Véronique Bardach » Marine Conservation Institute

Blue Parks: advancing high-quality, effective marine protected areas through rigorous science-based standards
Marine Protection Atlas: improving transparency and access to global data on marine protected areas
High Seas: supporting ocean governance and implementation efforts that strengthen protection beyond national waters

Véronique Bardach is an entrepreneur, investor, and attorney who has spent her career founding, funding, scaling, and occasionally exiting early-stage companies across technology, biotech, and energy. She has done tours of duty in venture capital, investment banking, and law, including co‑founding Four Seasons Ventures, serving as Executive Vice President of Corporate Finance at Westminster Securities, leading the Private Equity Group at ITF Global Partners, and founding Inshop, an early pioneer of local retail sales information. These days, she is putting her skills to work for good, focusing on building nonprofit initiatives aimed at bettering the world we live in, and serving on the boards of The Climate Leadership Council and the JoyRon Foundation. Véronique holds degrees from Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service and Georgetown Law, is licensed to practice law in California, New York, and Washington, D.C., and speaks English, French, and Spanish (sometimes all in the same sentence).

Véronique’s commitment to marine conservation is rooted in a lifelong love affair with the sea and a family with deep ties to marine protection and conservation. Over four years, she sailed with her late husband, Ted Halstead, and their dog Ria almost around the world, pausing frequently to dive and kite board in some of the planet’s most secluded waters. That extended voyage turned casual ocean romance into a serious, long-term relationship and continues to fuel her determination to help safeguard marine ecosystems for future generations.