Press Conference – VIS 2020

James Ellsmoor is the Director of Island Innovation, a communications agency focused on the need of island communities. He has a passion for sustainable development and renewable energy, particularly applications for rural and isolated communities. Last year he ran the inaugural Virtual Island Summit, which brought together 4,000 participants from Scotland to Samoa to share stories about their communities. James has always used technology to advance his mission, allowing him to live and work anywhere and manage a team spread over 4 continents. Island Innovation focuses on bringing together NGOs, the private sector, universities and government with projects covering topics including lithium extraction, climate change and public policy.

Anil Srivastava joined Leclanché as Chief Executive Officer in June 2014. Prior to that, Mr. Srivastava was the Chief Executive of Areva Renewables and a member of the Areva Group’s executive committee from January 2009 to December 2011. Until recently he was the Chief Executive of a large offshore wind business in Germany. He is an experienced executive with a strong track record in building global businesses. Prior to his activity at Areva, he has held senior executive positions in companies such as TomTom group and Alcatel-Lucent. He obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology Madras and graduated with an Executive MBA from the Wharton School of Business in the USA.

Dr. Laurie Brinklow is Co-ordinator of the UNESCO Chair in Island Studies and Sustainability and the Institute of Island Studies at University of Prince Edward Island in Charlottetown, Canada, where she facilitates and supports research on sustainable communities on islands around the world, as well as knowledge mobilization and public engagement activities. She also teaches ‘islandness’ in the Master of Arts in Island Studies program and supervises graduate students. She is Secretary of the International Small Island Studies Association and Treasurer of the Canadian Rural Revitalization Foundation, and is Iceland’s Honorary Consul to Prince Edward Island. A passionate Islander, her PhD research explored people’s attachment to islands by examining 'islandness' in Tasmanian and Newfoundland artists. She is also a published poet, editor, and former book publisher.
Session: Towards Sustainable Island Futures: Comparing Small Island States and Subnational Island Jurisdictions - A Report.

H.E. Lois Michele Young is the Permanent Representative of Belize to the United Nations, and the Chair of the Alliance of Small Island States under Belize's Chairmanship. She is a lawyer by profession, having served in both civil and high courts in Belize and the Caribbean region for many years prior to serving as Belize’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in 2012, and Chair of AOSIS in 2019.