Our mission :
To have a lasting impact on the health of our marine environments by accelerating the leadership, influence and reach of exceptional early mid-career professionals working on solutions for the oceans and society.
Programme Ethos
The ethos of the programme is to support the Ocean Leaders in situ, wherever they live and work around the world. Since the programme’s launch in 2020, we have focused on remote delivery of bespoke leadership coaching, mentoring and cohort meetings. We also have in-person events including: a week in Edinburgh, an annual field trip, and participation at high-level conferences, e.g. Monaco Blue Initiative and the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon.
Programme Overview
Edinburgh Ocean Leaders (EOL) is hosted by the University of Edinburgh, and is financially supported by the University, the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Baille Gifford, and other organisations and individuals.
EOL is designed to accelerate the leadership, creativity and influence of exceptional ocean professionals working together to make a significant positive impact on the health of the World’s oceans. Our underlying ‘theory of change’ is that distributed, creative and enabled leadership is a prerequisite to achieving this urgent and transformational positive change.
This rationale informs the goals and design of the programme, in particular, support for the Ocean Leaders to enhance their: transformative leadership capabilities; complex problem solving abilities; and international reach and influence through collaborative action.
The overall goal of EOL is to create and sustain a life-long network of ocean change-makers. Towards this, the programme supports leadership training, mentoring, professional development and online networking opportunities. This typically includes: a series of remote and face-to-face coaching dialogues; annual induction event and meeting; a joint field mission; and engagement with international ocean initiatives to help shape tangible pathways into action
The Ocean Leader Network
Meet the latest cohort of professionals to join the Edinburgh Ocean Leaders Programme.
News

Stories from the field: EOL in the Maldives
In October, the 2023 Ocean Leaders gathered from around the world for the annual Edinburgh Ocean Leaders Field Mission. The field mission serves as a pivotal component of the year-long

Edinburgh Ocean Leader 2023 Field Mission: The Maldives
Kicking off on October 21, 2023, the 2023 cohort of Ocean Leaders will convene for the third Edinburgh Ocean Leader Field Mission, this year, in the Maldives. What is the

Ocean Leaders at the African Climate Summit 2023
Last week (4th – 8th September 2023) marked Africa Climate Week, an annual gathering that brings together leaders from governments, businesses, international organizations, and civil society to strategize on reducing