Facilitating investment in the Blue Economy
Maldives Tuna Think Tank
Finance Session
Facilitating sustainability and financing readiness of the Maldivian tuna sector through collaborative action
February 11th 2025
Sponsored by
Coordinated by
Venue
The afternoon workshop will be hosted at the UNDP headquarters in Male'.
Agenda
The final agenda for the Finance Session will be developed in close collaboration with local partners and funders.
You can access the agenda here
Together with input from local partners, we have identified and invited experts who will contribute decades of experience to contextualising the Maldivian tuna fishery case. Their insights, coupled with local stakeholder knowledge, will provide a foundation for the Think Tank.
You will see the experts listed below.
Experts
Gallery
After the workshop has ended, you will find photos and videos here.
Meet the Experts who will be sharing their knowledge to help guide a discussion about the Maldives' financial industry and how it can be leveraged to enable development of the Maldives' fishing industry.
Joan Fulton
Coordinator of finance themes for the Tuna Think Tank.
Joan brings over 25 years of international corporate banking and finance experience, combined with 10+ years of teaching diverse multinational business subjects at universities in Madrid and Geneva. She acts as an intermediary between funders and recipients of funding. Her focus is on business readiness and making introductions, with a funding target below USD 20 million.
"Having worked in business and banking and having taught a variety of management courses, I act as a bridge between business and finance."
Susan Lahey
Blue Economy Publisher
Susan has launched a news site covering theBlue Economy following decades of work as a journalist and communications expert covering business, finance, emerging tech and innovation, sustainability, since and ocean topics. She has worked as a consultant with dozens of businesses on business storytelling in order to garner media interest, consumer interest, and funding.
"I am a journalist and communications expert who has funnelled her experience covering sustainability, climate resiliency, business, tech, science and ocean coverage into a new publication called BlueEconomyNews.Earth."
Ewan Puckle Hobbs
Sustainability development and advisory consultant - focus on Blue Foods /
Blue Economy
Ewan works with Tahtva, a company focused on increasing yields and incomes for small scale businesses, particularly in the Blue Economy across southern Asia. He has led a successful career as a diagnostic analyst and strategic operating model designer as part of IBMs global banking team. He has used his diagnostic capacilities to understand a range of blue and green agri-business value chains and to identify constraints preventing sustainable development.
"I am a strategic business analyst with a robust understanding of the relationship between the sustainable development of agri-businesses and the flow of money that can enable it."
Sandra Mies
Sustainability Communication Consultant
Sandra Mies is a former journalist, PR expert and communications manager with 20+ years of experience in different fields of sustainability such as fishery certification and ecolabelling, supply chain operations and dairy production, biodiversity and regenerative agriculture. She has previously organised documentaries following seafood from catch to plate in various fisheries aimed for European markets.
"I am an expert in sustainability communication focused on sustainable fisheries and certifications."
Thomas Kessler
Insurance & Sustainable Development for Emerging Economies
Thomas is the Principle Finance Specialist (Disaster Insurance) in the Sector Group Finance at the Asian Development Bank. With an extensive background in these areas, Thomas supports transformative change in the Blue Economy focusing on decarbonisation strategies for shipping and insurance for businesses.
"I see great value in working together with multinational organisations to coordinate action to support responsible and practical Blue Economy development troughout the Global South".
Thomas Egli
Workshop Coordinator and Market Expert
Not only does Thomas have a broad understanding of entire seafood supply chains, but he has worked alongside indigenous groups on several continents to contribute to effective ecosystem management. With a passion for realistic development, Thomas sees immense value in balancing the needs of a growing population with finite resources.
"I firmly believe that there is great opportunity to support responsible and sustainable development of the Maldivian tuna industry in a way that will benefit all stakeholders. The way forward will not be easy but through open dialogue and transparency, the Maldives can become a model fishery and processing industry for others to learn from".
Matt Porteous
Ocean Storytelling
An award-winning photographer and videographer and official Royal Photographer, Matt's passion for storytelling is captured in his ability to weave visual narratives of profound depth. His focus on impactful stories bridges personal experiences with universal truths. Matt's work has been published by the UN and his deep commitment to enabling local ocean storytellers emphasises the significant contribution of indigenous knowledge to development.
"I aim for my photographs to share the amazing stories of people and their passion for the ocean, supporting its protection along with the livelihoods dependant on it."
Tamsin Raine
Storytelling
Tamsin has used her passion for marine science and communication to found a successful communications business as well as a non-profit that supports local storytellers. She hopes to foster collaboration that supports sustainable development, heritage, and ocean stewardship by integrating culture, science, and communication through creative practices.
"Enabling local peoples to tell their stories of endurance and passion through a changing world is a powerful way to promote responsible development."
