Seafood Choices Alliance

Melanie, formerly Director of the Seafood Choices program, joined SeaWeb in 2006 to lead the development of Seafood Choices in the United Kingdom and then took international leadership of the program in January 2009. During her time at SeaWeb Melanie has traveled extensively, developing a wide network of international relationships, speaking at events in the United States, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, and using her corporate and strategic background to ensure a solid understanding of the seafood sector.

Prior to SeaWeb, Melanie, specialized working in natural resource industries such as agriculture, forestry and food. She has worked in a number of different countries including a period working with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) developing international trade meetings on seafood in Europe, Japan, Russia and Indonesia. In addition, Siggs also served as Head of Communications for Finnish group UPM-Kymmene Group, one of the world’s largest forest products groups and acted as Head of Corporate Affairs for the Australian company Global Renewables. Melanie holds a master's degree in responsibility and business practice from the University of Bath in England and brings to the organization a breadth of business experience, strong skills in strategic positioning and corporate affairs, as well as a personal passion for responsible business. She is based in SeaWeb's London office.

Ned Daly, Senior Projects Advisor

Ned Daly is the Seafood Choices Senior Projects Advisor. In this position, Ned will support the Alliance’s corporate sustainable seafood initiatives in the North American marketplace and work to find global solutions to threats facing ocean ecosystems, communities dependent on those resources and the industries they support.

Ned has previously worked on developing sustainable markets in some equally challenging industries. Previous to joining SeaWeb, Ned was Director of RugMark International, a certification program for child-labor free rugs coming from Southeast Asia. Prior to that, he was Chief Operating Officer for the Forest Stewardship Council – US, managing relationships with industry leaders and a diversity of key stakeholders including conservation NGOs, policymakers and industry trade associations. Ned has also worked on sustainable markets in the agricultural sector and the relationship between resource extraction and ecosystem health.

Ned lives in a coastal Maine community where the impact of fisheries management and dwindling resources is felt directly.

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Elisabeth Vallet, European Director

Elisabeth joined the Seafood Choice in October 2006 to work with industry leaders and NGOs across continental Europe to increase the market for sustainable seafood. Elisabeth comes from a communications, policy and trade association background. She spent nine years as the Communications and Project Manager of the European Council of Young Farmers, an association based in Brussels that represents young farmers throughout the EU member States. In that role, she worked with private industry, policymakers, consumers, NGOs and other associations. She implemented a pan-European educational project, which aimed to raise the awareness of schoolchildren concerning European agriculture. Most recently, Elisabeth worked for the European Commission at DG Environment. Before her Brussels work, she helped to establish a trade association on biofuels in France.

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Russ Avery, Administrative Assistant

Russ Avery joined SeaWeb in January 2010 as the Administrative Assistant to the Sustainable Markets and Science Initiatives teams in the London office. After graduating with a combined degree in French and Russian, Avery worked in various contract positions, including a technical assistant role at a film production company and as a case administrator for the Forensic and Dispute Services department of Deloitte LLP. In July 2009, Avery created his own website, Cool Footprint, which he set up in order to raise awareness about environmental issues, and he is further pursuing this passion by studying environmental science.

A native of the west coast of Scotland, Avery has traveled extensively. He lived in Chile for five months, where he taught at a school in Santiago, and in Saint Petersburg, Russia, for one year as part of his Bachelor of Arts degree. Having lived by the sea for much of his life, Avery enjoys most water-based activities, especially surfing, and he is looking forward to learning how to scuba dive one day. When not at work or by the sea, Avery also enjoys photography, filmmaking and cinema.

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Nadine Bartholomew, Business Outreach & Development Manager

Prior to joining Seafood Choices in 2006, Nadine worked at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) where she developed and implemented programs that promoted the community relations, supplier diversity and urban affairs initiatives of food retailers and wholesalers including FMI’s Neighborhood Partnership Awards program (NPA). Nadine began her career in the supermarket industry at Giant of Maryland (an Ahold USA subsidiary). As the Marketing Specialist, Nadine was responsible for developing marketing campaigns to promote all consumer-based initiatives for the 192-store chain including Giant’s award winning Healthy Ideas program. She has an MBA from Loyola College of Maryland and is based in the Washington, D.C. area.

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Philip Chou, Conservation Outreach Manager

As Conservation Outreach Manager, Philip helps marine conservation NGOs to identify and implement strategies toward greater environmental sustainability in the global seafood industry. Prior to joining SeaWeb in 2007, he served as China Program Officer for Conservation International, linking businesses, NGOs and governments through biodiversity conservation partnerships in China. A native of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, Philip has served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Russia and a forest restoration volunteer in Kenya with A Rocha International. He is fluent in Chinese and conversant in Russian and Spanish. He holds a M.A in International Environmental Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies and a B.S. in Biology from Guilford College.

Emily Howgate, Program Manger

In April 2007 Emily joined the London office of Seafood Choices and is responsible for helping develop relationships with a broad range of sustainable seafood stakeholders and providing logistical support to the UK program. Prior to joining Seafood Choices, Emily worked in the marine programs of several conservation organizations. In particular her experience relates to the impact of unsustainable fisheries on marine flagship species, including sea turtles and albatrosses. Through social research she conducted, Emily has a strong comprehension of sustainable seafood and consumer and retailer knowledge associated with this in the UK. Emily is passionate about sustainability and has been involved with environmental education initiatives in the UK. Her commitment to the environment, and particularly the marine realm, was honed through her Ecology degree at the University of East Anglia, UK and also a stint studying in California.

Lacey Schmeidler, Program Assistant

Lacey is the Program Assistant for Seafood Choices and is based in the Washington, DC office. In her role she provides support on a number of Seafood Choices’ sustainable seafood initiatives including assisting with the organization of the annual Seafood Summit. Lacey came to Seafood Choices after completing her Masters in International Development and Political Economy from the Institute of Social Studies in the Hague, the Netherlands, where she lived near the ocean for the first time, in the Scheveningen beach community. She also holds bachelors degrees in Political Science and German from Kansas State University.

Cecilia Talopp, Program Assistant

Cecilia Talopp, European Program Assistant, joined the Paris office of Seafood Choices in October 2008. Cecilia is responsible for helping develop relationships with a wide range of stakeholders from the seafood industry and providing support to the European Program. Prior to joining Seafood Choices, she worked in a French environmental association, where she helped develop an ecodesign handbook and provided communication support. Cecilia graduated in 2008 with a master's degree in environmental science from La Sorbonne, Paris, and holds a Bachelor's in foreign Languages from Nanterre University. She is fluent in French, Spanish and English, and spent one year studying in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. Cecilia is passionate about wildlife, traveling and sports, especially horse riding.

Staff

Melanie Siggs, Vice President of Sustainable Markets