The Founder

French / British citizen originally from Geneva and the Alps, James started diving in the Mediterranean at a young age, inspired by Cousteau, ‘The Big Blue’ and ‘The Abyss’.

After graduating with a BA in cinema at the University of Exeter (UK) in 2007, James attended film school in Paris and traveled the Pacific starting in New Zealand. He ended up in Samoa and on the Great Barrier Reef working as a dive guide.

After returning to Geneva in 2012, James worked in environmental communications in Switzerland, Oxford and across Europe, before returning to University in 2015. In 2016, James graduated with a Masters of Science (MSc) in Marine Systems and Policies from the University of Edinburgh.

Since then, James has worked globally as a consultant in marine science and policy communications.

His work includes projects on high seas governance, seamounts, microplastics pollution, climate change impacts on the ocean, deep reef research, biodiversity monitoring, ocean risk and marine protected areas design and governance.

He runs his own private consultancy, Marine Communications helping UN organisations, government and nonprofits in the marine science and policy spaces.

He worked as project manager and producer with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the World Wildlife Fund, Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy, the Ocean Acidification Alliance and the UK and French governments.

In 2019, he served as Media Advisor for the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO, in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for sustainable Development. James also worked with the International Seabed Authority, and with the Edinburgh Ocean Leaders.

He is a member of IUCN’s World Commission on Protected Areas. He is a PADI scuba instructor, professional scientific diver, underwater videographer, and sailing enthusiast. He lives in Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand with his wife and two sons and is a Fellow with the Edmund Hillary Fellowship.