José Escaño Roepstorff

José Escaño Roepstorff serves as the Global Development Director at Marine Conservation Institute, where he leads the strategic revenue architecture designed to secure the global 30x30 target. Operating from Europe, he orchestrates the organization’s transatlantic expansion, aligning high-integrity conservation standards with the institutional momentum of the EU Green Deal, Mission Ocean, and corporate sustainability mandates.

His strategic vision is grounded in rigorous science: holding an MSc in Biological Oceanography from the international dual program BIO-OCEAN between IFM-GEOMAR (Germany) and SDU (Denmark), his research took him to Edith Cowan University (Australia). There, he studied the native ecology of the Caulerpa genus across West Coast latitudes to understand the drivers of the invasive species threatening his native Mediterranean. José bridges this scientific expertise with a unique track record in innovation and systems thinking. Prior to his current role, he successfully commercialized a family-patented diving technology, building a global venture across 24+ markets via a commercial licensing model—an experience in scaling intellectual property that now informs his strategy for replicating conservation standards globally.

His commitment to systemic change dates back to his early engagement with climate activism, where he helped structure decentralized autonomous frameworks for grassroots movements (such as Extinction Rebellion), honing his ability to organize complex, distributed stakeholders. He later applied this blend of governance and action as founder of the MedGardens initiative, where he led one of the Mediterranean's most relevant marine restoration initiatives contributing to the EU Mission Ocean.

Today, José applies this multidisciplinary toolkit to translate marine science into investable propositions, moving beyond traditional philanthropy toward structural partnerships that deliver measurable, durable impact for the ocean.