About

Who we are

Friends of Ocean Action is a unique, informal group of global ocean leaders fast-tracking solutions to the most pressing challenges facing the ocean. Its members — the Friends — come from business, government, civil society, international organizations, science and technology.

We have the knowledge, power and technology to put the ocean on a path to recovery. The ocean’s power of regeneration is remarkable, if we just offer it the chance.

Impact of our community

A look at the initiatives and collaborations that have helped turn ocean ambition into lasting momentum.

01
Virtual Ocean Dialogues

When the pandemic brought international gatherings to a halt, Friends of Ocean Action opened a new space for the global ocean community to connect, exchange ideas and maintain momentum. Across two editions, the Virtual Ocean Dialogues reached nearly 3 million livestream views and brought ocean action to audiences around the world.

02
Oceans 20
03
Blue Food Partnership
04
Global Plastic Action Partnership

Co-Chairs

Guiding collective leadership for the future of the ocean.

Peter Thomson

United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean

Isabella Lövin

Former Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden and Member of the European Parliament

Friends of Ocean Action members

  • Aimee Gonzales, Executive Director, Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
  • H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, Prince of Monaco
  • Ana Spalding, Centre Director Community-Based Resilience Solutions Initiative, Smithsonian, Panama
  • Andrew Forrest, Chairman, Minderoo Foundation
  • Angélique Pouponneau, Chief of Staff, United Nations Climate Action Team
  • Anna Marsden, Managing Director, Great Barrier Reef Foundation
  • Àrni Mathiesen, Senior Adviser, Iceland Ocean Cluster; Chairman of the Board, Better Transport
  • Asha de Vos, Founder and Executive Director, Oceanswell
  • Astrid Schomaker, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
  • Atsushi Sunami, President, Sasakawa Peace Foundation and Ocean Policy Research Institute
  • Barkha Mossae, Regenerative Blue Economy, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
  • Carlos Duarte, Director, Coral Research and Development Accelerator Platform, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology
  • Charles Fox, Executive Director, Oceans 5
  • Charles Goddard, Editorial Director and Executive Director of World Ocean Initiative, The Economist Group
  • Cherie Nursalim, Vice-Chairman, GITI Group
  • Chris Gorell Barnes, Founder, Ocean 14 Capital
  • Claes Berglund, Director, Public Affairs and Sustainability, Stena; Vice Chair of the International Chamber of Shipping 
  • Cristian Sampier, Managing Director and Leader of Nature Solutions, Bezos Earth Fund
  • Cristina "Mitty" Mittermeier, Co-Founder, SeaLegacy, Mexico
  • Cynthia Barzuna, Deputy Director, Ocean Program and Director, Ocean Action 2030 Coalition, World Resources Institute
  • Daniela V. Fernandez, Founder & CEO of VELAMAR
  • Danny Faure, Former President of the Seychelles and African Union Champion on the Blue Economy
  • David Obura, Chair, IPBES; Founding Director, Coastal Oceans Research and Development in the Indian Ocean (CORDIO)
  • David Osborn, Director of the Marine Environment Division, International Maritime Organization
  • Diva Amon, Scientific Advisor, Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory; Founder and Director, SpeSeas
  • Dona Bertarelli, Co-Chair, Bertarelli Foundation
  • Douglas McCauley, Professor, University of California Santa Barbara; Director, Benioff Ocean Science Laboratory
  • Elizabeth Cousens, President and CEO of the United Nations Foundation
  • Gina Grillo, Ambassador for the Ocean and Environment, Costa Rica
  • GUO Jingjing, Olympic diving champion; Ambassador, Key Connect; Ocean Program Director, Global Green Technology Center (GGTC)
  • Ilana Seid, Permanent Representative of Palau
  • Inger Andersen, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme
  • Ingrid Reumert, SVP, Global Stakeholder Relations, Orsted
  • Isabella Lövin, Former Deputy Prime Minister of Sweden and Member of the European Parliament
  • Jan-Gunnar Winther, Pro-Rector, Research and Development at UiT The Arctic University of Norway
  • Jane Lubchenco, University Distinguished Professor and Valley Professor of Marine Biology, Oregon State University
  • Jennifer Morris, CEO, The Nature Conservancy
