DR. ALEXANDRA LEEPER, CEO OF THE ICELAND OCEAN CLUSTER, REYJAVIK

Dr. Alexandra Leeper, CEO of The Iceland Ocean Cluster, Reyjavik. Follow Fish Focus’ feature on Women in the Seafood Industry, to mark this year’s International Women’s Day.

Fish Focus posed some questions to Dr. Alexandra Leeper, CEO of The Iceland Ocean Cluster in Reyjavik, about her path to her current role and her experience of being a woman in the seafood industry.

How did studying at multiple universities (e.g. Southampton, Bilbao, Liege) help expand your knowledge in the blue economy?

I found it hugely beneficial to experience different universities and educational cultures around the world, as well as the differing blue economy priorities. I suspect this experience in fact was more important in teaching me about differing cultural interactions, effective communication of science across language barriers and adapting to different work-life balances than perhaps it was academically. For example, how progress and understanding is evaluated across different countries and universities is very different, what types of skills sets are prioritised varies and even the level of initiative and creativity expected or desired in different countries varies. Different universities also put differing emphasis of fundamental compared to applied sciences and this really solidified for me, my personal passion lay in direct impact and application of scientific knowledge.

Can you share more about your PhD research in sustainable aquaculture at NMBU, Norway and Matís, Iceland? What were some of the key findings or challenges you encountered?

I was very lucky with my PhD, both in terms of the subject matter and in terms of having a great committee. My PhD was jointly carried out between a university and applied research institute, again balancing two differing organisational and cultural philosophies. The research objective, focused on sustainable food security was really asking the question: How can we farm fish more effectively and sustainably? Testing alternative proteins, sourced from the circular economy (e.g. Insects grown on food side streams, or yeast grown on forestry side streams) in the diet of Atlantic salmon, and measuring the impact of growth, gut microbiome and behaviour (a key indicator of welfare). This allowed a cross-disciplinary approach, which really suited me personally, but did require a wide-angle lens approach to the research, keeping different fields and perspectives in mind in a single thesis. The studies collectively showed that these ingredients, if applied in the right formulations of feed, may indeed impact and potentially improve fish farming compared with traditional ingredients which could in turn, enhance sustainability of the sector.

How did your previous studies and work experiences prepare you for your PhD in sustainable aquaculture?

There were a couple of really distinct experiences that shaped the nature and direction of my PhD studies.  I´ve loved the ocean since I was young and started diving at the age of 12 and working with fish from a young age, which instilled in me a strong sense of respect for the power and beauty of the ocean. I started teaching diving in Malaysia and saw stunning marine habitats, and also first hand, the human impact through fishing and waste management on these environments.  Then through my bachelor´s at Plymouth University, which included a year out for experience building (“sandwich year”) working in research at Bangor University, Wales and consultancy at DHI, Singapore, I started to narrow my focus on the thought of – how can we do all the things we need to do for a healthy society – find food, defend coastlines, source energy etc, without significant harm to ocean health. A stint working offshore in seismic exploration as a navigator – way out in the high seas, where negative human impact is still very visible, just intensified this thought.  I ended up focusing on aquaculture, as an increasingly important source of global seafood, that needs to be improved if it is to be a sustainable future solution to human food security. The idea that the “waste” from one industry could be used, not wasted, and could create value for another industry – this just made all the dots connect for me as the way all industries should function.

Iceland has pioneered the 100% Fish Programme at Iceland Ocean Cluster. As CEO, what are you most excited about for the future of this programme?  

