September 6, 2012 Plenary Session
Stephen Hall
Director General, WorldFish Center
PLENARY: Opening Ceremonies Keynote Speaker
PANEL: Impact Investment in Small-Scale Aquaculture Enterprise
Stephen Hall is the Director General of the WorldFish Center, an institution dedicated to reducing poverty and hunger by improving fisheries and aquaculture in developing countries. A marine ecologist by training, his previous positions include Director/CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Professor of Marine Biology at Flinders University, South Australia and Head of Fish Biology at the Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Dept Marine Laboratory in Aberdeen. Dr. Hall has published extensively on the structure and functioning of marine ecological systems, focussing especially on the effects of natural and human disturbance and has served on numerous national and international committees. In 2000 Dr. Hall was awarded a Pew Fellowship in Marine Conservation and in 2004 the Australian Public Service Medal.
Leung Siu-fai
Deputy Director of Aquaculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
PLENARY: Opening Ceremonies Welcome Remarks
Dr. Leung Siu-fai studied zoology and botany at the University of Hong Kong. He received a doctorate degree in Marine Biology from the University of Hong Kong in 1992.
Dr. Leung first joined the Government as a Fisheries Officer in 1991. He was promoted to Senior Fisheries Officer in 1998 and Assistant Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation in 2005. He was promoted to Deputy Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation in January 2010.
Dawn Martin
President, SeaWeb
PLENARY: Opening Ceremonies Welcome Remarks
Dawn M. Martin joined SeaWeb in 2004, first as its Executive Director and then was appointed the organization’s President and Chair of the Board. For more than 25 years, Ms. Martin has utilized creative communication strategies to advance policy and conservation goals. Previously she has served as Chief Operating Officer for Oceana, Associate Deputy Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Political Director for American Oceans Campaign.
Ms. Martin brings a multidisciplinary approach that builds on her organizational management experience and skills as an attorney, strategic policy professional and communications specialist. She serves as a principal for the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS), on the advisory board of the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School, as a member of the Ocean Portal Editorial Board for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and a founding member of the steering committee for the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts and Islands. Ms. Martin sits on the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation Board as a trustee, its Vice-Chair and Treasurer.
Ms. Martin has a degree in Political Science and received her Juris Doctorate from Loyola Law School in Los Angeles and studied international human rights and humanitarian law at the International Institute of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, and the Henri Dunant Institute in Geneva, Switzerland.
Kristian Teleki
Vice President, SeaWeb
PLENARY: Opening Ceremonies Welcome Remarks
Kristian Teleki joined SeaWeb as Vice President for Science Initiatives in November 2009. For the last decade Mr. Teleki was the Director of the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), a unique global partnership dedicated to addressing the serious decline in the health of the world’s coral reefs. During his tenure, Mr. Teleki had oversight for more than 40 coral reef projects in 35 countries. Project activities ranged from livelihood diversification and resource management to the prevention and mitigation of ecological degradation of coral reefs through management, monitoring and public awareness actions. In addition to his ICRAN duties, Mr. Teleki established and led the One Ocean Programme at the United Nations Environment Programme’s World Conservation Monitoring Centre, designed to reflect the interconnected nature of the world’s seas and its coastlines, the rich and varied biodiversity they support, and human reliance on its resources and services.
Mr. Teleki has a diverse background in marine science and conservation, and his field experience extends from the polar to tropical environments. He is particularly interested in the relationship that humans have with the ocean and promoting the sustainable use of its resources. He has degrees from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Cambridge University. Mr. Teleki is on the Editorial Board of Aquatic Conservation, is a member of the Resource Users Group for the European Project on Ocean Acidification (EPOCA) and is a Steering Committee member of the Global Islands Partnership and the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands. He is also a member of the Board of the Centre for Rural Empowerment and the Environment and its Scientific Advisory Committee, and is an advisor to Community Centred Conservation.
Zhao Xingwu
Director-General, Bureau of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, P.R. China
PLENARY: Opening Ceremonies Welcome Remarks
Mr. Zhao Xingwu has held the position of Director-General of Bureau of Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, P.R.China from 2010. Mr. Zhao has years of experience in fishery and aquaculture administration in China. He was the general director of Department of Ocean and Fisheries of Liaoning Province from 2005-2010.
