Summit 2019 Programme
This event was held in asscoiation with: 
Our Ocean Wealth Summit is Ireland’s flagship event for the marine sector. From engineering to shipping, from aquaculture to energy, from technology to biosciences, this Summit brings together Irish and International organisations working to create innovative, sustainable solutions with global impact that drive our blue economy.
As an island nation, the 2019 Summit acknowledged the role of islands in Our Ocean Wealth with it's theme of Shared Voices from Small Island Nations. The Summit featured global leaders including environmental activists and former US Secretary of State John Kerry and a host of world leaders of island nations as well as researchers, entrepreneurs and academics.
Session 1: Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth
Peter Heffernan
Session Moderator
John Sheehan
Lord Mayor of Cork
Declan McDonald
Partner, PwC
Michael Creed
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Damien English
Minister of State for Housing and Urban Development
Ngedikes Olai Uludong
Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations
Elizabeth Thompson
Permanent Representative of Barbados to the UN
Message from Young Ocean Ambassador
Alicia O'Sullivan
Young Ocean Ambassador
Address by Simon Coveney
Simon Coveney
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade
Keynote Address
John Kerry
United States Senator
Sky Ocean Ventures and CuanTec
Session 2: Island States - Our Shared Journeys, Challenges and Opportunities
Tara Shine
Session Moderator
Island States in a Global Ocean - Our Shared Maritime Journeys
José Luis Fialho Rocha
Permanent Representative of Cabo Verde to the UN
Peter Heffernan
CEO, Marine Institute
Carmelo Abela
Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade Promotion, Malta
Ngedikes Olai Uludong
Permanent Representative of Palau to the United Nations
Opportunities and Challenges in Key Maritime Sectors
Courtenay Rattray
Permanent Representative of Jamaica to the UN
Jim O’Toole
Chief Executive Officer, Bord Iascaigh Mhara
Jim Gannon
CEO, Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland
Piera Tortora
Coordinator of the OECD Initiative on Sustainable Ocean for All
Odo Tevi
Permanent Representative of Vanuatu to the UN
Keynote Address
Máiread McGuinness
First Vice President, European Parliament
Session 3: Empowerment Through Ocean Knowledge
Tara Shine
Session Moderator
Ocean Wealth Panel: Creating the Right Environment for Ocean Enterprise
Satyendra Prasad
Permanent Representative of Fiji to the UN
Susan Steele
Chair & CEO, Sea-Fisheries Protection Authority
Stephen Hughes
Manager; Construction, Cleantech, Timber and Consumer Retail; Enterprise Ireland
Niall Gibbons
CEO, Tourism Ireland
Inga Rhonda King
Permanent Representative of St Vincent and the Grenadines to the UN
Elizabeth Thompson
Permanent Representative of Barbados to the UN
Short High-Level Presentations on Enablers for Sustainability
Gerard McCarthy
Lecturer and Principal Investigator, Maynooth University
Koen Verbruggen
Director, Geological Survey Ireland
Eoghan Linehan
Senior Manager, PwC
Yvonne Shields
Chief Executive, Commissioners of Irish Lights
Message from Tomorrow’s Leaders
Alicia O'Sullivan
Young Ocean Ambassador, Ireland
Selina Neirok Leem
Young Ocean Ambassador, Marshall Islands
A New Era for Ocean Island Partnership
Álvaro Mendonça e Moura
Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Portugal
Peter Thomson
UN Special Envoy on the Ocean
Geraldine Byrne Nason
Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the UN
Walton Alfonso Webson
Permanent Representative of Antigua and Barbuda to the UN
Lois Michele Young
Permanent Representative of Belize to the UN
Closing Address
Simon Coveney
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade