumer Policy (2013-2014). Born in 1953 in Split, Croatia. He is married, with two children.

 

Laura Tuck is the World Bank’s Vice President for Sustainable Development. Her responsibilities include Agriculture; Climate Change; Energy and Extractives; Environment and Natural Resources; Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience; Transport and ICT and Water. Prior to this, Ms. Tuck was the Vice President for the Europe and Central Asia Region (ECA), following 26 years of extensive experience in sustainable development across the ECA, Latin America and Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa, and Africa Regions of the World Bank. Before joining the World Bank, Ms. Tuck worked for several consulting firms in the area of agricultural policy, food policy, and food needs assessments. She also served on the faculty of Princeton University as part of a university research project, and worked and lived in Africa between 1980 and 1987. Ms. Tuck has an MPA from Princeton University in Economics and Public Policy and a BA from the University of California at Davis in Economics. She is married and has two grown children.

 

Jonathan Taylor has been a Vice President of the European Investment Bank since January 2013. He is a member of the EIB’s Management Committee which draws up the Bank's financial and lending policies, oversees its day-to-day business, and takes collective responsibility for the Bank’s performance. Mr Taylor has particular responsibility for the Bank’s activities in Greece, Cyprus, the United Kingdom and China, Mongolia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. He also leads on the Bank’s work in climate action, circular economy and in other environmental lending policies. Internally, he is responsible for a range of control functions, such as audit, compliance and related matters. Mr Taylor was previously Director General of Financial Services and Stability at HM Treasury (the UK Finance Ministry). He has held a range of posts in both the private and public sectors. He is a graduate of the University of Oxford, in Philosophy, Politics and Economics.

 

Adam M. Goldstein was named President & COO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. in 2014. Goldstein oversees the corporation’s shared services portfolio including HR, IT, Safety & Environment, Supply Chain Management, Corporate Communications, Government Relations, Commercial Development, Risk Management and Destination Relations. Goldstein currently serves as Chair of the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA). In 2015/2016, he served as Chair of the Board of Directors of Cruise Lines International Association, or CLIA. Previously, Goldstein served as the National Chair of the Travel Industry Association of America (now U.S. Travel Association) in 2001 and has been inducted into the Travel Industry Hall of Leaders. He also serves on the Energy Security Leadership Council, a leadership affiliate of Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) in Washington D.C. Goldstein graduated with honors from Princeton University. He also has a law degree from Harvard University and an MBA with distinction from INSEAD, the European business school in Fontainebleau, France.

 

Thierry Kalanquin is the Chief Executive Officer of Naval Energies, a world leader in marine renewable energies (MRE) providing turnkey power generation systems. Since 2014, Thierry Kalanquin has been at the head of the Marine Energy and Infrastructures activities of Naval Group (ex-DCNS Group). In parallel, he takes over as non-executive chairman of OpenHydro, an Irish start-up and commercial and technological leader of the tidal-turbine market, now subsidiary of Naval Energies. In Naval Group, he previously held the position of Director of the Services Division. Thierry is a member of the Group Executive Committee. Thierry Kalanquin was appointed co-president of Ocean Energy Europe, the largest network of ocean energy professionals in the world, in July 2016. Graduated from Ecole Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, Thierry Kalanquin, 54, was previously Director of the Lighting Division of the Valéo Group. He had operational and strategic responsibility for all lighting operations worldwide. From 1987 to 2005, Thierry Kalanquin held different management positions at Möller, a Tier-1 automotive equipment supplier, contributing to the international growth of this family-owned business.

 

Maria Damanaki is the Global Managing Director for the Ocean at The Nature Conservancy. Previously, she served as the European Union Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. Under her leadership, the Commission brought fish populations back to healthier levels—from as few as five sustainable stocks in 2010 to up to 27 today. Damanaki was also a member of the Greek Parliament, and has authored several books on European issues, human rights, education, and women’s rights. She received an MSc in Chemical Engineering from the National Technical University of Athens.

