Dr. Mitsutaku Makino is currently President of the Ocean Policy Research Institute (OPRI) of the Sasakawa Peace Foundation (SPF) as well as Professor at the Atmosphere and Ocean Research Institute (AORI), the University of Tokyo. He received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees from Kyoto University, and also earned a Master of Philosophy from the University of Cambridge.
He began his academic career as a postdoctoral researcher at Yokohama National University, Japan, where he worked from April 2003 to April 2005. In May 2005, he joined the National Research Institute of Fisheries Science under the Fisheries Research Agency, Japan, where he served successively as Researcher, Senior Researcher, and Group Head until March 2019. Since April 2019, he has been serving as a Professor at AORI.
In addition to his academic and research appointments, he has played active roles in a wide range of international scientific and policy communities. His other professional activities include serving as a member of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management – Fisheries Expert Group (IUCN CEM-FEG), Chair of the PICES Human Dimensions Committee, Editor of ICES Journal of Marine Science, Editor of Marine Policy, and Associate Member of the IMBER Working Group on Human Dimensions, among others.

Ron leads the ocean innovation work at the World Economic Forum, where he also serves as Executive for the 1000 Ocean Startups coalition. Over the past three years, he has built and scaled initiatives that connect ocean innovators with capital, partners, and global platforms, supporting the deployment of solutions for ocean health. His work has included launching high-impact innovation challenges, raising multi-million-dollar funding, and convening international communities—from Davos to Dubai—to advance regenerative blue economy solutions.
His background spans marine sciences, aquaculture, policy, and ecosystem building. He has worked directly with nearly 100 start-ups and supported hundreds of emerging leaders, with a focus on helping early-stage solutions move from concept to implementation. Having lived and studied in nine countries, he brings a global perspective grounded in practical experience and an appreciation for local context.
Across his work, he focuses on translating ambition into action—strengthening the systems, partnerships, and capital pathways needed for effective solutions to take root in the water.

Carmen leads the impact work at 1000 Ocean Startups (1000OS), where she drives initiatives that strengthen how the global ocean innovation ecosystem understands, measures, and scales impact. Her work brings together entrepreneurs, investors, foundations, development organizations, and ecosystem partners to advance practical approaches for building a more sustainable, inclusive, and resilient ocean economy.
Within 1000OS, Carmen leads several community-driven Working Groups, including the Blue Catalysts Working Group, focused on strengthening the enabling ecosystem for ocean innovation; the Dealflow Working Group, which works to improve connections between investors; and the Just & Inclusive Ocean Working Group, which advances a more equitable and inclusive approach to the transition toward a sustainable ocean economy. Through these groups, she facilitates collaboration across the ecosystem and translates collective knowledge into practical initiatives, partnerships, and opportunities.

Carmen also leads the Ocean Impact Navigator (OIN), an open-source impact measurement and management framework designed to help ocean-focused organizations identify, measure, and communicate their environmental and social impact. She oversees the development and evolution of the framework, coordinates the advisory board, and its integration into the broader ocean innovation ecosystem, working with investors, entrepreneurs, accelerators, and other stakeholders to strengthen impact practices and enable more consistent and credible measurement.

Originally from Fukuoka, Japan, Shunji Murakami studied physical geography and business at San Francisco State University. After returning to Japan, he worked at Patagonia Japan while also pursuing a career as a freelance writer. He later served as Japan Coordinator for the international environmental NGO Wild Salmon Center, before becoming a founding member and Japan Program Director of Ocean Outcomes. In 2018, following the merger with Seafood Legacy Co., Ltd., he was appointed Executive Vice President and COO. In 2021, he founded UMITO Partners Inc. Guided by its purpose of “reconnecting people and the ocean in a positive way,” the company provides ocean sustainability consulting and blue finance services, working to realize a new blue economy that simultaneously advances ocean regeneration and economic growth.

Takuya Sakamoto joined Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL) in 2012, where he engaged in vessel operations and chartering in the iron ore carrier and car carrier businesses. In 2015, he was seconded to MOL Cape in Singapore. In 2020, through MOL’s internal business proposal program, he proposed and led the establishment of the shipping industry’s first corporate venture capital (CVC) initiative. In April 2021, he established MOL PLUS Co., Ltd. and was appointed Representative Director. He currently leads the creation of new ocean-related businesses and investment in and collaboration with startups, while strengthening partnerships with global innovation ecosystems, particularly in India and Africa.

Yuta Kumo joined the SIIF in 2025. He works to advance systemic change in the ocean sector across Japan and the Asia-Pacific, developing mechanisms that support local economies and livelihoods alongside healthy oceans while mobilizing new flows of capital. He is also involved in managing impact funds focused on regional revitalization and wellness. Prior to joining SIIF, he conducted academic research on net-zero scenarios for energy systems and natural capital valuation. He also worked in development consulting and auditing, with experience in infrastructure and public-private partnership (PPP) projects in emerging economies, as well as corporate audits and IPO support. Drawing on experience across finance, public policy, and research in diverse regions, his work explores how the relationship between nature and people can be reimagined and translated into new models for society and the economy. He holds an MBA and a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from universities in France and is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) in Japan.

Dr. Huang's research and policy work focuses on the blue economy, blue finance, science, technology and innovation (STI) policy evaluation, and disaster risk reduction. His research connects ocean issues with broader socioeconomic systems, covering renewable energy, deep-sea water industries, global supply-chain resilience, green shipping, and the transition to a hydrogen society.

Dr Huang has served as a Guest Editor of Marine Policy and as an editor of Blue Economy and Blue Finance (ADBI Press), Moving toward a Net-Zero Carbon Society (Springer), and Innovative Social Practice and Community-Based Approach to the Ocean (Springer). Since 2025, he has served on the Ocean Impact Navigator Advisory Board of 1000 Ocean Startups (1000OS), supported by the World Economic Forum (WEF).