Dr. Pooja Mahapatra is a strategic leader in geo-data innovation with over 15 years of experience across academia, start-ups, and global corporations. As Head of Product for Climate & Nature at Fugro, she drives the development and scaling of integrated solutions that address climate resilience and biodiversity challenges, including Earth observation, hydro- and geospatial, AI, and digital twins.
Her work centres on inclusive innovation, integrated approaches, and the responsible use of frontier technologies for environmental sustainability. She brings a pragmatic, solutions-oriented mindset —connecting dots across sectors, building trusted relationships, and translating complexity into scalable impact. She has influenced corporate strategy and international initiatives, with a strong focus on enabling public-private partnerships.
Dr. Mahapatra serves on several international advisory boards, including the Steering Committee of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the High-Level Expert Group on "Big Data and Frontier Technologies for the Planet" of the UN Science Policy Business Forum on the Environment (UN-SPBF), EMODnet’s Vision 2035 working group, and the Professional Advisory Board of University of Twente (ITC) education programmes. She has also served as board member of the World Geospatial Industry Council. She is a recognized thought leader through her public speaking engagements at various high-profile events, and has shaped the programmes of key international conferences.