Sarah Fowler

Starting with a childhood love for the sea, including Basking and Tope Sharks, Sarah Fowler achieved a First class Joint Honours in Zoology and Marine Zoology. She was offered a marine ecologist post shortly before completing a Conservation MSc, launching a career in marine conservation. Sarah has since worked for government departments, national and international NGOs, and as MD of a biodiversity conservation consultancy. She has managed and audited research programmes, coordinated expert networks, and advised on marine conservation strategies, with a particular emphasis on shark and ray wildlife trade policy and migratory species conservation. Sarah acted as Deputy Chair, Acting Chair and Co-chair of the IUCN Shark Specialist Group (SSG) for 18 years, including heading the first global chondrichthyan Red List Assessment, completed in 2009. She also led the SSG’s input to CITES, CMS and other multilateral environmental agreements and fisheries bodies for over 25 years. Sarah founded the European Elasmobranch Association and the UK Shark Trust (she is still a Trustee of the latter). She was appointed OBE for services to marine conservation in 2004 and became Scientific Advisor to the Save Our Seas Foundation in 2011.