Three leading keynote speakers have been announced for the Coastal Futures 2025 conference.
Coastal Futures is the UK’s largest annual gathering of coastal and marine practitioners. The 2025 programme will include six sessions across two-days, covering the big issues and shining a light on future trends.
The acting CEO of the Marine Management Organisation, Michelle Willis, will give the opening keynote of the conference on Wednesday 29 January, with Professor Mel Austen, a leading academic and practitioner working at the science-policy interface for over twenty years, opening day two.
Closing day one of the conference will be Nick Hounsfield, the founder of The Wave, the UK’s first and largest inland-surf break. Nick will be speaking about ‘Building Blutopia’ and giving his insights and experience on blue health and well-being.
The conference theme
2030: The date is etched across international goals, government policies, and legal targets. The UK has a new government, and this parliamentary term will take the country to the brink of 2030.
Politicians, NGOs, industry, and government agencies, all have 2030 fixed firmly in their sights as the year when the world should have achieved many of the most important aims and ambitions of our time.
There are just five years until 2030. Is the UK and the world on track to reach these ambitions? How can we achieve the transition to a low-carbon, nature-positive and sustainable world in a fair and just way?
Coastal Futures 2025 sets out to answer these questions and cover the major themes in the estuarine, coastal and marine sectors. Across six sessions over two days, the conference aims to challenge thinking and move debate forward in an informative and collaborative way.
Senior leaders speaking at the conference include:
- Wietse van der Werf, Founder and CEO, Sea Ranger Service
- Rachel Solomon Williams, Executive Director of the Aldersgate Group
- Giles Bristow, CEO of Surfers Against Sewage
- Mike Cohen, CEO of National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations
- Rob Clark, CEO, Association of Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities
- Sarah Fowler, CEO of Wildfowl and Wetland Trust
Speakers and attendees are already signed up from these organisations:
- AtkinsRealis
- Blue Marine Foundation
- Environment Agency
- Historic England
- Marine Conservation Society
- Marine Management Organisation
- Mott MacDonald
- Natural England
- Office of Environmental Protection
- RWE Offshore Wind
- Seabed User and Developer Group
- Stantec
- The Crown Estate
- Wildlife Trusts
Sponsorship packages are still available, please view them here or contact jayne.onions@coastms.co.uk
Exhibition space is filling up, so book your place soon.
Do you want to play a part in bringing in the perspectives of currently underrepresented groups?
As part of our commitment to encouraging and supporting diversity, equity and inclusion, OCF has continued its Coastal Futures Bursary in partnership with Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The bursary in 2025 is aimed at young people from underrepresented groups. If your organisation is interested in supporting these bursaries please get in touch with rosie@coastms.co.uk for further details.