Speaker Bio

Independent Advisor on Climate - Oceans Maria Damanaki is serving as an advisor for Oceans5 (USA) and Rockefeller Brothers Foundation (USA). She is a member of the Friends of Ocean Action of the World Economic Forum. She co-chairs the network of the High-Level Ocean Panel and she sits on the Boards: Monaco Ocean Foundation and Oceanographic Institute, European Marine Regions Forum (Berlin), Global Fishing Watch (Partnership of Google and Oceana, USA), Marine Stewardship Council (MSC-London), Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR UN New York), Beneath the Waves (USA), Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy (ELIAMEP). She is a professor of Marine Policy at NOVA University of Lisbon. She served for five years as the Global Managing Director for Oceans at The Nature Conservancy USA, running marine programs in 27 countries, across all continents, focused on transforming how the world manages its oceans, including sustainable fisheries management, large-scale protection and restoration of coral reefs and other ecosystems. She also served as the European Union Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries. Under her leadership, the Commission introduced a new Common Fisheries Policy that brought fish populations back to healthier levels—from as few as five sustainable stocks in 2010 to up more than 30 today. She was a Greek politician for many years and the first woman leader of a Greek political party. She is author of four books on Gender and Human Rights issues, Education and European Policy.