Karuna Rana

Born and raised in Mauritius, Karuna Rana is an award-winning social entrepreneur and environmental activist focused on tackling plastic pollution and advancing an inclusive, sustainable blue economy in Big Ocean States (BOS). She has 13+ years of career experience working at the intersection of science, policy, business, and community engagement across multiple organizations and geographies. She co-founded SYAH in 2013, the only regional youth-led organization focused on advancing sustainable development across 7 African and Asian SIDS. Most recently, she set up the Big Ocean States Initiative (BOSI) aimed at closing the “blue” funding gap for Big Ocean States by developing programs that put local communities at the center of blue innovation. By way of background, Karuna is a Fulbright Scholar with a Master’s degree in Environmental and Energy Policy. She is also a member of the World Economic Forum’s Business Agenda for Climate Change Adaptation community and the Editor of the 5th Global Environment Outlook for Youth publication by UNEP. Owing to her extensive experience, Karuna is often invited to share her work in high-level forums such as the Davos meeting and by key media platforms such as the BBC.