Judy Beaumont has worked in the environmental sector for 30 years, focussing on environmental sustainability, ocean and coastal management and climate change response. For much of that time, she worked for the South African Government in the department responsible for environmental management. In the portfolio on ocean and coastal management, her work focussed on implementing marine and coastal legislation, expanding South Africa’s marine protected areas, growing South Africa’s blue economy, promoting integrated coastal management and co-ordinating the National Antarctic Programme. She has also worked extensively on programmes aimed at enhancing South Africa’s climate change response.