Beth Thoren
Environmental Action & Initiatives Director, EMEA / Patagonia
Beth Thoren

Biography

Beth is a respected environmental leader. Most recently, she has been instrumental in working with a coalition of NGOs to save the last wild rivers of Europe. In March 2023, the Albanian government took the historic step of signing a commitment to create the Vjosa Wild River National Park, after working in close partnership with Patagonia and civil society. She joined Patagonia from her position as Deputy Chief Executive at Client Earth, an environmental NGO with a unique approach – using the power of the law to create systemic change. A passionate defender of nature, she came to the NGO sector following a sabbatical spent as a crew member of the Sea Shepherd campaign ship, confronting trawlers and whale fisheries in Antarctica. Beth grew up in Tokyo and, as a teenager, her love of oceans drove her to study marine engineering. She then went on to study a Masters in Business Administration at Harvard and worked as a marketing director for nearly 10 years before moving into the environmental sector.

Sessions as speaker