Ted has served in various executive positions, including CEO, at financial institutions involved in Capital Markets, Banking and Asset Management over a 30+ year business career. He is President Emeritus of The Explorers Club in New York City and has served on numerous for-profit and not-for-profit Boards, currently holding positions with Gannett Co. Inc., Roc Capital, RiskSpan Inc., and Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment.

The oceans have been one of Ted’s passions since he was young, including a life-changing year after graduating from college when he worked with scientists, explorers and filmmakers as the 1981 Rolex Scholar of the Our World-Underwater Scholarship Society.

Dr. Ulrike Pfreundt is an ocean scientist and entrepreneur dedicated to ocean health. As co-founder and co-CEO at rrreefs, she leads innovative efforts to rebuild coral reefs and restore marine biodiversity. rrreefs develops 3D-printed terracotta structures that create new habitats for marine life, offering companies a unique opportunity to invest in ocean restoration as part of their sustainability portfolios. As an alumna of ETH Zürich and Silicon Valley’s Singularity University, Ulrike brings a unique blend of scientific expertise and entrepreneurial vision to ocean conservation. This makes her a compelling and sought after voice in nature-based solutions and impact finance.

Lauren Lynch is the Manager for Blue Finance on the WWF-US Oceans team and leads WWF’s engagement with financial institutions regarding key blue economy sectors including seafood, shipping, marine renewables and coastal tourism. Lauren’s team works with banks and investors to integrate ocean-related metrics into their financial decision-making processes to help shift financial capital away from harmful activities and towards sustainable and resilient practices. Her team also works with financial institutions to incorporate oceans into transition and sustainable finance frameworks, and to develop new blue financial products that can meaningfully contribute to the nature positive global goal.

Prior to joining WWF-US, Lauren worked as an Engagement Manager and then as a Consultant with the WWF-Singapore Sustainable Finance team, where she built global financial institutions’ capacity to understand and manage environmental and social issues related to agriculture, seafood, energy and infrastructure. Before that, Lauren worked with the Nature Conservancy’s impact investing unit, Nature Vest, and served as an Environmental Extension Agent with the United States Peace Corps in Panama. She has an M.A. in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning from Tufts University and a B.A. in International Studies from Boston College.