Maria Damanaki is The Nature Conservancy's Global Ambassador for the Ocean, leading the organization's response to the challenges facing marine ecosystems. She co-chairs the UN Community of Ocean Action on Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Management and serves on the Board of the Oxford Martin School’s Program on Sustainable Oceans.
Why you should listen
Before joining The Nature Conservancy in 2014, Maria Damanaki served as the European Union Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, helping bring fish populations from as few as five sustainable stocks in 2010 to up to 27 today. She was first woman to lead a political party in Greece in 1990 and was the first woman elected as Vice President of the Greek Parliament in 1986. She has authored several books on European issues, education and women's rights.
