15 years with WWF, currently lead for fisheries and finance of WWF’s Coral Triangle Program working with the SEA and Pacific countries towards sustainable fisheries management strategies to maximize conservation and socio-economic impacts on the ground, building human and ecological systems’ resilience against crises, ensure food security, stable livelihoods and ocean health.  2017 to 2020, member of the core team (WWF US and Institute of Food Technologists) that launched the Global Dialogue on Seafood Traceability (GDST), engaging 70+ seafood industry members in forging a global stand

Kushaal is the Acting Manager for Climate Change and the Ocean Specialist for the Climate Change and International Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Economy, Fiji. He coordinates Ocean and Climate activities in Fiji.  He is also responsible for updating the nation’s progress in the role of ocean and climate in climate change frameworks, in particular the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement. Prior to joining civil service, Kushaal worked as a Lecturer in Science and as a Policy Analyst in Higher Education Research.

Melissa is an experienced conservation leader, responsible for developing and executing strategies, managing teams and ensuring results to address the world’s most pressing challenges to people and nature. Melissa began working with The Nature Conservancy in 2006. She has served as the Deputy State Director for the US Washington State Chapter, took on the role of Managing Director, Global Oceans Strategic Initiatives in 2018, and became the Global Director of Ocean Protection in 2019. She leads the team responsible for TNC’s global ocean protection and blue finance strategies.

Mr. Guo Shaoquan, aged 58, holds a master's degree in Business Administration for senior managers of Nankai University, a master's degree in Business Administration for senior managers of Peking University, and a senior economist. Mr. Guo was appointed as the executive director and chairman of the bank in January 2010. Mr. Guo joined the bank in November 2009 as secretary of the Party committee.

Coral is currently the Senior Advisor to the Director General of SPC and the President of Tofia Niue, a Non Profit implementing the Niue Ocean Wide Project. She has over 20 years of professional experience in the Pacific Region addressing international, regional, and national level issues across the fields of Sustainable Development, climate change, climate financing, and climate security, sustainable ocean management, and Pacific Regionalism. Prior to joining SPC she ran her own Consultancy business and was the Green Climate Fund’s Pacific Regional Advisor.

Dr. Dennis Fritsch leads the United Nations’ Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Initiative, part of UNEP FI, focused on bringing banks, insurers and investors together to develop guidance and tools to enable financial institutions to align their activities with a sustainable ocean economy. The initiative is the host of the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles; the world’s first global guiding framework for aligning financial flows with SDG 14 - Life Below Water.

Melanie is an international development project specialist currently based with the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in Samoa. Her work involves partnering with Pacific Island Countries, donors, and stakeholders to meet climate change priorities across a range of sectors.

Melanie works with multiple stakeholders in various cultural settings to achieve practical solutions to climate change, environmental and development issues, and to transfer knowledge into on-ground outcomes.

Kelly is the former and founding Director of the James Michel Blue Economy Research Institute at the University of Seychelles. Within Seychelles, she is actively developing academic resources, networks and knowledge to support the Seychelles Blue Economy agenda. Internationally, she contributes to research, education and awareness to advance ocean-based sustainable development, and is undertaking a PhD with Australia’s Blue Economy Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) through the University of Tasmania.

Dr. Rashid Sumaila is a University Killam Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier 1) in Interdisciplinary Ocean and Fisheries Economics at the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries, and the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, University of British Columbia. His research focuses on bioeconomics, marine ecosystem valuation and the analysis of global issues such as fisheries subsidies, marine protected areas, illegal fishing, climate change, marine plastic pollution, and oil spills.

Bharati Chaturvedi is a writer and environmentalist. She is the founder of the globally awarded, India-based non-profit, Chintan, which works on environmental issues, with the poor and women at the centre of its work. She has led Chintan to excel in the understanding and action of three linked issues: resource efficiency, circular economy, and waste, air pollution. Chintan is well-known as one of the first organizations in India to turn the spotlight on including the informal sector in waste reduction, waste management, and climate change.