Paul Donnelly is Shark Savers' Business Operations Manager, General Counsel and leader of our Volunteer and Outreach Programs. Paul joined Shark Savers in 2010 on a volunteer basis and in 2011 was added to Shark Savers' full-time team. Originally from a small seaside village on the east coast of Ireland, he now lives and works in New York.

Paul's love for the ocean started from an early age, whether it was swimming or sailing, he just loved being in or around the ocean. This love for the ocean, brought him to scuba diving and he has logged hundreds of dives in all over the world. In his spare time, Paul works as a PADI scuba instructor and feels blessed to have introduced many people to the majesty of the underwater world.

Paul's interest in and love for Sharks started in his teens but it was not until he began scuba diving that he realized just how rare and endangered these wonderful creatures where. He had to wait two years and hundreds of dives before he got his first sight of a Shark in its own habitat. Paul's desire to see sharks while diving spiked his interest in the plight of sharks. Upon realizing the extent of the issues faced by Sharks, he committed to making a difference for Sharks.

Paul brings a wealth of legal and project management experience to Shark Savers. His professional experience includes working as a solicitor in a top 10 Irish law firm and as a corporate solicitor and merger and acquisitions lawyer in the U.K. and New York offices of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

Paul holds a bachelors degree in Business and Legal Studies from the National University of Ireland, Dublin (University College Dublin) and is admitted to the New York bar and roll of solicitors in Ireland.