Introducing our team of marine biodiversity specialists

Neil is an international marine biodiversity advisor with over 25 years’ experience. So far, he has worked on projects in over 50 countries globally. With a background in consultancy, governance, and academia, he leads Bluedot’s marine biodiversity research and assessment studies for infrastructure projects globally. He also helps organisations to create net gain strategies and plans and supports them in the design, implementation, and monitoring of biodiversity- and people-positive actions on-the-ground. He directly supports International Finance Organisations as a leading marine biodiversity advisor and has provided technical studies for inter-governmental organisations.

Claire is a marine biodiversity consultant with over 16 years’ international experience. She provides a leading technical role across our projects globally, and a specific focus of her work is leading our marine net gain projects and advising the offshore renewables sector. Claire’s background is in helping organisations to address risks to marine biodiversity at a site- and corporate-level working with International Finance Organisations and major global companies. As part of her work, she has contributed to the development of strategic approaches and guidance – building best practice and improving capacity. Claire is based in Brisbane, Australia.

Joe has over 14 years’ experience in marine spatial ecology, data analysis and field research across global projects. He brings together a mix of analytical skills and a variety of technologies, including machine learning, to inform the assessment of biodiversity risks and to help organisations deliver nature positive contributions. To support such work, he has developed novel workflows and methodologies to analyse data to help organisations to form targets and align with leading global biodiversity standards and frameworks. He has extensive knowledge on the application of biodiversity metrics, and notably, led the publication and development of the Marine Species Threat Abatement and Restoration (STAR) metric.

Zara has delivered marine biodiversity research over the last 7 years in leading UK marine biology academic institutions. Her specialisms are in assessing human impacts on marine megafauna and ecosystem services. Within Bluedot, Zara is a marine biodiversity researcher undertaking literature reviews, data collation, and analysis to support our global project portfolio. Her specific focus is to inform our assessment of marine biodiversity risks and marine net gain approaches.

Over the last 15 years, Louise has operated in senior managerial and administrative roles in biodiversity-focused organisations, and she holds a Master’s degree in Conservation and Ecology. Within Bluedot, she leads our day-to-day business operations and implements processes and procedures to ensure effective management of IT, finance, legal due diligence, and HR. She also speaks Spanish and French, which supports delivery of our global marine biodiversity projects.

Colleen is a geospatial and remote sensing expert with over 20 years’ experience. She has a specific focus on supporting biodiversity projects globally. She leads Bluedot’s geospatial and remote sensing work with a specific emphasis on helping to plan and deliver our research and biodiversity assessment work (e.g., baseline studies, critical and natural habitat assessments, and biodiversity management planning).