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Will Pearson
Executive Director with extensive experience in healthcare policy and strategy
William Pearson is a creative entrepreneur, product innovator, and founder deeply passionate about sustainability and protecting the environment.
He is known for his role as a champion for the ocean, advocating for its preservation and combating climate change.
In 2018, William co-founded Ocean Bottle, a social impact company with a mission to prevent 7 billion plastic bottles worth of waste from polluting the ocean by 2025.
William's educational background includes a Masters in Management from London Business School, a BEng in Mechanical Engineering & Management from the University of Exeter, and an International Baccalaureate from Oslo International School.
His professional experience ranges from founding and co-leading organizations like Ocean Co and Ocean Bottle to roles in companies like Burgess, Scatec ASA, K8 Industridesign, and Anton Sport.
With a focus on driving positive change through purpose-led initiatives, William Pearson is dedicated to leveraging technology, enterprise, and community support to protect the ocean's health and combat the global issue of plastic pollution.
Highlights
This week marks World Water Week 2024 🌊💧
Underpinning all life on earth, water is an essential component to our blue planet - with 97% of water being locked up in the world’s oceans and only the remaining few percent in ice and fresh water sources.
The theme for this year’s Water Week is Bridging Borders. We’re asked to recognise the regional and global interconnectivity of communities and nations. This has encouraged me personally to think about a novel substance that we’ve introduced to our water supply in the last century, which is plastic.
In addition to other forms of packaging, humans are now consuming over 500 billion plastic bottles globally every year. Plastic, in any form, doesn’t belong in nature. We have however introduced this material into every stage of the water cycle — from rivers carrying plastic, to the ocean, to rain which keeps this cycle replenished and back again.
Every piece of plastic disrupts this water cycle that we all depend on. When plastics enter rivers and oceans, they break down into microplastics, impacting marine life, human health, and the balance of ecosystems.
We can’t ignore the ripple effects that plastic pollution has. Our interconnected water system sustains us all, yet our actions are disrupting it in harmful ways. As we come to the end of World Water Week and with the final UN Plastic Treaty Negotiations coming up in November let’s continue to commit to raising ambitions on reducing plastic waste, protecting our water systems, and ensuring a healthier planet for generations to come. If anything gives me hope it’s the sheer scale of novel innovations on the cusp of breaking through and making this all possible 🙏
What a pleasure to have Modern Pentathlon Olympian and World and European medalist Professor Greg Whyte OBE represent Ocean Bottle to remind the nation of the importance of staying hydrated. It’s particularly important this summer, as almost a quarter of UK adults said that they have been inspired by the Olympics to start or increase their participation in sport.
We partnered with Greg to raise awareness of the significant health benefits of drinking and maintaining optimal hydration. It’s not surprising that a key piece of Greg’s advice is to make sure you’re carrying a reusable water bottle with you wherever you go.
Good news is that we found in our research that almost half of Brits consider their reusable water bottle the most essential item when leaving the house! It’s clear to see that more and more people are seeking to balance health, convenience, and sustainability, and the reusable water bottle has become an essential accessory that ticks all three of these boxes.
Here's Greg’s advice, with a lovely accessory in hand…
