Who's on the Board
Mr Will Martin - Chair
Appointed April 2000. Appointed as Chair April 2005. Will Martin is an American businessman and lawyer. He is also a Senior Fellow for WWF-US and previously he was the head of international policy for the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the Clinton administration. In addition, he served a term as Chair on the Committee on Fisheries of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Dr Keith Sainsbury - Vice Chair
Appointed April 2002. Appointed as Vice Chair April 2005. Keith Sainsbury has conducted research on the assessment, ecology, exploitation and conservation of marine resources and ecosystems for over 25 years. Most recently he has focused on multiple-use planning and management of marine ecosystems. He is Professor of Marine System Science at the University of Tasmania, a Commissioner on the Australian Fishery Management Authority, and a strategic advisor to the CSIRO Wealth from Oceans program. Chair of the MSC Technical Advisory Board from 2001 to May 2007.
Mr Jeff Davis - Chair of MSC Finance Committee and MSCI
Appointed May 2007. Jeff Davis currently serves as a director of American Seafoods, one of America’s largest integrated seafood companies; and is the 2007 Chairman of the National Fisheries Institute, the national trade association for the American seafood industry. Mr Davis began his seafood industry career in the early 70’s and later became President and CEO of Baader North America Corporation. In 2000 he became a partner in American Seafoods and served as CEO of American Seafoods International until 2005.
Dr Chris Zimmermann - Chair of the Technical Advisory Board
Appointed December 2010. Chris Zimmermann is Deputy Director of the Thünen-Institute of Baltic Sea Fisheries, part of the German federal research agency advising government, EU commission and public on all aspects of the sustainable use of marine living resources. He is also the German member of the ICES (International Council for the Exploration of the Sea) Advisory Committee and a member of various ICES and EU expert groups. Chris has a background in fish eco-physiology, fish stock assessments, management systems and marine data. He formerly served on the MSC Stakeholder Council for 3 years.
Ms Christine Penney - Stakeholder Council Co-Chair
Appointed May 2009. Christine Penney is Director of Corporate Affairs for Clearwater Seafoods Limited Partnership, North America’s largest shellfish company, based in Nova Scotia, Canada. She is responsible for Clearwater’s government and industry relations including regulatory affairs, fisheries management, trade policy issues, and also manages the company’s fisheries research and sustainability programs. Christine sits on the Board of Directors for several Canadian industry associations.
Mr Alfred Schumm - Stakeholder Council Co-chair
Appointed April 2008. Alfred Schumm is the Director of WWF’s Global Fisheries Programme, the Smart Fishing Initiative (SFI). He has over 15 years experience in marine conservation.
Before 2009, Mr Schumm was Director of WWF Germany’s Marine Programme in Hamburg for over 6 years. Mr Schumm is a member of WWF’s Global Seafood Steering Group and WWF’s Fisheries Certification Taskforce. He is also Co-Chair of the Stakeholder Council, and member of the Board of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), the Scientific Board of the German Marine and Fisheries Museum in Stralsund, the Advisory Board Lower Saxon Wadden Sea National Park and the Chair of the German Ems Foundation.
Mr John Connelly
Appointed May 2007. John Connelly, President of the National Fisheries Institute (NFI) since 2003, represents a wide range of interests of US fish and seafood businesses. With commercial fishing vessel owners, importers, processors, distributors, restaurants and grocery markets as members, NFI covers the complete fish and seafood commerce chain. Mr Connelly served as Chairman of the International Coalition of Fisheries Associations and currently serves on the Board of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation.
Dr Euan Dunn
Appointed May 2007. Euan Dunn is Head of Marine Policy at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Europe's largest wildlife charity and UK partner of BirdLife International. He is responsible for wide-ranging policy development and advocacy on the interactions between fisheries and marine ecosystems, nationally and internationally. Euan also leads BirdLife International's Global Seabird Programme, which works with fishermen, governments and international organisations to reduce seabird mortality in fisheries.
Mr Hervé Gomichon
Appointed June 2009. Over the past 20 years, Hervé Gomichon has worked extensively on hygiene and quality for food products in both the production and retail sector. He joined Carrefour Marchandises Internationales in 2001. Hervé's leadership work with Carrefour spans the full spectrum of hygiene and quality issues. One of his primary tasks was to provide international support on European private label products. Hervé was appointed as the Group Quality Director in mid-2008. Prior to joining the Carrefour Group, he held a number of positions at Bureau Veritas and Fromageries Bel. Hervé is a doctor in veterinary medicine.
Mr Kees Lankester
Appointed January 2003. Kees Lankester is founding director of Scomber consultancy, advising on fisheries management and ocean wildlife. Previously he was principle scientific adviser for the Dutch national delegation to the International Whaling Commission and International Policy Officer at the Netherlands Society for Nature and Environment. He now works on fisheries access in developing countries, with an emphasis on Africa. He has written numerous scientific papers on fisheries, marine and conservation issues.
Mr Ichiro Nomura 
Appointed November 2010. Ichiro Nomura served as Assistant Director-General and head of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for ten years until retiring in July, 2010. He was responsible for all FAO programmes and activities in the fields of fisheries and aquaculture. Prior to joining the FAO, he was a well-known representative for Japan in global fishery forums, such as the UN, OECD, FAO and various regional fisheries bodies.
Dr Gregory Stone
Appointed August 2009. Dr Gregory Stone is Senior Vice President and Chief Scientist for Oceans with Conservation International. He is an ocean scientist who has led the effort to create the world's largest marine protected area around the Phoenix Islands in Kiribati, and was named one of the National Geographic Society's Heroes of 2007 for this. He is an honorary associate professor at the Leigh Marine Laboratory at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and Vice-Chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Ocean Governance.
Ms Judith Batchelar
Appointed March 2012. Ms Judith Batchelar is Director of Brand at Sainsbury's plc, with responsibility for all aspects of Sainsbury's product offer, from policy formation on aspects such as animal welfare, ethical and sustainable sourcing, through to product technology, development, safety and packaging. She has worked within the food and drink industry for 30 years, and is a registered nutritionist.
