Making Oceans Count

Katherine Foster is the Executive Director of the Green Digital Finance Alliance (GDFA) and serves on several international boards and committees including the EU EIT-Food, the UNFCCC Global Innovation Hub, and the European Securities Market Authority. A former Canadian diplomat specializing in climate and human security, Katherine has been spearheading impact innovation for 30 years in leadership roles with the EU Climate-KIC and GDFA including as Sherpa to the United Nation’s Secretary General’s Task Force on Digital Financing, as an advisor to the World Bank and to several award-winning technology for impact start-ups.

Martin Styrmoe Moen is the CFO in HUB Ocean, an independent and non-profit foundation established to unlock the power of ocean data. He is also the CFO in REV Ocean, a philanthropy effort that is currently building the world’s largest research and expedition vessel, aiming to improve understanding and create sustainable solutions for the ocean. Prior to joining REV Ocean, Mr. Styrmoe Moen worked at Aker Biomarine overseeing financial matters in relation to vessel operations, new build program and other investment and accounting decisions. He has also worked as a consultant and auditor for 6 years in PricewaterhouseCoopers, primarily serving clients in the finance, shipping and offshore sector. Martin Styrmoe Moen holds two master’s degrees in Finance and Economics from the Norwegian Business School and is a certified public accountant.

Alexey Pavlov is a Water and Marine Lead at KPMG across the EMEA region and part of the ESG Advisory and Assurance team at KPMG Norway. He has experience from several research institutions and a think-tank, Arctic Frontiers, gathering stakeholders around sustainable and responsible development in the Arctic region. At KPMG, Mr. Pavlov leads on ocean and water subjects, specifically advising ocean-based industries, such as aquaculture, shipping, and offshore energy, on climate and nature-related risks, decarbonization, and sustainability reporting. Alexey Pavlov holds a PhD in oceanography and has co-authored 30 peer-reviewed publications documenting changes in Polar regions' marine environment and coastal ecosystems.

Jessica Smith has led the Nature programme at the UNEP Finance Initiative since 2020. For the previous 7 years she directed a consultancy firm undertaking environmental finance project development and evaluation, and leading secretariats for the Equator Principles Association and the Cross-Sector Biodiversity Initiative (applying IFC performance standard 6 on biodiversity in oil & gas, mining, and finance). She has worked extensively to mobilise and evaluate environmental finance, globally and across Africa. Her key areas of interest are mobilising private and blended finance for ecosystems (SDGs 14 and 15) and managing biodiversity-related risks in banking and investment.