Thecla Keizer

An accomplished international affairs and marketing professional with nearly 30 years’ experience across the public and private sectors, Thecla specialises in strategic engagement, global partnerships, and profile-raising.

As Deputy Head of the International Office at Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML), she focuses on stakeholder engagement and international positioning. She serves as PML’s focal point to key multilateral frameworks, including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), and the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Thecla is a member of the UN Ocean Decade Strategic Communications Group, supporting UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) on global communications for the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030). In this role, she contributes to the strategic advice and guidance shaping impactful international communications activities that meet the Decade’s objectives, aligned by the priorities and actions identified in The Barcelona Statement and ‘Ambition, Action, Impact: Ocean Decade Pathway to 2030’ report. 

She has extensive experience delivering high-profile international and policy-facing engagement, having spoken at, and led or supported PML’s presence at major global events. This includes coordinating events, workshops, exhibitions and strategic meetings at forums such as the UNFCCC Conferences of the Parties (COP), UN Ocean Conferences (SDG14), CBD COPs, IPBES plenaries, East Asian Seas Congress, Oceanology International and the World Ocean Summit. She has played a key role in strengthening the visibility of ocean science within climate negotiations, including early coordination of international ocean acidification initiatives.

Thecla is co-founder and co-organiser of the Virtual Ocean Pavilion, launched at COP26 and now a flagship global platform which engaged participants from over 150 countries during the UNFCCC COP30. She is also actively engaged in key international ocean–climate policy communities, sitting on the UNFCCC Constituency RINGO – Ocean Group, the CBD Informal Working Group on Ocean, and contributing to the Marrakech Partnership ocean–climate community of action (Activation Group 7). 

Her experience spans engagement at the highest levels, including experience of organising and delivering exhibitions and events at the UK Houses of Parliament (House of Lords and House of Commons), as well as supporting and coordinating activities associated with UK Royal visits—demonstrating her ability to operate effectively in such high-profile, politically sensitive environments.

In addition, she contributes to several strategic networks such as part of the Secretariat of the World Association of Marine Stations (WAMS), as member of the Executive Group of the Plymouth Marine Research Alliance, and representing PML within the UK Universities and Research Centres Climate Network.

Before joining the International Office, Thecla was PML’s Head of Marketing, where she significantly strengthened the organisation’s global profile and stakeholder engagement. She holds an MSc in Marketing, with a dissertation focus on relationship management in the marine science sector, alongside degrees in International Business and International Management, and vocational education in Business Administration and Economics.