Michael Burnside

As a founding staff member at CSDR and Manager of the Global Ocean Accounts Partnership Secretariat, Michael brings strong capabilities in financial management, having overseen multi-million dollar budgets and complex funding arrangements.

His core strengths include building and leading diverse teams across multiple regions, developing strategic partnerships with government, multilateral agencies, and civil society, and translating technical concepts into practical policy applications. Michael has experience coordinating large-scale international events, managing stakeholder relationships across different sectors, and providing operational and strategic leadership for growing organizations.

With a background spanning environmental science, international development, disaster risk reduction, and policy design, Michael combines technical knowledge in ocean governance and climate adaptation with practical skills in program management, team mentoring, and cross-cultural collaboration. He is adept at working across disciplines to deliver evidence-based outcomes in complex development contexts.

Publications