Peter Heffernan, Chief Executive of the Marine Institute, Ireland’s national agency for marine research and development, has spearheaded the organisation’s expansion from a staff of 1 to over 200 with a budget over €62 million and delivery of a number of major infrastructure projects.

Peter has played a number of key roles as a Board member of Ireland’s intergrated seabed mapping programme (INFOMAR).  The programme has placed Ireland centre-stage among global leaders in marine stewardship, seabed mapping and development of marine resources.

In 2013 Peter acted as an inspiration for the creation of the Atlantic Ocean Research Alliance (AORA) with the signing of the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation between Canada, the European Union and the United States of America with the objective to promote ocean cooperation.

Peter is an active member of the Irish Government’s Marine Coordination Group which produced the first integrated marine plan for Ireland called Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth (2012).