Meet the 2019 Ocean Talks Speakers

Dee Caffari MBE

Director, Dee Caffari Limited

Dee Caffari is the Director of Dee Caffari Limited and in 2006, she became the first woman to sail solo around the world the wrong way, non-stop. In 2009 her 6th place finish in the Vendée Globe made her the first woman to sail solo and non-stop in both directions around the globe. Dee has completed more non stop circumnavigations of the globe than any other woman. As skipper of 'Turn the Tide on Plastic' - a mixed, youth focused team with a strong sustainability message - Dee completed her sixth lap of the planet in the Volvo Ocean Race 2017-18. Outside of sailing, Dee continues to showcase her talents in other areas such as TV and radio presenting, motivational speaking and supporting her chosen charities.

Dr Mark Spalding

Senior Marine Scientist, The Nature Conservancy and Honorary Research Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge

Doctor Mark Spalding is a Senior Marine Scientist for The Nature Conservancy and is leading a series of projects to model and map the value of nature to people. At the same time, Dr Spalding has a fellowship at the University of Cambridge and is the Chief Science Advisor to the British Indian Ocean Territory Administration.

In each of these roles, and for more than 30 years, Dr Spalding has sought to improve our understanding of marine ecosystems. Among over 100 publications, are 8 books which describe the worlds of coral reefs, mangrove forests, protected areas and marine conservation. Dr Spalding has an unparalleled understanding of our reliance on the sea; of the many threats to marine life; and of the opportunities to turn things around. This big-picture vision is also grounded in a real-world understanding: Dr Spalding has undertaken marine research and expeditions in many remote ocean settings. For him the connection between large scales and real places is essential – field-scientists often fail to see the bigger pictures, while the makers of maps, models and theories, grounded in universities, can be very clever, but they can also be wrong.

Oliver Steeds

Founder, Chief Executive & Mission Director, Nekton

Oliver Steeds is the Founder, Chief Executive and Mission Director of Nekton Oxford Deep Ocean Research Institute (Nekton), dedicated to the exploration and conservation of the deep ocean. He is a leading explorer, submersible pilot, and a critically acclaimed, former broadcast journalist with NBC, ABC, Discovery Channel and Channel 4. Nekton’s current Mission First Descent 2019-2022 is operating in the Indian Ocean, the least explored and least protected ocean. Oliver is also the Co-founder of the educational non-profit, Encounter EDU and the Ocean’s Academy.

Professor Andrew Brierley

Professor of Marine Biology, University of St Andrews

Professor Andrew Brierley is a Professor of Marine Biology at the University of St Andrews, Scotland, where he leads the Pelagic Ecology Research Group. His research focusses on ecosystem processes in the pelagic – the watercolumn, away from the sea bed – and addresses questions to do with spatial and temporal patchiness, and how predators interact with prey in the vastness of the open ocean.

Professor Brierley has ongoing research projects in the Arctic, Antarctic and tropics. He is a UK delegate to the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas (ICES) Fisheries Acoustics Science and Technology Working Group, a UK representative on the International Arctic Science Committee’s Marine Working Group, and a member of the UK delegation to the International Whaling Commission’s Scientific Committee.

Professor Brierley convened the Third International Symposium on Krill in 2017, and in 2018 proposed to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) a Krill Action Group, which was adopted. His most recent research is using scientific echosounders to sample fish in the ocean’s ‘twilight zone’ (the mesopelagic; depth range 200 to 1,000m). There may be 1,000 Million Tonnes of fish there (the present total global commercial fish catch is about 100 MT) and it is vital that we develop a good understanding of this little-known ecosystem before commercial fishing develops.

Erika Gress

Marine Ecologist

Erika Gress has close to 7 years of research and conservation experience with her current focus being on mesophotic reefs (30 – 150m depth reefs) and black corals. She recently led a book review chapter on Mesoamerican mesophotic reefs for the ‘Mesophotic Coral Ecosystems, Coral Reefs of the World’, a Springer book. Additionally, she holds some experience working in the deep-sea (>200m depth)on invasive lionfish.

In recognition of her early career commitment to marine conservation, she was awarded the ‘Marine Conservation Leadership Award 2018’ by Fauna and Flora International and the Marsh Trust. Her work on mesophotic reefs and black corals spans different areas in the Mesoamerican Reef, Madagascar and Indonesia. Erika seeks to follow up this year with her work achieved in Mexico and plans to conduct research in the Indonesian reefs for consecutive years.

