Our Executive Committee

Rupert Howes, Chief Executive

Rupert joined the MSC in October 2004. Prior to this, he was Director of the Sustainable Economy Programme at the Forum for the Future, an influential UK-based sustainable development organisation that partners with business, capital markets, governments, and others to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable way of life. Rupert previously worked as a Senior Research Fellow at the Science Policy Research Unit at Sussex University, and a Research Officer at the International Institute for Environment and Development.  

Rupert has been internationally recognised for his work to promote sustainable fishing practices. In 2014, Rupert was awarded a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneurship Award; in 2009 he received the WWF Leaders for a Living Planet Award, and in 2007 he received a Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship for his contributions in establishing the MSC as the world's leading fishery certification and ecolabelling program.

Alene Wilton, Chief Operating Officer

Alene joined the MSC in 2012. She has responsibility for all aspects of the organisation's global resourcing and infrastructure, with the following functions within her remit: governance, HR and organisational development, IT, finance, fundraising, internal communications, licencing, office services, and a planned business intelligence function.

Alene was educated in NZ and UK, and holds a D.Phil. from the University of Oxford; she is a member of the Institute of Directors and an affiliate member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.

Amanda Stern-Pirlot, Chief Standards Officer

Amanda serves as Chief Standards Officer, leading the evolution of the MSC's world-leading standards. She rejoined the MSC in 2025 after over a decade at MRAG Americas Inc., where she oversaw a significant portfolio of fisheries certification projects, including dozens of MSC assessments, providing deep experience with the application of the MSC program on the water. 

Her prior experience includes work as a resources analyst for the Alaska pollock industry focusing on bycatch and ecosystem-based management issues, and a five-year tenure in the Standards department at the MSC, contributing to the development of standards, policies, and assessment methods informed by global best practice. She holds an M.Sc. in Marine Ecology and Fisheries Biology from the University of Bremen Center for Marine Tropical Ecology (ZMT) and has co-authored publications on fisheries sustainability in developing economies and the transformative power of sustainability standards.

Ishbel Matheson, Chief Communications Officer

Ishbel is from the UK. She began her career with the BBC, spending an extended period as an Africa correspondent. She subsequently worked as Communications Director for a number of not-for-profit organisations, including Save the Children and the Overseas Development Institute.  More recently, Ishbel worked for a FinTech company called WorldRemit, an online money transfer service that provides international remittance services to migrant communities around the world.

Nicolas Guichoux, Chief Program Officer

Originally from Brittany, the main fishing region in France, Nicolas was concerned by the increasing impact of fishing on the environment and livelihoods. In 2002, he joined the MSC and developed the organisation's Continental European Programme. He is currently responsible for the delivery of MSC's global commercial and fisheries outreach; delivery of relevant elements of the MSC's Strategic Plan goals, targets and objectives; and the motivation and leadership of MSC's regional teams based in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Americas.