| Michael W. Lodge | |
| Office: | Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority |
| Term Start: | 2016 |
| Term End: | present |
| Predecessor: | Nii Allotey Odunton (Ghana) |
| Alma Mater: | University of East Anglia London School of Economics |
Michael W. Lodge is a British lawyer who has served as Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority since 2016.[1]
Lodge studied law at the University of East Anglia and was later awarded a Master of Science degree in marine policy from the London School of Economics.[1] He was called to the bar at Gray's Inn in London.[2]
Lodge worked as a legal counsel for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (1991−1995) and the International Seabed Authority (1996−2003), and as counselor for the OECD Roundtable on Sustainable Development (2004−2007). He was a lead negotiator for the South Pacific island states for the 1995 United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement and has worked as a consultant on fisheries and environmental and international law.[1]
In 2016 Lodge succeeded Nii Allotey Odunton as Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority, having served as Deputy to the Secretary-General and Legal Counsel since 2011.[1] [3] He was re-elected for a second four-year term in 2020, but was unsuccessful in his bid to secure a third term, losing to the Brazilian oceanographer Leticia Carvalho in the election held in August 2024.[4] [5] Lodge had been criticized for pushing for industrial deep sea mining to begin before formal regulations were in place.[6] [7] [8]
Lodge held appointments as an associate fellow of Chatham House in London (2007), a visiting fellow of Somerville College, Oxford (2012−2013), and a member of the World Economic Forum global agenda council on oceans (2011−2016). He is also the author of over 25 books and articles on the law of the sea and oceans policy.[1]
In 2020 Lodge was recognized as an International Gender Champion.[3]