We are delighted to announce the eight ocean professionals chosen as the 2026 Edinburgh Ocean Leaders. Based in Brazil, the Canary Islands, Colombia, the Cook Islands, Ghana, Namibia, Switzerland and the UK, and spanning the sectors of conservation, communications, sustainable aquaculture, community-led conservation, small scale fisheries, activism and entrepreneurship, the new cohort represents the diversity of experience and skills which the EOL programme is built upon.
The 2026 Edinburgh Ocean Leaders
Alanna Matamaru Smith
Cook Islands
Director of Te Ipukarea Society
Carlos Mallo Molina
Canary Islands (Spain)
Founder & CEO of Innoceana
Elizabeth Valenzuela
Colombia
Technical Director of Fondo Acción
Iriya Jona
Namibia
Deputy Operations Manager at Kelp Blue
Natalie Hart
United Kingdom
Head of Advancing Strategic Ocean Communication at Communications Inc.
Nathalie Gil
Brazil
President of Sea Shepherd Brazil
Ronald Tardiff
Switzerland
Ocean Innovation Lead at the World Economic Forum, & Executive for 1000 Ocean Startups
Socrates Segbor
Ghana
Country Director of GFRA LBG
Edinburgh Ocean Leaders is hosted by the University of Edinburgh and supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the Castansa Trust, Blue Marine Foundation, the International Science Partnerships Fund of the Scottish Funding Council, and individual donors.