September 7, 2012 Plenary Session
Charles Goddard
Editorial Director, Asia Pacific, The Economist
MODERATOR, KEYNOTE PLENARY PANEL: Evolving Policies for New Horizons
Charles Goddard leads the Economist Intelligence Unit’s editorial services in Asia-
Pacific, including Corporate Network, a peer group for senior decision-makers of global
businesses operating in the region. A journalist by background, he has worked across a
range of publications and services at the Economist Intelligence Unit, including as
author of the China Market Atlas series and director of its research divisions. He is a
frequent traveller and speaker, interacting regularly with senior business and
government leaders across Asia.
Noah Idechong
Speaker of the House of Delegates, Palau
KEYNOTE PLENARY PANEL: Evolving Policies for New Horizons
Born and raised in Ngiwal, Palau, he fished and hunted as a boy while completing his 8th grade education. He attended Palau High School and completed his high school studies as an exchange student at Pine City High in Minnesota. He earned his Bachelors Degree in Business Administration from Hawaii Pacific College in Honolulu in 1976.
Before joining Congress, Speaker Idechong worked to promote wise use and management of Palau’s Marine Resources. He handled various national programs in the Division of Marine Resources to develop mariculture and catch fisheries, train fishermen and manage marine resources, the latter five years as head of that Division. He also worked closely with local fishermen and helped communities and traditional leaders to reactivate the practice of bul in Palau’s marine conservation. He headed community forums and led the drafting and initial implementation of what became the Marine Protection Act of 1994. He is the founder of the Palau Conservation Society (PCS) and was its Executive Director from 1995 to 2000. Under his leadership, PCS assisted various communities to formally designate locally managed marine protected areas under the dual protection of bul and legal instruments. His work earned him several international recognitions. In 1995, he was the recipient of the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize. In 1997, he was awarded a Pew Fellowship and in 2000, he was recognized by TIME Magazine as one of the Heroes for the Planet for his contribution to marine conservation. When not engaged in Congressional duties, he volunteers his free time to help promote awareness and build pride in Palau’s well-endowed natural heritage. Speaker Idechong enjoys being in the water, fishing, snorkeling or just getting his feet wet.
Dr. Alex Soccoh Kabia
Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources for Sierra Leone
KEYNOTE PLENARY PANEL: Evolving Policies for New Horizons
Dr. Alex Soccoh Kabia has held the position of Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources for the West African Nation of Sierra Leone since 2010. This role allows him to support regional fisheries and aquaculture programs, such as the World Bank’s West Africa Regional Fisheries Program (WARFP) and engage in counter-measures to IUU Fishing activities in his country’s inshore EEZ. Currently he is looking to expand fisheries investments in his country and improve fish product standards to meet EU and International regulations. Previous Sierra Leone government appointments included Minister of Health and Sanitation and the Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affair. He studied medicine at the Heidelberg University in Germany and continues training in Internal Medicine at North Eastern Ohio University. He is a consulting physician in Nephrology and Internal in Atlanta, Georgia and holds a Nephrology fellowship from the University of Minnesota, in Minneapolis, USA.
Patricia Majluf
Director, Conservation Biology Unit & Center for Environmental Sustainability, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia
KEYNOTE PLENARY PANEL: Evolving Policies for New Horizons
Dr. Patricia Majluf is a conservation biologist and the founder and current director of the Conservation Biology Unit and the Center for Environmental Sustainability of the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia (UPCH) in Lima, Peru. She obtained her degree in biology at UPCH in 1980 and a Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Cambridge in 1988. Since 1982, Dr. Majluf has directed the longest-running research program in coastal Peru, studying the impacts of El Niño and fisheries on marine wildlife populations. Dr. Majluf has led marine conservation efforts in Peru, promoting the establishment of marine protected areas, and developing public awareness of the large-scale ecosystemic and socioeconomic impacts of the industrial anchovy fisheries and other extractive industries to the Humboldt Upwelling System.
Hussain R. Hassan
Minister, Fisheries and Agriculture in the Maldives
PANEL: Charting Towards Sustainable and Equitable Tuna Fisheries
Dr. Hussain is the Minister of State for Fisheries and Agriculture in the Maldives. He oversees the development and management of the fisheries sector. He previously served as a Ministry director responsible for economic research and statistics. He also worked at Centre for Economics and Management of Aquatic Resources at the University of Portsmouth, UK. Dr. Hussain holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in Fisheries from the Australian Maritime College, an MSc (with distinction) in Fisheries Economics, and a PhD from the University of Portsmouth. He is a trustee of the International Pole and Line Foundation.
