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Dominic Whitmee with Dr Matthew Bond speaking at CITES. © OATA
This month Dominic Whitmee celebrated his retirement from the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association (OATA). While it is sad news for us at SHOAL that we will not be working with Dominic further in his role of the Chief Executive of OATA, we wish him all the best for next adventures and hope that he will continue to be a friend to SHOAL.
Many knew him through his role as the CITES representative from the UK government’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and respected his extensive knowledge and experience in that role. It was therefore no surprise that he was very successful at OATA and was welcomed and lauded by all its members.
Dominic was one of the very first people to participate in the initial steps of SHOAL’s development. His advice, based on a rich knowledge of conservation and the home aquaria hobby, was invaluable to the fledgling initiative. Since our launch in 2019, Dominic has been central to SHOAL’s work of engaging hobbyists and the ecosystem of businesses that support the hobby. We could not have achieved what we have without his generous and enthusiastic support.
We hope to continue to stay connected with Dominic in the future.
We send our congratulations to Dr Matthew Bond who steps into Dominic’s shoes as Chief Executive. We wish him every success and look forward to continuing the excellent partnership between SHOAL and OATA.
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