Experienced nonprofit leader will drive BV’s global conservation programmes across the coastal tropics
Blue Ventures is delighted to announce the appointment of Ebrima Saidy as its new CEO. Ebrima joins BV to lead its mission to rebuild fisheries and restore ocean life, harnessing the power of an extensive global network of local partners and colleagues on the frontlines of the ocean emergency in 13 countries. He will take up the role on 07 October 2024, but will attend New York Climate Week next week to meet colleagues, donors and partners.
Formerly chief impact officer at Save the Children International, Ebrima is a dynamic and highly respected leader with decades of experience in impact-focussed, community-driven international development. His work with Save the Children, War Child, BAFROW and numerous other charities has helped create positive impact in more than 100 countries and has influenced hundreds of changes in policy and legislation around the world.
Commenting on the appointment, Chair of the BV Board of Trustees Fiona Holmes said: “On behalf of the Board, I’m excited to welcome Ebrima to BV. An established nonprofit leader with a vast ocean of experience in international development and human rights, he brings extensive strategic expertise in delivering lasting impact at scale and a unique mix of rich lived experience across Africa and Asia. His deep commitment to developing diverse and inclusive teams is extremely well aligned with BV’s values and he exudes a passion for the communities first, decentralised approach to marine conservation we embody. He joins an extraordinary team at BV”
“My journey in community development, which began in a fishing village in the Gambia, has come full circle, and I couldn’t be more thrilled,” Ebrima said. “I have long admired Blue Ventures and its conviction that for oceans to thrive, fishers need to thrive. As a lifelong humanitarian, it’s high time we realised that the ocean emergency is a human emergency.”
He added: “At this critical moment for the future of the ocean and the hundreds of millions of people who depend on it for food, income, and as a buttress against climate breakdown, it is an extraordinary privilege to lead Blue Ventures and to carry on the work that Al Harris has done so much to advance”
Ebrima takes over from founder Al Harris, who recently stepped back after more than 20 years at the helm.
“I’m enormously excited to be handing over the reins to Ebrima,” Al said. “It’s a crucial time for the planet as the twin crises of biodiversity loss and climate breakdown intensify, and a crucial moment for BV as it strives to achieve its 2030 ambition of reaching 5 million people and protecting 200,000km2 of biodiverse and carbon rich coastal waters in 20 low-income countries”
“BV was built with a founding credo of putting communities at the heart of ocean conservation, anchoring everything it does in a human-rights based approach, and being laser focused on the impact working this way can create,” he said. “With impact and human rights at the core of Ebrima’s career to date, BV couldn’t be in better hands”
In a move designed to further strengthen regional and global leadership, Blue Ventures also recently appointed Sharon Young and Courtney Cox as its Chief Partnership Officer and Chief Technical Officer, and Prudence Wanko Nono – Djiodio, Gildas Andriamalala and Fany Wedahuditama as its new regional directors for West Africa, Madagascar and Asia Pacific respectively.
