Emily Penn

Ocean advocate, skipper, artist and public speaker, Emily Penn is best known for being an extremely dedicated advocate for the environment. She has spoken on numerous occasions about the huge environmental challenges that we now face in the modern world, with particular focus on plastic waste. 

Emily left Cambridge University with a degree in Architecture and a job offer in Australia. Deciding not to fly, she landed herself place on Earthrace – a record breaking bio-fuelled boat – and after crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans ended up Tonga and single-handedly co-ordinated the largest ever community-led rubbish cleanup in the South Pacific.

With a mission to inspire and facilitate a community of thought leaders and changemakers, Emily is an expert adviser on the environment and mindset. She has set up her own organisation called eXXpedition, which includes a series of all-female voyages focusing on plastic pollution and female health.

Emily was honoured with the Fitzroy Award at the 2016 Ocean Awards and is also the youngest and only female recipient of the Yachtmaster of the Year, awarded by HRH Princess Royal, and the Seamaster of the Year award. She is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical society and in 2017 was elected as a Member of the Cordon Rouge Club.

An incredibly passionate speaker with number of years experience, Emily has appeared at a variety of worldwide events and conferences, such as Global Vision International in FIji, TEDxEastEnd, Royal geographical Society in London, BOOT Duesseldorf and Our Ocean a US Department of State Conference in Chile. These are just some of the hundred lectures, conferences, charity functions, after dinner events, workshops and keynote talks that she has featured at. As a result of this, Emily has racked up a substantial clientele having offered her advice, inspiration and insight to some of the biggest organisations in the world, such as Sky, Apple, ASOS and University of Cambridge.  

During her highly influential and thought-provoking talks, Emily discusses her adventures at sea, as well as issues relating to oceans, human mindset and the future of society.