Lisa Simone de Grunt

Director of Programmes at World Ocean Council

Lisa serves as the Programmes Director at the WOC, bringing extensive expertise in project management, specializing in the Blue Economy, Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), sustainable development, ocean governance, and environmental matters. Her experience includes successful leadership of many international and interdisciplinary teams, adept management of diverse projects, and a strong focus on stakeholder engagement and client relations.

Supported by an academic background in Maritime Spatial Planning and an MBA, Lisa focuses her work at the WOC on programme management, project acquisition and implementation, stakeholder engagement, and budgeting and financial administration. Lisa’s portfolio spans projects funded by European and global mechanisms, including Interreg, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe, EC Maritime and Fisheries Fund, EC Assistance Mechanisms, EEA and Norway Grants, BONUS, ERASMUS, Belmont Forum, Future Earth, World Bank, JPI Oceans, UNDP and GEF/UNESCO IOC.

Before her current role, Lisa served as the European Affairs Advisor at the WOC, where she contributed significantly to advancing Blue Economy initiatives. Prior to that, she was Programme Manager at s. Pro – sustainable projects and Senior Project Manager at the SUBMARINER Network for Blue Growth, where she managed numerous international projects and organized key stakeholder events.