Ocean Wise Welcomes Sean Southey as President and CEO

Ocean Wise is pleased to welcome Sean Southey as President and Chief Executive Officer, effective October 1, 2026.

Sean brings more than 35 years of experience in conservation, international development, education, communications and organizational leadership, with a career built around a simple idea: lasting conservation happens when we connect good science with people, communities and action.

He joins Ocean Wise from the Canadian Wildlife Federation, where he served as Chief Executive Officer, leading one of Canada’s largest conservation organizations and working across the country with governments, communities, partners and supporters to advance wildlife and habitat conservation.

“Sean is a visionary leader whose career has been dedicated to inspiring people to take action for nature,” said Rod Campbell, Chair of the Ocean Wise Board of Directors. “His deep experience building partnerships, engaging communities, and advancing conservation at both local and global scales makes him exceptionally well positioned to lead Ocean Wise into its next chapter.”
Sean’s career has taken him from community-based conservation and environmental education to international development and the leadership of major conservation organizations. He has held senior positions with the United Nations Development Programme, Rare, PCI Media and ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, and has led conservation and social-change initiatives in countries around the world.

For the past decade, Sean has also served as the elected Chair of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Education and Communication. During his two terms, he helped build #NatureForAll, a global movement bringing together hundreds of organizations around the idea that connecting people with nature can inspire a lifelong commitment to its conservation.

For Sean, joining Ocean Wise is also something of a homecoming. A Canadian citizen and University of British Columbia graduate, he is returning to Vancouver more than four decades after first leaving the city.

“I couldn’t be more excited to be joining Ocean Wise and returning to Vancouver,” said Sean. “I’ve spent my career thinking about how we turn knowledge into action and how we bring people together around nature. Now I get to bring that experience to the ocean.

“What excites me most about Ocean Wise is what is already here: extraordinary science, deep conservation expertise, education, partnerships, and an ability to reach and inspire people. I want to spend my first months listening and learning, and then work with this remarkable team to connect those strengths in new ways and ask a very simple question: where can Ocean Wise make the greatest difference for the ocean?

“The ocean connects all of us. I can’t imagine a more important or exciting mission to take on at this point in my life.”

Sean holds a Master of Science from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of British Columbia. His work has taken him to more than 125 countries, while his most recent leadership at the Canadian Wildlife Federation has given him a deep understanding of Canada’s conservation landscape.

Sean joins Ocean Wise at a moment of both urgency and opportunity for the ocean. The organization will continue building on its strengths in conservation science, direct action, education and engagement while exploring how those capabilities can work together to create even greater impact.

Please join us in welcoming Sean to Ocean Wise. We are excited about the journey ahead and what we can accomplish together for the ocean.