Frederikke Magnussen

Co-founder, A Plastic Planet and Ocean Family Foundation

Frederikke Magnussen is the Co-founder of A Plastic Planet (APP) and Ocean Family Foundation (OFF). Frederikke left Denmark at an early age to pursue a career in fashion, living in Paris, Australia and New York. She studied Psychology at NYU and Birkbeck, exploring her passion for helping others, setting up ‘Being Human’ wilderness retreats to reconnect stressed people with nature, alongside Sille Lundquist.

During the mid-2000s, Frederikke became aware of the growing problem of plastic pollution in our ocean, during a screening of the first documentary feature on ocean pollution – A Plastic Ocean in which she played a role in the making. During the film launch Frederikke joined forces with Sian Sutherland to create the first APP campaign that asked supermarkets to give their customers choice by providing Plastic Free Aisles. After 12 months of extensive pressure on the food and drink industry, support from Theresa May as part of her 2025 Environmental Plan and considerable media coverage, the world’s first Plastic Free Aisle was launched; a symbol of possible change for the world. APP have this year alone opened another supermarket in London as a living lab to show that change can happen today with new innovations.

Privately, Frederikke and her husband have set up Ocean Family Foundation (OFF) with two other families who are passionate about conservation and education to protect the oceans the families share and love.

Bec Atkins

Director of Operations, Manta Trust

Bec Atkins is the Director of Operations for the Manta Trust. She has been working with the Manta Trust since 2011, having joined the Maldivian Manta Ray Project (MMRP), the Manta Trust’s founding project, to conduct a research study as part of her Master’s degree. The study looked at manta tourism, and more specifically, human interactions, behavioural impacts and management implications; this would later be used to help inform a Code of Conduct for manta ray tourism. After completing her MSc, Bec worked in marine conservation as a Researcher and later as a Marine Lead Adviser for Natural England. She remained involved with the Manta Trust as a member of the charity’s Board of Trustees for several years, before taking on the role of Director of Operations in 2016.

As an experienced diver and dive instructor, Bec has always been fascinated by the marine world but her first encounter with manta rays in Western Australia in 2005 had her hooked on these majestic and graceful creatures. As one of six members of the Core Operations team, Bec works to support the Maldivian Manta Ray Project and over twenty other affiliate manta and devil ray research and conservation projects worldwide.

Dr Tessa Hempson

Senior Marine Scientist and Operations Manager, Oceans Without Borders

Doctor Tessa Hempson is a Senior Marine Scientist and Operations Manager for Oceans Without Borders, a project partnership between &Beyond and Africa Foundation dedicated to marine conservation and community development in East Africa. She is also an Adjunct Researcher at the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University in Australia, where she completed her PhD, and continues to work with many of the world’s leading marine scientists on the most pressing issues facing our oceans.

Recognising the importance of working at multiple scales and the need for effective inter-sectoral partnerships, Oceans Without Borders offers a unique platform for bringing together diverse stakeholders to address the complex inter-related challenges facing coral reefs. At a local scale, Dr Hempson’s work in East Africa focuses on the inseparable links between coastal communities and the marine resources on which they depend. At a global scale she endeavours to raise awareness around marine conservation issues, highlighting that many of the threats facing our oceans are driven by consumer and political choices in the developed world, and that each of us can take positive steps in our daily lives to secure a bright future for coral reefs and oceans on which we ultimately all depend.

Amanda Keetley

Founder, Less Plastic

Amanda Keetley founded Less Plastic in 2015 to raise awareness of the ocean plastic crisis and inspire individuals and organisations to use less plastic. She has brought the “less plastic lifestyle” to a wide audience via her blog, infographics and social media following. She has also written a book, Plastic Game Changer, to empower professionals to accelerate plastic reduction efforts in their organisations. This features her practical five-step framework to become a Plastic Game Changer and invaluable insights from real-world Plastic Game Changers. She also offers talks and workshops, consultancy services and educational materials to inspire positive change.

Dr Jessica Wade

Research Associate, Department of Physics, Imperial College London

Dr Jessica Wade is a British physicist and early career researcher in the Blackett Laboratory at Imperial College London. Her research investigates polymerbased light emitting diodes (LEDs). She also carries out public engagement work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), particularly in the promotion of physics to girls. Dr Wade won the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining Robin Perrin Award for Materials Science in 2017, the Institute of Physics Daphne Jackson Medal and Prize in 2018 and was included in Nature’s 10 people who mattered in science in 2018.

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