 

Steven Adolf, Author and Researcher. Steven Adolf is a sustainable fisheries policy researcher and economist specialized in tuna fisheries. He worked as senior journalist, writer and media consultant. He has a deep knowledge on value and supply chain analyses in the tuna trade, sustainable fishery management, on European tuna fishery policies in the Mediterranean and the management of tuna stocks in the Western and Central Pacific, as well as on matters of eco-labelling and environmental ocean policy. He is PhD-researcher for the BesTTuna project on sustainable tuna fisheries at the Dutch Wageningen University and has been moderator and speaker at various Tuna Conferences. He wrote several non-fiction books, among which ‘Giant Tuna’ (2009, 2014) about the bluefin tuna telling a millennia old history of the first industrialized fisheries. A new, completely updated version of the book will be published later this year by Springer. This will count not only the story of bluefin, but of all the tuna species and the struggle to create a global sustainable fisheries of the species.

 

Dr. Sloans Kalumba Chimatiro, Focal Country Director, WorldFish. Dr. Sloans Chimatiro is a fisheries and aquaculture specialist with more than 20 years’ experience of research in fisheries and aquaculture, as well as fisheries administration, policy reform and management. He helped formulate the NEPAD Fisheries and Aquaculture Action Plan in 2005 that was endorsed by African Union Heads of State and Governments during the Abuja Summit in August 2005, as a precursor to the current AU Fisheries Policy. Between 2006 and September 2014, he was the Head of Fisheries at NEPAD, where he was responsible for the development of the the Common African Union Fisheries Policy and assisting African countries and Regional Economic Communities and Regional Fisheries Bodies to design and implement fisheries policy and governance reform. Currently he works for the WorldFish as a Coordinator of a Pan-African FishTrade Program, and acting Country Director for Zambia and Tanzania. Before joining NEPAD Agency in 2006, he was the Director of Fisheries in Malawi.

 

Steve Trent, Executive Director, Environmental Justice Foundation. Steve Trent has over 25 years experience in environmental and human rights campaigning. He is co-founder of the Environmental Justice Foundation (EJF) www.ejfoundation.org, headquartered in London and serves as the organisations Executive Director; he co- founded the US-based organisation WildAid www.wildaid.org, where he served as President for over a decade and led their programs in China and India. Prior to this Trent was the Campaigns Director at the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA). He has led advocacy and communications campaigns, field programs and investigations in over 40 countries.

 

Premdut Koonjoo, Minister of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Republic Of Mauritius. Premdut Koonjoo, born in Mauritius is the Minister of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping in the Republic of Mauritius. Holder of a BA and MA in Economics, he completed his studies in New Delhi before joining politics in Mauritius in 1974. From 1976 to 1986 he served as Head of Economics section in secondary schools in Mauritius.

Premdut Koonjoo became Minister of Local Government of the Republic of Mauritius in 1993 until 1995. Before this he served the country as Private Parliamentary Secretary from 1991 to 1993. After his election as Member of Parliament in 2000, he was once again appointed as minister in the government. In 2010 he served as ambassador of Mauritius in Malaysia before resigning after 8 months. In 2014, Premdut Koonjoo decided to take part in the last general elections in Mauritius alongside Sir Anerood Jugnauth. Following his election as 3rd member in the 11th constituency in Mauritius, he was appointed as Minister of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries, Shipping and Outer Island. In January 2017 he was once again appointed as Minister of Ocean Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping.

 

Isabel García Tejerina, Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Environment, Kingdom of Spain.

Isabel García Tejerina, born in Valladolid (Spain) is, since 2014, the Spanish Minister of Agriculture, Fishery, Food and Environment. Agronomist and Lawyer, she has developed most of her career in the public sector where she has played a variety of roles within the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery, Food and Environment. Previously, she also gathered relevant experience in the private sector, with several years of work at Fertiberia, where she was responsible for the departments on Research, Development and Innovation, Market Research, and Research and Agricultural Service.

