The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) is a network of European organisations working together to observe the oceans, to make the collected marine data freely available and interoperable, to create seamless data layers across sea-basins and to distribute the data and data products through the Internet. The primary aim of EMODnet is to unlock existing but fragmented and hidden marine data and make them accessible for a wide range of users including private bodies, public authorities and researchers.
Julia Vera Prieto is the Lead Manager for Business & Strategy at Seascape Belgium. She holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Amsterdam and has successfully completed an Executive Development Program (IESE – University of Navarra) and a Master in Digital Marketing. Her professional career has developed within the environmental sector, having worked as consultant for private organizations such as KPMG and Spain’s Business Council for Sustainable Development (Fundación Entorno) and held management positions in public institutions such as Fundación Biodiversidad (Spanish Ministry for the Environment).
For 10 years, her professional career focused on advancing sustainability in the coastal and marine tourism industry as founding Partner of Travelecoology – an ecotourism consulting and travel boutique. In 2015, she was responsible for founding, managing and coordinating WILDSEA Europe, a network that brings together leading European Destination Management Organizations (DMOs), NGOs and tourism operators to advance coastal and marine ecotourism in Europe, as a proactive response to the EU’s Blue Growth Strategy. Over 5 years, she successfully evolved the network, while leading multiple-Partner consortiums. She has an extensive experience in strategic planning, communications, and in driving stakeholder management and engagement processes within Blue Economy sectors.
Julia joined Seascape Belgium’s team in 2020 and has since been responsible for leading and coordinating a diverse portfolio of projects seeking to transform ocean observations into actionable, marine knowledge. She is currently co-leading our involvement in EDITO, the public infrastructure of the European Digital Twin Ocean, and leading the strategic roadmap towards establishing a marine node in the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) as part of the EDITO program, i.e., the EOSC Node “European Digital Twin Ocean”.
As a member of our management team, she is involved in guiding and supporting our business development strategy.