Nick is the CEO and Co-founder of Ocean Impact Organisation (OIO). OIO is an Australian charity and startup accelerator with a mission to transform ocean health through inspiration, innovation, and good business. OIO launched in early 2020 and provides a range of startup programs, mentoring, and support to help people to start, grow and invest in businesses that improve ocean health. OIO has a five-year target of accelerating 100 startups that improve ocean health.

Ted Janulis is Founder and Principal of Investable Oceans, a New York ocean investment platform whose mission is to accelerate market-based sustainable ocean investing across all asset classes and all sectors of the Blue Economy. He has served in various executive positions, including CEO, at financial institutions involved in Capital Markets, Banking and Asset Management over a 30+ year business career. Ted is President Emeritus of The Explorers Club, an international multidisciplinary professional society with the goal of promoting scientific exploration and field study.

Dorothée Herr is the Manager for Ocean and Climate Change at the Global Marine and Polar Programme (GMPP) at IUCN – the International Union for Conservation of Nature. She joined IUCN in 2009 and is now leading the IUCN’s international policy and private finance engagement on coastal and marine Nature-based Solutions. Ms. Herr has authored and co-authored a suite of articles and reports on ocean acidification, Blue Carbon as well as on coastal and marine Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in the context of the UNFCCC, CBD, and other international policy fora. Ms.

Chris Gorell Barnes is a social entrepreneur. He is Founding partner of Ocean 14 capital a 150M Euro leading impact fund focused on ensuring a healthy ocean for everyone through a sustainable & regenerative blue economy and Co-founder of the Blue marine foundation a world-leading marine charity dedicated to creating marine reserves and establishing sustainable models of fishing. Chris is also an experienced marketer having founded one of the leading brand communication agencies at the forefront of content marketing and technology.

Jonas is the CEO of Katapult Ocean – the most active ocean impact venture funds globally. The fund invests in ocean impact companies such as offshore wind and solar, seaweed and seafood, alternative proteins, ocean health and maritime transportation. Katapult Ocean is based in Norway but invests in and accelerates impactful ocean startups from all over the world. He has fifteen years of experience from banking and global asset management. He joined Katapult after co-founding the successful sustainable investing hedge fund, CARN Capital, proving that profit and purpose can go hand in hand.

Karthik is a Senior Climate Finance Expert with Dalberg Global Development Advisors based in Mumbai. He advises private, public sector, and civil organization partners as well as development finance institutions on climate finance and sustainable finance strategy, strategy planning & implementation, and technical assistance. He has deep knowledge and expertise of best practices and finance access models for environmental and sustainable solutions and has worked with several sovereigns, sub-sovereigns as well as private sector players in Asia/AsiaPac, Europe, Australia, and LatAm.

Suzanne serves as a Senior Advisor to the UN Global Compact's Sustainable Ocean Business platform and its work to advance a more productive and sustainable ocean. She is also head of the Lloyd's Register Foundation's Sustainability Program. She has wide ranging experience in the energy sector, having previously worked for energy and water companies in government and regulatory affairs, investor relations and finance. Her energy sector experience also includes investment management, where she was responsible for utilities fixed income for Schroder Investment Management.

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.