I couldn’t be more thrilled (or humbled!) to share that I’ve made the first ever Blooloop Zoo & Aquarium Top 50 Global Influencer List alongside esteemed friends, associates and ex-colleagues! I’m in great company with Dr Jamie Craggs, Rob Hicks, Warren Baverstock, Katy Duke and many more!
Special thanks to the judges, particularly to Charles Read, Keith Thomas and James Burleigh.
Joe Lavery is a marine biologist and highly respected public aquarium professional who has worked on zoo and aquarium projects across the globe. His work has included new facilities and major capital projects, as well as a range of visitor experience developments. He gained extensive experience within Merlin Entertainments, where he worked as the company’s global research and development manager.
In his role, he led innovation for 57 Sea Life aquariums worldwide, maximising the visitor experience and identifying and overseeing the implementation of operational cost-saving initiatives. Prior to that, he was Merlin’s European project curator, leading major capital projects at 34 Sea Life aquariums across Europe.
Lavery also worked as Merlin’s global project supervisor, delivering new Sea Life aquariums in the US, China and Dubai. Before this role, he was an aquarium curator at Sea Life Manchester and a senior aquarist at Sea Life Manchester.
He left Merlin in 2020 and now consults on the design and development of new public aquarium projects relating to filtration, operation, husbandry, welfare, legislation and cost efficiencies. He has worked for the Eden Project in China and Morecambe, UK, and as consultant curator on the reefLIVE Aquarium in Belfast.
Lavery is a board trustee for the RSPCA and co-founder of the International Zoo & Aquarium Review. He also hosts the ‘Aquariums Explained’ podcast series.
“Aquariums Explained takes a deep dive into the world of public aquariums,” Lavery’s website explains. “Each episode, we speak to a new guest about their animals, their projects, and their career. We talk about public aquarium history, explore the latest news, and share both success and disaster stories.”
His career highlights include supporting the development of more than 12 new public aquariums, delivering new exhibitions for 11 visitor attractions in Europe, and leading the redevelopment of visitor experiences to drive double-digit growth in key performance indicators at a major UK aquarium.
