Chip established and manages AXA’s Ocean Risk Initiative which works to identify innovative insurance and finance solutions to the impacts and implications of ocean-related risk. He is leading the development of a Coastal Risk Index to integrate coastal ecosystems into insurance risk models; working with partners to develop a mangrove insurance product and a separate Coastal Resilience Bond, as well as identifying insurance pathways to prevent Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Wouter Schalken is a Senior Tourism Development Specialist. Wouter has around 28 years of experience in diverse and multi-faceted interventions in tourism market development and operations. Before joining ADB, Wouter worked for a wide variety of multi- and bilateral development agencies across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Petero Manufolau is the Chief Executive Officer of the Tourism Authority of Kiribati (TAK), the organization responsible for the sustainable development and promotion of tourism in Kiribati. Since taking on the role in June 2019, Petero has helped establish a network of circular economy advocates within the Kiribati tourism sector, guided the establishment of community tourism operators, and lead the development of the Kiribati Sustainable Tourism Development Policy Framework.

Based in Bangkok, Jeff has led sustainable tourism with the Six Senses group since 2016. He holds a Master’s degree in Sustainability and has a background in Environmental Engineering with consulting experience in the USA and his native Canada. His experience includes ecosystem risk management, municipal planning advisory, and elephant conservation. Jeff draws on a decade of experience launching community-based tourism programs; facilitating connections between travelers, indigenous peoples, and the natural world.

Guided by a background in photojournalism and a passion for marine conservation, Shaahina worked closely with the Maldivian government to formalize recreational diving standards and establish a dive center. She is the first woman to work professionally in the Maldivian dive industry. Shaahina’s dedication and extensive knowledge of the environment, people, culture, history, and geography of the islands are an immense asset to any project she undertakes and led her to receive a President of the Maldives Green Leaf Award for her work creating environmental awareness among school children.

Kimarli is the Chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism, heading the Government’s four main Tourism entities; Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, and Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management. This is the first time that one Chairperson was appointed to all four Boards; she is also the first woman in the role. She has been a member of the Presidential Task Force for Prevention of COVID 19 since 2020.

Louise Heaps is WWF’s global lead on sustainable blue economy, with a focus on influencing mainstream finance and policy enablers, as well as addressing the barriers to delivering an inclusive sustainable blue economy at coastal community levels. Louise has worked in ocean conservation and natural resource management for over 25 years, leading ocean policy and field-based programmes in the global north and south, with 5 years in the Pacific Islands region as the Conservation Director of WWF South Pacific.

Dr. Qing provides policy advisory and technical support to countries in the Asia and Pacific region to strengthen countries’ capacity to enhance public finance effectiveness and leverage innovative finance for climate change. Qing has 10 years of experience in international cooperation with governments, financial regulators, and banking industries, and in-depth experience in policy research on political economics and innovative finance in Asia and the UK. Before joining UNDP, Qing worked in academia and the banking industry.

Janaki is the current Environment Ministry Director of International Relations in Sri Lanka. 

Professor Mark Sutton is an environmental physicist based at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH) Edinburgh, and an Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh. An expert on atmospheric ammonia, he leads international research activities on nitrogen at the science–policy interface. He is Director of the UNEP/GEF International Nitrogen Management System (INMS), and the UKRI Global Challenges Research Fund’s South Asian Nitrogen Hub (SANH).