All Speakers

Speaker Frank DAMSON
Frank DAMSON

Business, Livelihoods and Value Chain Specialist

WWF

Frank Damson is a sustainability and biodiversity finance specialist with 10+ years’ experience designing and scaling nature-based and green economy solutions across East and Southern Africa. He has…
Speaker Thierry LEFEBVRE
Thierry LEFEBVRE

Green List Programme Manager

IUCN Secretariat

Thierry Lefebvre is a biodiversity policy and protected areas governance expert with 20+ years of international experience. With advanced degrees in sustainable development and anthropology, and a…
Speaker Joann Sy
Joann Sy

Scientific Advisor

POLLINIS

With almost 30 years of experience in development, public health and biodiversity across the Middle East and the Horn of Africa, my career began in epidemiology, focusing on public health issues such…
Khalifa Almazroui
Khalifa Almazroui
Speaker Youssouph DIEDHIOU
Youssouph DIEDHIOU

Chef de Programme UICN-Sénégal

IUCN Secretariat

Je suis tiltulaire d'un doctorat en Médecin vétérinaire et d'un Master spécialisé en Gestion des Aires Protégées. J'ai 22 d'expérience professionnel dans le domaine de la conservation dont 14 ans…
Speaker Mahboobeh SHIRKHORSHIDI
Mahboobeh SHIRKHORSHIDI

Biodiversity Conservation Officer

IUCN

Mahboobeh Shirkhorshidi is a  conservation scientist with over 15 years of international experience in research, policy, and project management . She is currently a Biodiversity Conservation…
Speaker Erwan CHEREL
Erwan CHEREL

Responsable Aires Protégées

Comité Français de l'UICN

As a trained agricultural engineer, I completed my academic journey with a master's degree in economics and then a master's degree in anthropology. I began my professional career by consulting on…
Speaker PAUL SAING'EU
PAUL SAING'EU

East Africa and Horn of Africa Regional Coordinator, ICCA Consortium

ICCA CONSORTIUM

Paul Saing’eu Regional Coordinator for East Africa and Horn of Africa Based in Tanzania. Paul Saing’eu is a Maasai pastoralist from Ngorongoro District in northern Tanzania. He is a co-founder of…
Speaker Elham CHEHAIMI
Elham CHEHAIMI

Director

CSO Network

Dr. Elham ChehaimiDirector, MENA CSO Network | Director, Posterity Institute | Action Learning Leader, GovCampusSustainability strategist and policy advisor with 15+ years’ experience bridging…
Speaker Dorothea THEUNISSEN
Dorothea THEUNISSEN

Advisor

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)

Dorothea Theunissen is a marine and coastal conservation expert with over 10 years of experience at GIZ. She currently leads a bilateral project in Bangladesh aimed at strengthening the protection of…
Speaker Cristina EGHENTER
Cristina EGHENTER

Global Governance Policy Coordinator

WWF International

With over 20 years of experience in Indonesia with WWF, and building and working with civil society organizations platforms at local, national and global levels to advance equity and rights in…
Speaker Yulia VERESHCHAK
Yulia VERESHCHAK

Director of international projects

Environmental Education Center Zapovedniks

Speaker Francisco Estremadoyro de la Puente
Francisco Estremadoyro de la Puente

Director Ejecutivo

ProPurus

Conservation professional with over 35 years of experience designing and implementing sustainable development initiatives and regenerative design, primarily in the Peruvian Amazon. Brings extensive…
Speaker Caroline LEES
Caroline LEES

Chair

IUCN SSC CPSG

Caroline joined the CPSG staff in 2011 as a workshop facilitator and PVA modeller. Before CPSG she worked with zoos in the UK, Europe and later in Australasia where her work included evaluating field…
Speaker Christine FERRARA
Christine FERRARA

Zoological Rescue Manager

Yas Seaworld Research & Rescue Center

 A passion-driven Zoological Rescue Manager at Miral Experiences, leading a dedicated team with the unified goals of wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and return at Yas SeaWorld Research &…
Speaker Olivier CHASSOT
Olivier CHASSOT

Senior Project Coordinator, AlUla PAN Project

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Dr. Olivier Chassot is the Senior Programme Officer for Protected, Conserved, and Heritage Areas at the IUCN Asia Regional Office. He previously served as a Steering Committee member of the IUCN…
Speaker Reine Metlej
Reine Metlej
Reine Metlej is a sustainability consultant and social entrepreneur from Lebanon, passionate about driving climate action, circular economy solutions, and youth empowerment. With a background in…
Speaker Zoe JAFFLIN
Zoe JAFFLIN

Programme and Grants Associate

IUCN Secretariat

Speaker Carolina Amaya Tobar
Carolina Amaya Tobar

Directora de Gestión y Planificación

Unidad Ecologica Salvadoreña UNEs

A social worker by profession, with 25 years of experience in facilitating environmental and climate processes, supporting community organizations for territorial environmental governance, advising…
Speaker Umberto GALLO ORSI
Umberto GALLO ORSI

Head , Coordinating Unit, Raptors MOU

CMS

Dr Gallo-Orsi holds a degree in Veterinary Medicine and a PhD obtained from Torino University (Italy) having studied the wild boar (Sus scrofa) in NE Italy. He was a Visiting Research Fellow at…
Speaker Ramesh KRISHNAMURTHY
Ramesh KRISHNAMURTHY

Scientist/Professor

Wildlife Institute of India

Scientist-F/Professor & Head of the Department, Landscape Planning and Management at Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun and Adjunct Professor at Faculty of Forestry, University of British…
Speaker Matthew COLLIS
Matthew COLLIS

Senior Director, Policy

IFAW

Matt Collis is IFAW’s Senior Director for Policy. Matt has been with IFAW for 20 years in a number of different roles, first joining IFAW’s London office to lead IFAW’s engagement with the UK…
Speaker Emma HINCHLIFFE
Emma HINCHLIFFE

Director, IUCN UK Peatland Programme

IUCN UK Peatland Programme

Dr Emma Hinchliffe worked for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) devising policy and guidance to support wetland protection, having taken a PhD on the functional ecological role of a…
Speaker Qingzhi ZHENG
Qingzhi ZHENG
Zheng QingzhiChief Engineer of the Human Settlements Landscape Design Institute, Guangzhou Urban Planning & Design Survey Research InstituteRegistered Planner, Senior Landscape Engineer, Master’s…
Speaker Catherine BRYAN
Catherine BRYAN

Co-Chair

Synchronicity Earth

Catherine uses her experience in organisational development, markets and risk, alongside her fascination with the natural world to support a wide range of work that promotes the protection and…
Speaker Emad HLAYEL
Emad HLAYEL

Project Coordinator

IUCN Secretariat

Speaker Francesca VITALI
Francesca VITALI

Wildlife veterinarian

Smithsonian Institution

Dr. Francesca Vitali, a wildlife veterinarian and research associate at the Smithsonian's Global Health Program in Kenya, is dedicated to advancing wildlife medicine within the conservation and One…
Speaker INDRA MANI PANDEY
INDRA MANI PANDEY

BIMSTEC Secretary General

BIMSTEC

Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey is a distinguished diplomat who joined Indian Foreign Service in 1990. He currently serves as  BIMSTEC Secretary General. Earlier, Ambassador Pandey had served as…