Professor Su Jilan was the Chair of the IOC from 1999 to 2002. He is a physical oceanographer with the principal research interest in the circulation dynamics of the coastal oceans around China, in particular, interaction with the Kuroshio. He participated in many scientific cruises in this region and was a chief scientist of research programmes such as “Ecosystem Dynamics of the Bohai Sea,” a major project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

In the past years he occupied prominent positions in national and international organizations. Currently he is the Honorary Director of the Second Institute of Oceanography, Senior Scientist at the State Key Laboratory of Satellite Ocean Environment Dynamics, Member of the Advisory Group for the National Basic Research Programme of China and Honorary Chairman of Chinese Society of Oceanography.

There is a number of important events happened in the IOC during his term of service among them related to the Management of the Commission – new statutes of the Commission were approved and the codification of the IOC functional autonomy was completed; the external evaluation of the IOC has been implemented emphasizing the need for more strategic leadership and a more focused programme. In 2001 the first Global Conference on Ocean and Coasts was implemented and the IOC played a key role in the consideration by the WSSD of a full agenda on ocean issues.