Kovalam: CEOs meet under water to protect marine life

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: CEOs from various multinational firms participated in the world’s first Underwater CEO Conference held at Grove Beach in Kovalam here on March 9. The conference, which was conducted by adventure company Bond Safari in association with Udaya Samudra Beach Hotel, was held mainly to draft a long-term plan and sustainable itinerary to protect ocean and marine life. The participants included Hema Menon, the Centre head of UST Global; Dinesh P. Thambi, vice president and delivery centre head, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS); and Rony Thomas Zacaria, CEO of Avon Mobility Solution Pvt Ltd, Chennai. Bond Safari managing director Jackson Peter said that about 13 million tonnes of plastic was being produced every year.

“Approximately 9 million tonnes of plastic is often discarded into the ocean after it has been used. Based on a study, published in March 2017, 34 percent of the animals in the sea were affected by plastic. “Many are unaware of the fact that the oceans serve as the world’s largest source of protein. These water bodies represent 99 percent of the living space on the planet,” Mr Jackson said. For the CEOs, it was doing their bit to save the environment.

“I love the ocean. The blue water, the way it kisses the shore over and over again, is a sight that you cannot get enough of. It should be noted that over three billion people in the world are dependent on marine and coastal bio-diversity for their livelihood. Hence, it is up to each one of us to help prevent the ocean from degrading over a period of time,” said Dinesh P. Thambi of TCS. Rajagopal Iyer, the CEO of Udaya Samudra Group of Hotels, said: “As the effects of marine pollution including coral bleaching, ingestion or micro-plastics by fishes are not visible to us, awareness about the ocean is the need of the hour.”