Meet the 2019 Ocean Talks Speakers

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 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.

Doctor Dominic Andradi-Brown is a Marine Scientist at World Wildlife Fund (WWF), where he works on the monitoring and evaluation of marine conservation projects. He works closely with WWF teams and other partners in Indonesia, Fiji, and Mexico to incorporate best-practice science to inform marine protected areas.

Dr Andradi-Brown completed his PhD in the Ocean Research and Conservation Group at the University of Oxford, researching fish ecology on mesophotic coral reefs (reefs 30-150m depth). During his PhD, he worked as part of a team supporting the inclusion of these deep reefs into reef management plans and conservation actions in Honduras and Mexico. He has over 20 scientific publications, and his previous academic background includes a masters degree and a undergraduate degree in ecology from Imperial College London.

Dr Andradi-Brown is a member of the Reef Conservation UK steering committee, and in the past, has worked for organisations such as the Zoological Society of London and Operation Wallacea.

Doctor Alan Jamieson is the Chief Scientist on The Five Deeps Expedition and a senior lecturer in deep-sea biology at Newcastle University, UK. His research has made him a world leader in the biological exploration of the hadal zone (depths exceeding 6000m). He has designed multiple Hadal-Landers and has deployed them over 250 times in the ultra-deep subduction trenches of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding areas. Dr Jamieson has participated in, and often led, over 55 deep-sea expeditions covering every ocean. He has published over 80 scientific papers and sole authored the book 'The Hadal Zone, life in the deepest oceans', in 2015.

Highlights of his work include filming the deepest fish in the world, discovering supergiant amphipods in the hadal zone and a hadal species being named after him. He has also filmed in the deepest places on Earth; the Sirena Deep and Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench. His work has featured in the BBCs Blue Planet II, and NHKs Deep Ocean, Descent into the Mariana Trench documentaries, and his discoveries have received extensive international media coverage. Dr Jamieson is also a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Richard Madden is a travel writer and journalist who has written, co-written or ghost written six books including a Top Ten best-seller for TV adventurer, Bear Grylls. He has written for the Daily Telegraph for more than 25 years where he was also Adventure Travel Editor. Richard has travelled to all seven continents and is a specialist writer on African safaris where he recently spent two years filing the Bush Telegraph column for the Daily Telegraph. Now back home, he is focussing on travel in Britain with particular emphasis on walking and adventure activities.

A keen writer on conservation issues, Richard worked with Nekton on their first mission to Bermuda. His latest book for the National Trust The Great British Bucket List - Discovering Unmissable Britain will be published in May by Pavilion Books. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and a Blue Badge Tour Guide (MITG).

Steve Gresham is the Founder and Principal Designer of Gresham Yacht Design, a studio based in Mayfair, London, that specialises in the design of superyachts ranging from 50m to 150m.

Using a combination of traditional and digital techniques, Gresham Yacht Design conceives, develops and delivers a complete design programme to suit the needs of any client. Sketches, 2D and 3D renders, CAD drawings, videos, interactive 3D presentations and project management are at the team’s disposal to deliver the client’s vision. Interior design expertise is offered in collaboration with Seymour Diamond to deliver a complete turnkey service.

With over 30 years of experience in design, Steve has worked on a variety of projects from high performance craft, refitting vessels through to large private yachts. Each project is different and is approached with a clear mind and blank sheet of paper.

Simon Evans is an experienced project manager of sustainability strategy programmes for multinational companies. As the Sustainability Director of Ecobooth, Simon helps drive a new use for ocean waste plastic, through repurposing the material to create high quality event and exhibition stands using innovative technologies. Ecobooth ensue that ocean waste is put to use, and not incinerated or sent to landfill. Ecobooth are working to turn the wasteful events industry into a positive one, manufacturing with circularity in mind to create positive events from ocean waste.

Simon works with businesses, NGOs, governments, industry bodies and consumers to deliver advice to the executive level of brands in a variety of sectors including those just beginning their sustainability journey and those who wish to lead the way. Simon has 10+ years’ experience in the designing, implementation and strategic communication of sustainability strategy for brands who want to maximise positive environmental and social impact.

Alexander Flemming is currently the Co-CEO for Greenwich Maritime, part of the philanthropic OceanX program, whose mission to explore the ocean and bring it back to the world. With a background engineering and construction, Alexander’s career took him to sea working on various vessels completing several circumnavigations with adventurous owners, until stepping ashore over 25 years ago. He then continued a path of surveying and vessel refit/project management, usually for slightly discerning owners with difficult and complicated projects. This hands-on experience of both the high-end uber luxury work of the super yachting industry mixed with more adventurous global cruising has subsequently allowed Alexander to be uniquely placed with vessel owner’s looking for something a little different, including innovative projects like the Pegaso, a hybrid research vessel/yacht built in Vigo with its 5 PAX diver lockout submersible, and the Alucia which brought us some of the vivid images of giant squid, and the haunting views seen on recent BBC, Blue Planet II.

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 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.