 

Mr. José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. José Graziano da Silva has worked on food security, rural development, and agriculture issues for over 30 years, most notably as the architect of Brazil’s Zero Hunger (Fome Zero) programme and now as the Director-General of FAO. Graziano da Silva led the team that designed the Zero Hunger programme, and, in 2003, was charged by then-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to implement the programme as Special Minister of Food Security and the Fight against Hunger. He headed the FAO Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean from 2006 to 2011. Elected Director-General of FAO, he took up office on 1 January 2012. After his first term from 1 January 2012 to 31 July 2015, Graziano da Silva was re-elected for a second 4 year-term (1 August 2015 to 31 July 2019) with the votes of 177 countries during FAO's 39th Conference. At the helm of FAO, Graziano da Silva has sharpened the Organization’s strategic focus; and is strengthening its field presence. He is also working to instill a best value-for-money culture. At the international level, he is working to build consensus on food security-related issues. Graziano da Silva holds a Bachelor's Degree in Agronomy and a Master's Degree in Rural Economics and Sociology from the University of São Paulo (USP), and a Ph.D. in Economic Sciences from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He also has post-Doctorate Degrees in Latin American Studies (University College of London) and Environmental Studies (University of California, Santa Cruz).

 

Guy Ryder has been Director-General of the International Labour Organization, Since October 2012. He has been steering the Organization to ensure a better future for all in the world of work, anticipating and responding to 21st century realities while remaining true to the ILO’s social justice mandate. Guy Ryder previously served the ILO as Executive Director, responsible for labour standards and fundamental principles and rights at work, Director of the Office of the Director-General and Director of the Bureau for Workers’ Activities. With a strong background in the trade union movement, in 2002 he was appointed General Secretary of the ICFTU, leading the process of global unification of the democratic international trade union movement. He was elected as first General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) when it was created in 2006. Guy Ryder was re-elected as ILO Director-General by the ILO's Governing Body on 7 November 2016 with overwhelming support across the "ILO's tripartite constituency".His second term started on 1 October 2017.

 

Artur Min, Vice President, Product at Vulcan Inc. & Head of Paul G. Allen Philanthropies. As Vulcan’s Vice President of Philanthropy and leader of Paul G. Allen Philanthropies, Art works to extend the reach and impact of Paul Allen’s catalytic philanthropy across current focus areas, including biodiversity, climate, combating homelessness, and the arts. Art has a strong record of turning ideas into products, programs, and impact, as well as deep experience in market research, analysis, and evaluation frameworks. Prior to joining Vulcan, Art served as Vice President at Dell, and as an executive at leading technology companies. Art earned his Bachelor of Science in Finance from the University of Florida.

 

Lasse Gustavsson, Executive Director Europe, Oceana. Lasse is passionate about the oceans and has a lifetime commitment to sustainable development and social change. With almost 3 decades of leadership experience in Greenpeace, WWF and Traffic Lasse now serves as Executive Director for Oceana in Europe. He has led international organisations, programmes and campaigns, developed partnerships with business, run constructive political lobbying efforts as well as led conservation programmes in the field. He always gives great priority to impact on the ground. Lasse has his academic training in International Relations, Human Ecology and Development Science at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. Oceana is the world’s largest marine organization working exclusively to protect and restore the Wold’s oceans. With the motto ‘Save the Oceans, Feed the world’ Oceana seeks to restore ocean abundance by winning policy victories in the countries that govern much of the world's marine life.

 

Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, Director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland. Ove Hoegh-Guldberg is Professor of Marine Studies and Director of the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, where he specialises in the effect of climate change on the ocean, particularly the challenges that face coral reefs. Using a range of laboratory as well as field tools, he has explored the impacts of rapid ocean warming and acidification on tropical organisms, publishing over 300 scientific articles which have been cited over 25,000 times. Much of this work has focused on how coral reefs might change over the present century, and has identified a range of serious consequences for the millions of people living along tropical coastlines. In terms of driving a scientific consensus on these issues, he was the Coordinating Lead Author (CLA) for the 5th Assessment Report (AR5) of the IPCC and is currently a CLA for the IPCC Special Report on the Implications of 1.5oC. Ove has also been involved in the communication of science through a range of organisations including the World Bank and UNESCO, as well as working with leading documentary makers such as the Sir David Attenborough and Jeff Orlowski (e.g. Award winning ‘Chasing Coral’, 2017).

