Catherine Robertshaw

Chief Operating Officer, Eyesea

As a former teacher, I have always enjoyed new challenges. To be involved in a project aiming to vastly improve the current state of the oceans, that gives me an opportunity to make a real tangible difference, was a challenge I could not pass by. 

I was born in Wales (yes, I love rugby!), I grew up in South Africa (where my passion for the ocean and beaches began) and after returning to the UK for studies, (university and teacher training), I moved to Asia – working, teaching, and raising my boys in Shanghai and Singapore. I’ve spent a lot of time on the sea in boats, kayaks, water skiing and swimming enjoying the waters of the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean.  

I’m now based on the Isle of Man, a small island surrounded by beaches and the Irish Sea. Over the summer I began hiking around our island, following the ‘Raad Ny Foillan’, which translates from Manx into ‘The Flight of the Seagull’, and saw first hand the importance of the UNESCO heritage biosphere status the Island has and the fragile balance between man and nature, the Isle of Man proves you can maintain that important balance with respect and constancy.