Stafford-born Marine Biologist wins UK Women of the Future Award
Stafford-born marine biologist Emily Cunningham has won a prestigious UK Women of the Future Award. These national awards celebrate trailblazing women across a number of sectors and Emily was shortlisted for her work in ocean conservation. 
Emily, a former Walton High School student, has worked at the frontline of ocean conservation for over a decade, both in the UK and overseas. She has led the development of two pioneering coastal conservation projects - securing over £5m in funding, served on the Board of the UK's leading marine conservation organisation, and was named a Global 30 under 30 Environmental Leader in 2020. She has spent the past 18 months working on board an expedition ship in Antarctica and the Americas and is currently writing her first book. 
Announcing her win at an Awards Ceremony in London on 15th November, the judges commented:
“Emily’s love and commitment to the ocean was hugely inspiring and grounded in expertise. Her potential for global influence is clear from growing Motion for the Ocean, the publication of her upcoming book, and global advocacy.”
“Emily’s love and commitment to the ocean was hugely inspiring and grounded in expertise. Her potential for global influence is clear from growing Motion for the Ocean, the publication of her upcoming book, and global advocacy.”
Emily continued:
It's still not quite sunk in! I was thrilled to be shortlisted, but to win is mind-blowing. Working in ocean conservation can be a thankless task given the scale of challenges facing our ocean, so it means a lot for all my efforts over the past decade to have been recognised in this way."
Emily is a co-founder of the international #Motion4theOcean movement, through which 19 councils have now passed an Ocean Recovery Declaration and are taking local action to help our ocean. The first Midlands Council joined the movement in October and others are likely to follow soon.
This week, Emily will depart for another expedition aiming to discover new marine species in order to better protect them. You can follow her journey on Facebook and Instagram.
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