 

Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir, Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture in Iceland. Mrs. Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir has has extensive experience in politics and public administration and has been a key figure in Icelandic politics for nearly two decades. She was appointed Minister of Fisheries and Agriculture in January 2017, having served as Minister of Education, Science and Culture from 2004 – 2009. Apart from three years in the private sector (2013-2016), Þorgerður has been a member of Parliament since 1999. She graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Iceland in 1993.

 

Simon Stiell, Minister of Blue Economy and Education, Grenada. Simon’s professional background is both varied and extensive, covering both the private and public sectors with experience gained regionally and internationally. This range of experience extends from government minister and politician, to entrepreneur, businessman and senior international corporate manager. Simon currently holds the portfolio of Minister for Education and Human Resource Development within the Government of Grenada. He previously held the positions of Minister of State with responsibility for Human Resource Development and the Environment and Parliamentary Secretary within the Ministry of Agriculture, Lands, Forestry and Fisheries within the same administration. Simon also currently serves as Leader of Government Business in Grenada’s Senate. Prior to his return to Grenada, Simon had a successful career spanning some fourteen years within the technology sector, holding senior management positions in a number of industry leading companies, from Silicon Valley based technology start-ups, to major corporations including Nokia and G.E.C. Simon originally trained as an engineer and holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Westminster in the United Kingdom.

 

John Frank is Microsoft's Vice President, EU Government Affairs. In this role, John leads Microsoft’s government affairs teams in Brussels and European national capitals on EU issues. For his first eight years at Microsoft, John was based at Microsoft’s European headquarters in Paris. Initially he was responsible for the legal and regulatory issues involved in the launch of the Microsoft Network (now MSN). From 1996 to 2002, Mr. Frank led Microsoft’s Legal and Corporate Affairs group for Europe, Middle East and Africa focusing on issues including privacy, security, consumer protection and antitrust. Mr. Frank began the company’s European Government Affairs program, which focused on advocacy on software and online policy issues. Prior to joining Microsoft, John Frank practiced law in San Francisco with Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom. Mr. Frank received his A.B. degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University and his J.D. from Columbia Law School.

 

José Soares Dos Santos was born in 1962, he graduated in Marine Biology from Lisbon Classic University in 1986. Alumni Member at IMD (1995), Harvard (1997) and Stanford (2000). Board member of Jerónimo Martins from 1995 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2015. Board member of Sociedade Francisco Manuel dos Santos, SGPS, S.E., since 2001. CEO of Sociedade Francisco Manuel dos Santos B.V., main Shareholder of Jerónimo Martins, SGPS, S.A.. Board member of Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos since 2009. He is Chairman of Unilever Jerónimo Martins, Lda., Gallo Worldwide, Lda., and Jerónimo Martins Distribuição de Produtos de Consumo, Lda. Since September 2015, he is Chairman of Oceanário de Lisboa, S.A. and, since December 2016, Chairman of the Board of Trustees and the Board of Directors of the Oceano Azul Foundation. He is Chairman of Movendo Capital B.V., since 2017.

 

David Dingle was appointed Chairman of Carnival UK in October 2014, having previously held the position of CEO from June 2007 with full operating responsibility for the UK-based brands P&O Cruises and Cunard. He entered the shipping industry in 1978 when he joined P&O’s Passenger Division. David Dingle is Chairman of Maritime UK, a Director and Past President of the UK Chamber of Shipping, and a Board member of the European Community Shipowners Association (ECSA). He is also Past Chairman of the European Cruise Council (now CLIA Europe), sits on the CLIA Europe Executive Committee as Vice Chairman and chairs its Tax Committee. Dingle is a Younger Brother of Trinity House and holds an Honorary Doctorate in Business from Plymouth University. He lives in Kent with his wife and two children.