  • Jim Leape, Co-Director, Center for Ocean Solutions, Stanford University
  • Julie Packard, Board of Trustees Member, Monterey Bay Aquarium 
  • Julio Cordano, Director of Environment, Climate Change and Ocean, Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs;  Chair of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on Plastic Pollution (INC) 
  • Jyotika Virmani, Executive Director, Schmidt Ocean Institute
  • Karen Sack, Executive Director, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA)
  • Katherine Garrett-Cox, CEO, Gulf International Bank (GIB) Asset Management, UK
  • Kathlyn Tan, Director of Philanthropy, Rumah Group, Singapore
  • Kerstin S. Forsberg, Co-Founder and Director, Planeta Océano
  • Khaled Asfahani, Co-chair, International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI)
  • Kilaparti Ramakrishna, Board member, Seabed 2030
  • Kimberly Mathisen, CEO, HUB Ocean
  • Kirsten Schuijt, Director-General, WWF International
  • Kristian Teleki, CEO, Fauna & Flora
  • LI Jianping, Dean, Academy of Future Ocean and Innovation, Ocean University of China
  • Marc R. Benioff, Chairman and CEO, Salesforce
  • Marco Lambertini, Convener, Nature Positive Initiative
  • Maria Damanaki, Co-Founder of Leading Women for the Ocean; senior advisor on ocean, climate change and blue economy
  • Maria Helena Semedo, Former Deputy Director General, Food and Agriculture Organization, Cape Verde
  • Martha Rojas Urrego, Executive Secretary, International Whaling Commission, Colombia
  • Minna Epps, Director, Global Ocean Policy, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Executive Director, BBNJ High Ambition Coalition Secretariat
  • Naoko Ishii, Professor and Director, Center for Global Commons, University of Tokyo
  • Nina Jensen, CEO, REV Ocean
  • Pascal Lamy, President Emeritus, Jacques Delors Institute
  • Patricia Ricard, President, Institut Océanique Paul Ricard
  • Peter de Menocal, President and Director, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
  • Peter Thomson, United Nations Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Ocean
  • QIAO Fangli, Deputy Director, First Institute of Oceanography
  • Rashid Sumaila, Director, Fisheries Economics Research Unit, University of British Columbia
  • Razan Al Mubarak, President, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); Managing Director, Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund
  • HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Founder, WAVE, Saudi Arabia
  • Richard Brisius, Race Chairman, The Ocean Race
  • Rolly van Rappard, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, CVC
  • Rupert Howes, CEO, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
  • Rym Benzina, Chairwoman of La Saison Bleue, Forum Mondial de la Mer Bizerte and Blue Africa Summit Tangier, Tunisia
  • Sanda Ojiambo, CEO and Executive Director, UN Global Compact
  • Santiago Wills, Director, Council and Trade Negotiations Committee Division, World Trade Organization
  • Serge Raemakers, Chief Executive Officer, ABALOBI, South Africa
  • Shen Guojun, Founder and Chairman of Yintai Group; Board Member of The Paradise International Foundation
  • Stephen Widdicombe, Director, Sharjah Marine Science Research Centre (SMSRC)
  • SU Jilan, Professor of Oceanography, Academician, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Susan Gardner, Director of the Ecosystems Division, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
  • Sylvia Earle, President and Chairman, Mission Blue
  • Tatsuro Watanabe, Managing Executive Director, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines
  • Thomas Thune Andersen, Chairman, Lloyd’s Register, United Kingdom
  • Tiago Pitta e Cunha, CEO, Oceano Azul Foundation
  • Tony Long, CEO, Global Fishing Watch
  • Victoria Attwood Scott, Global Head, Corporate Responsibility and Compliance, Mercuria Energy Group Holding SA
  • Vidar Helgesen, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, Norway
  • Wakao Hanaoka, Founder and CEO, Seafood Legacy
  • WANG Songlin, Founder and President, Qingdao Marine Conservation Society
  • Wendy Watson-Wright, Chair, UN Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection (GESAMP)

The future of the ocean will be shaped by the leadership of this generation.

Connect with us and help lead collective action for a healthy and resilient ocean.

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