22 June 2023: New appointments at the Secretariat

Dear NAMMCO Community,

We are pleased to welcome three new members to the Secretariat. These new appointments bring fresh perspectives, diverse expertise, and a deep commitment to marine mammal conservation. Please join us in welcoming them to the NAMMCO family:

Ian Bolduc has been hired as part time Administrative Officer and already started working at the Secretariat on 29th of May. His areas of expertise include business administration, project management, and communication and has worked for a variety of entities in Canada. Originally from Quebec, Canada, Ian has lived in Tromsø since 2019.

Naima El bani Altuna, will take on the role as Deputy Secretary focussing on communication and will start the 1st of September. She is presently finishing a post doc at ARCLIM, Department of Geosciences, UiT and has been very active in dissemination and communication along her career and has among other worked for Arctic Frontiers for the last two-years. She has Basque, Spanish and Moroccan origins and has lived in Tromsø since 2018.

Maria Garagouni, has been hired as a Deputy Secretary with a focus on science and will start the 1st of September as well. Marias expertise lies in quantifying and mitigating cetacean-fishery interactions, as well as studying the effects of anthropogenic activities on cetaceans, particularly underwater noise and risk assessment. With Greek and American origins, she will be making the journey from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Tromsø.

Ian, Naima and Maria will replace Charlotte and Albert, who will be leaving the Secretariat in August and October respectively. With the new additions, we are excited and inspired to continue our mission of marine mammal conservation in the North Atlantic. Please join us in giving them a warm welcome to the NAMMCO family.

We are looking forward to a new era at the NAMMCO Secretariat!