Global Seafood Assurances launching the Sustainable Oceans Leadership Institute

Global Seafood Assurances, a not-for-profit organization with the mission of creating access to end-to-end assurance for all seafood, whether from wild or farmed sources, has announced the launch of the Sustainable Oceans Leadership Institute (SOLI).

The SOLI program will aim to “create a network of global leaders from across regions and sectors to address ocean issues in a precompetitive manner through results-oriented education and collaboration,” according to a 28 February announcement.

The program will bring together approximately 25 leaders from industry sectors to participate in four sessions throughout the year, held in conjunction with existing trade shows and conferences.  This year’s sessions will take place at Seafood Expo Global/Seafood Processing Global in Brussels, Belgium in May; the SeaWeb Seafood Summit in Bangkok, Thailand in June; Seafood Expo Asia in September in Wanchai, Hong Kong; and the GOAL conference in Chennai, India in October. 

The program is a partnership between GSA and Diversified Communications. The Portland, Maine, U.S.A.-based company is the operator of the first three events; the final event, the GOAL conference, is organized by the Global Aquaculture Alliance. [Editor’s note: Diversified Communications also owns and operates SeafoodSource.]

SOLI originally started as a pilot program in 2017 supported by the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. GSA Executive Director Wally Stevens said SOLI has the mission of creating leaders who are well- informed on issues critical to seafood sustainability.

“What makes our program unique is that every year we will focus on one major issue impacting our Oceans and the Seafood Industry. This year’s topic is climate change,” Stevens said. “Participants will learn a collaborative approach to leadership, identifying solutions to increase their individual capabilities while providing tangible outputs and outcomes for their organization and market. Addressing leadership development at the global level presents a unique opportunity to invest in individuals and solutions that can drive change for now and for years to come.”

GSA will host an information session on SOLI at Seafood Expo North America in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. on 18 March from 2 to 3 p.m. in room 205C,  or email program manager Katy Hladki at [email protected].