Matt, Thank You!

Matt doing what he does best, rallying global leaders behind the cause of Sharks

It is with great sadness that I hear that Matt Rand is leaving Pew.
Matt is one of those rare conservation people that combine leadership, vision, unassailable knowledge and meticulous attention to detail with the exact right amount of gut and passion and consequently, he has been one of the most effective advocates of Shark conservation with a track record that is second to none. This bio is likely to disappear, but Stefanie has posted a real nice little hommage which I invite you to read here.
And yes, on top of it, he's a real nice guy, too!

Here he is speaking from the Bahamas, one of his most spectacular successes.



Pew will be greatly diminished by his departure.
Their Global Shark Conservation Campaign does unite some excellent people and we can look forward to more great successes, some of which, I hear, may be revealed in the very near future. But at the same time, I equally have no doubt that Matt's vision and leadership that have been crucial in driving the past achievements will be sorely missed, not only at Pew but within Shark conservation in general. Whoever will be his successor will have some mighty big shoes to fill.

To Matt I say, Thank You and Godspeed in your future endeavors!
We all miss you already!