Blue Pioneers Program

Hometown: Bath, United Kingdom / Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Currently living in: Cambodia

Current job: Marine Programme Manager, Fauna & Flora International – Cambodia

Biography: Marianne is a marine environmental scientist with a commitment to ocean sustainability in Asia. Brought up Southeast Asia, educated in the United Kingdom and now living and working in Cambodia, Marianne manages a programme that strengthens national and local capacity for marine conservation and sustainable fisheries management. Following training at Imperial College London, she supported marine research in Indonesia, Madagascar and Malta; worked on blue carbon research with an international NGO; led coastal research and monitoring with a local NGO in Cambodia; coordinated and collaborated on the global Ocean Optimism campaign; and managed southeast Asia regional operations with a social enterprise.

What interests you about the Blue Pioneers Program?: My goal in Cambodia is to create a socially and ecologically connected network of MPAs that are well-managed and sustainably financed, and my wider vision is to be able to facilitate regional collaboration, partnerships and investment towards coastal and marine conservation initiatives in Asia. Underlying these goals is the need to strengthen collaboration with influential countries like China.

I’m keen to discuss innovative methods, partnerships and leadership strategies to reach these goals, while building connections with and learning from other passionate individuals on the Blue Pioneers Program. I’m looking forward to developing a strong professional network that can perhaps act as a connector for meaningful and collaborative ocean sustainability investments in the region.