One of the best parts of the Seafood Positive team is that it defies easy categorisations. We aren’t all marine biologists, sun beaten watermen, or artisanal chefs, though many of us might fit one of those descriptions. But for the most part, the Seafood Positive team is made up of diverse people from all different corners of the planet.
Today, we are delighted to introduce you to our marketing guru, Amy Hirst.
Amy, this won’t be apparent to the folks at home reading this, but you’ve got a bit of an accent. Where did you grow up?
I’m Canadian! I grew up in the middle of Toronto. It’s very ‘not the ocean’ (laughs)
So, did the ocean feature at all in your childhood?
Well, Toronto is on the water, but I actually connected to the water when I’d visit the Great Lakes a few hours to the north. I spent my summers on the Lake of Bays in Muskoka, doing environmentally focused camps and just generally loving the outdoors.”
How did you end up here?
I met my husband when I was on exchange in Melbourne, and I fell in love with, not just him, but Australia as a whole. As soon as I graduated, literally on my mum’s birthday, I flew out to live here.
Happy Birthday Mum…
(Laughs) In hindsight, the timing could have been a little better…
You land in Australia, what happens next?
So, I got an honours bachelor of commerce from Queens University where I majored in marketing, I’d worked for Nike and helped Toyota with their AFL sponsorship… but after my kids were born, I wanted my work to matter a little bit more, so I found myself at the Nature Conservancy. Then I went off to Asia for five years, and I was really shocked by what I saw there.
How so?
The pollution there on all levels… I was blown away. I suppose that reinvigorated my passion and the urgency for needing to do more.
How does Seafood Positive address that passion?
I often get a bit overwhelmed by all the doom and gloom when it comes to environmental reporting. But what I like about Seafood Positive is that it is exactly that: it’s positive! People need optimism. They need to know they can be involved in the change that needs to happen. If you just give people the doom and the gloom, they tune out. They think it’s too late. But it’s not too late. With this positive lens and positive momentum, it’s just brilliant.
You’ve been in Australia for a while now. Have you become an ocean person yet?
(Laughs again) I’m still not super confident in the water, much to the amusement of my husband and my boys… They are complete naturals. I think everyone has to find their own connection. I love taking my new puppy down to the beach and just playing. Her name is Macey, she’s a Hungarian Vizsla, and she’s as happy as can be when she’s down there. It’s beautiful. It’s good for the soul.
We’re glad you’re here, Amy.
I’m glad to be here!