100% Fish, the model of how we can optimally use every part of the precious seafood that we catch and farm, minimising waste, and simultaneously creating resilient value was the programme that first attracted me to the Iceland Ocean Cluster.  It has been such a pleasure to join Dr. Thor Sigfússon, the founder of the cluster back in 2022 and now be leading the cluster team and 100% Fish into the future.  What I am most excited and proud of, is how we are now extracting the core learnings and components of the 100% Fish model, originally built on full utilisation of Atlantic cod in Iceland, and through amazing international and cross-sector collaborations, adapting and applying the 100% model to species and countries all around the world.  Examples of this are ever emerging, starting with the 100% Great Lakes project led by the Great Lakes St. Lawerence Governors and Premiers, 100% Shrimp in Greenland in collaboration with Royal Greenland.  Further spread of 100% Fish activities and cluster collaboration is being pioneered too by our sister clusters established with support of Iceland Ocean Cluster, all over the world, to name a few, the Danish Ocean Cluster, the Namibian Ocean Cluster and the Oregon Ocean Cluster.  This means we are constantly learning too from each of these regions and seafood species.  This takes a dynamic, adaptable and innovative thinking from our amazing team and the teams we collaborate with internationally.

Have you seen a change in the role of women in blue economy, throughout your career?

This is an interesting question; I am currently 33 and perhaps have not been in the sector or in my career journey long enough to identify large systematic shifts in the role of women in the blue economy and seafood.  I have noticed however, that where there is inequality or inequity present, particularly significantly present, it is more often commented upon or acknowledged in an open and public way, by both men and women. This change in dialogue makes me feel hopeful for greater change in action, so maybe ask me again in 20 years !

Is Iceland an advocate for women in the blue economy?

I think Iceland is an advocate for women in general, just a glimpse at the current political leadership provides a host of great women leaders and role models that are hugely important for the overall perception of women in society.  Iceland, like everywhere, of course is not without its challenges, there are for example still few women working on fishing vessels or captaining ships.  There are also intersectional considerations that are challenging Iceland to advocate for women more inclusively, for women of foreign birth, women of colour, and women from minority backgrounds for example.  There is work to do, but again I find it hopeful these are active and public dialogues.

Has being a woman been a positive or a negative in your chosen career?

Having not gone through my life in any other way, its hard to say, but I suspect I have learnt different lessons and skills in my career path as a woman than I might have as a man. To give one example, my impression is, as a woman I must prove my worth every time I enter a new community, whereas, as a generalisation, a man´s worth tends to be assumed on entry. While this has proved frustrating on numerous occasions, it has meant I have developed a honed skill in expressing my personal and professional value proposition, which has no doubt helped me in my career too.

How have your early leadership roles, like being Head Girl and Managing Director of St. Mary’s Young Enterprise Company, influenced your approach to teamwork and leadership in your academic and professional life?

These early roles were wonderful opportunities to experience some of the expectations of a leader. The Head Girl role was happening at the same time I was training to be a scuba diving instructor, and in both cases, I felt like it instilled in me quite a strong duty of care for the people I was leading, and it was definitely a taste of responsibility for others that has stayed with me.  In all these early roles too, I was encouraged and expected to speak publicly and started to develop my communication skills, and realised it was something I really enjoyed doing. Something too that the diving instruction taught that has influenced me to this day, is the art of giving feedback to people in a constructive way, in PADI dive school, they teach this with a script and a gentle approach that combines something that a person is doing well as something they can work on to improve.  In all cases these experiences showed me a collaborative style of leadership which I favour in my current role too.

What advice would you give to someone considering a career in marine biology, sustainable aquaculture or the blue economy, especially women, based on your educational and professional journey?

For any career I would say: In every experience you have, every job relevant or not to your dream career, I would say think about what that job taught you, both in terms of skills, but also about yourself, what you value, what is important to you, and what aspects of that role brought you joy, and importantly, what did you dislike?  This has helped as I have moved into different roles, in different cultures and in the case of specific roles, it has helped me communicate why I want a job and why I would be well suited to it. Nothing beats experience, so try to get as much relevant and diverse experience as possible, marine biology and the blue economy is a really wide field, from biology, to digital, to engineering and business skills there are many routes into this this sector. I would say good mentors and great role models and building professional relationships is important for everyone.

Read or download a copy of our Women in Seafood Publication