 

Kristina Maria Gjerde, Senior High Seas Advisor to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Global Marine and Polar Programme. Kristina Maria Gjerde has a wealth of experience in international marine environmental law and high seas governance. Initially specializing in admiralty law, Kristina Gjerde is currently Senior High Seas Advisor to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Global Marine and Polar Programme, where she is focused on promoting reforms to the laws and institutions that govern the high seas and the international seabed beyond national jurisdiction. Working in collaboration with such organizations as the Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative, the High Seas Alliance, the Sargasso Sea Commission and the Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative, she seeks to bridge the gaps between law, policy and science and to ensure solid science underpins how we manage our global ocean. In addition, Ms. Gjerde is an adjunct professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California and has authored or co-authored more than 100 publications including in journals such as Science, Marine Policy, Deep Sea Research and the International Journal of Marine and Coastal Law.

 

John Kerry, Visiting Distinguished Statesman, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former US Secretary of State, United States of America.

John Kerry served as the United States’ 68th Secretary of State from 2013 to 2017. As America’s top diplomat, he guided the Department’s strategy on nuclear nonproliferation, combating radical extremism, and the threat of climate change. His tenure was marked by the successful negotiation of the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris Climate Agreement. From 1985 to 2013, he served as a U.S. Senator representing Massachusetts, and was Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2009 to 2013. He served in the U.S. Navy, completing two combat tours of duty in Vietnam for which he received a Silver Star, a Bronze Star with Combat V, and three Purple Hearts. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his law degree from Boston College Law School. He currently serves as the Distinguished Fellow for Global Affairs at Yale University and the Visiting Distinguished Statesman for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

 

H.E. Tommy E. Remengesau Jr., President, Republic of Palau. President Tommy E. Remengesau, Jr. of Palau is a recognized environment champion. He entered politics in 1984, and was elected Palau's youngest Senator. He then became Vice President in 1992 and then President from 2000 to 2008. He regained the office of the President in 2012 and last year 2016.

In his role as President he continues to work towards prioritizing the protection and conservation of the environment and works towards the expansion and growth of the tourism industry through his policy and slogan "Preserve the Best and Improve the Rest." In Palau's foreign policy, President Remengesau has been active in enhancing Palau's presence at the United Nations and giving Palau a global profile amongst the international community through environmental initiatives. In 2015, President Remengesau led the launching and establishment of the Palau National Marine Sanctuary, a landmark legislation that moves to close 80% of Palau’s Exclusive Economic Zone to Commercial fishing while maintain the 20% for domestic needs. He was named a Time Magazine Hero of the Environment in 2007 and in 2014 named the UNEP Champion of the Earth.

 

Mr. Vidar Helgesen, Minister of Climate and Environment of Norway. Vidar Helgesen is a Norwegian diplomat and politician for the Conservative party. He was appointed Minister of Climate and the Environment on 16 December 2015, having served as Minister of EEA and EU Affairs and Chief of Staff to Prime Minister Erna Solberg from 2013 to 2015. Prior to this, he served as Secretary-General of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance from 2005 to 2013. He graduated from the Faculty of Law, University of Oslo, with a Master of Laws.

 

Katuska Drouet, Minister for Aquaculture and Fisheries, Republic of Ecuador. Ana Katuska Drouet, Bachelor in Business Administration with more than 30 years dedicated to working with the productive sectors of the province of Manabi, Ecuador. An expert in planning, control and supervision of technical, commercial and operational activities in the financial and fishing sector. The policies implemented in their management are among others, approach and ongoing support to the sectors fisheries and aquaculture. Other competitive strategies that will identify your Ministry are the promotion and strengthening of aquaculture projects and fisheries in order to contribute to the country's food sovereignty, promote the development of productive projects as mariculture and policies of regulation of fishing activities for the conservation of bioaquatic resources. In the same way, the Ministry which directs has been proposed as the main goal, to combat illegal fishing not declared and not regulated (IUU), with the firm purpose of being an active participant in the care of the ocean and natural resources.