All Speakers

Speaker Stefanía KARLSDóTTIR
Stefanía KARLSDóTTIR

Research Assistant

University of Oxford

Stefania is an Oxford University MBiol graduate from Iceland, specialising in applied marine biology and conservation. She is currently a Research Assistant at the University of Oxford, working on…
Speaker Rachael BARZA
Rachael BARZA

Associate Director, Lead Climate Adaptation and Nature Finance

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)

Dr Rachael Barza is an economist specialising in systemic resilience, including both human system resilience to climate change and nature and biodiversity decline, and natural system resilience to…
Speaker Sally HAWKINS
Sally HAWKINS

Lecturer, Sustainable Development

CQUniversity

I am an interdisciplinary researcher and educator in environmental sustainability. My career bridges research, practice and policy. I'm recognized as a leader in rewilding research and policymaking…
Speaker Alison Ormsby
Alison Ormsby

Associate Director of Design/ Forest Specialist

Adventure Scientists

Alison Ormsby has a PhD in Environmental Studies and was a professor of Environmental Studies for 20 years. Dr. Ormsby has taught human ecology and policy courses and published about topics that…
Speaker Tanya BIRCH
Tanya BIRCH

Senior Program Manager

Google

Tanya Birch is a Senior Program Manager at Google in Geo, which powers the most helpful, trusted, and innovative digital representation of the real world for the user ecosystems we serve … to empower…
Speaker Issahaku Npoagne TAWANBU
Issahaku Npoagne TAWANBU

Programme Officer, PANORAMA

IUCN

Speaker Jessica STELLA
Jessica STELLA

Chief Scientist

SHAMS

Dr Jessica Stella is a coral reef ecologist with 10 years of experience in marine park management. Her work has focused on providing expert advice to policy-makers on the local, regional, and global…
Speaker Trevor SANDWITH
Trevor SANDWITH

Director - IUCN Centre for Conservation Action

IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature

Trevor Sandwith is a South African/Swiss ecologist, educationist and nature conservation strategist who promotes the integration of protected and conserved areas in sustainable economic and social…
Speaker Patience GANDIWA
Patience GANDIWA

Director International Conservation Affairs

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority

Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Professor Patience Gandiwa has accumulated 18 years of professional experience in wildlife conservation. She began her tenure with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife…
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 Lewis Cocks COCKS
Lewis Cocks COCKS

Aquarium Curator

The National Aquarium

Working with aquatics since the age of 15, i have steadily been involved with aquariums, conservation and fieldwork for 20 years and have spent the last 13 years in the GCC. Currently the Curator of…
Speaker Erin EATON
Erin EATON

Education Manager

Yas SeaWorld Research and Rescue

Erin Eaton is an Education Manager at Yas SeaWorld Research and Rescue and SeaWorld Yas Island Abu Dhabi.  She has been working in education reform for twenty years.  Erin holds a Masters…
Speaker Suk-Kyung SHIM
Suk-Kyung SHIM

Chair of Education and Communication Committee

IUCN National Committee of Korea

Dr. Suk-Kyung Shim is the Director of the Institute for Human and Nature. She has extensive experience in policy…
Speaker Stefano BURCHI
Stefano BURCHI

Chair Emeritus

International Assocation for Water Law (AIDA)

Stefano Burchi is an expert in comparative and international freshwater law. He holds law degrees from La Sapienza University of Rome and from Harvard Law School, and a M.Sc. from the University of…
Speaker Sarah GLUSZEK
Sarah GLUSZEK

Wildlife Crime Specialist

Consultant/Rewild/WCPA

Sarah Gluszek is a wildlife crime specialist, and the co-founder and coordinator of the WCPA Wildlife Crime Prevention Specialist Group in collaboration with Re:wild. She has an LLB in Law with…
Speaker Matt FROST
Matt FROST

Head of International Office

Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Professor Matt Frost is Head of the International Office at Plymouth Marine Laboratory. A senior leader with over 25 years’ experience, he works extensively on international matters specialising…
Speaker EDWIN ARRIGUI TORRES
EDWIN ARRIGUI TORRES

Biólogo - Coordinador de conservación

Fundación Naturaleza y Hombre

Originally from El Pital, Huila, he has dedicated his academic and professional life to building bridges between continents—America, Europe, Africa, and Asia—in the constant pursuit of knowledge and…
Speaker Madison ROUTLEDGE PETTUS
Madison ROUTLEDGE PETTUS

GCELS Staff Intern

Pace Law School

I am a recent J.D. graduate of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, obtaining certificates in both international and environmental law.I am an assistant law clerk to the Honorable…
Speaker Amran HAMZAH
Amran HAMZAH

Professor

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

Dr. Amran Hamzah is a Professor in Tourism Planning at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and his area of specialisation is the interface between community-based ecotourism and conservation. In addition…
Speaker Jean-Mary TJIOHIMBA
Jean-Mary TJIOHIMBA

The SAN Vision Foundation (TSVF)

Jean-Mary Tjiohimba is an Indigenous human rights defender and advocate for the San people, renowned for her tireless work in defending the rights of Indigenous communities. She has spoken on global…
Speaker Manal AWAD
Manal AWAD

Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment of Egypt

Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency

Dr. Manal Awad is the Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment of Egypt. She previously served as Governor of Damietta (2018–2024) and Deputy Governor of Giza for Community…
Speaker Hariliva RASOANARIVO
Hariliva RASOANARIVO

Directeur Exécutif

FONDATION TANY MEVA

Hariliva Rasoanarivo is the Executive Director of the Tany Meva Foundation in Madagascar. Tany Meva is an environmental foundation created in 1996 with a mission to mobilize and manage funds for the…
Speaker Jovana Dragic May
Jovana Dragic May

Project Officer

IUCN ECARO

Jovana Dragic May is a Conservation Action Project Officer at IUCN ECARO, where she contributes to advancing the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans and the implementation of the IUCN Green List in…
Speaker Peter MANYARA
Peter MANYARA

Regional Ocean Partnerships Manager, IUCN ESARO COR Programme

IUCN Secretariat

Peter Manyara previously worked with UNEP’s global initiative on marine litter since its infancy to its evolution into the current Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML), where he supported…
Speaker Alejandro VON BERTRAB
Alejandro VON BERTRAB

Project Director

GIZ GmbH

Dr. Alejandro von Bertrab is head of the Indo-German bilateral project Restore, Conserve and Protect Forest and Tree Cover for NDC Implementation in India (RECAP4NDC) commissioned by the…
Speaker Felicien Nyenty Achare
Felicien Nyenty Achare

Programme Officer- Conservation Action

International Union for the Conservation of Nature

Felicien Nyenty is a Programme Officer for Conservation Action at IUCN PACO, bringing over seven years of hands-on experience in forestry and wildlife management across Central Africa. He holds a…
Speaker Geert Jan HEUSINKVELD
Geert Jan HEUSINKVELD

Sustainability Manager

Volcafe / Kyagalanyi Coffee Uganda

Geert Jan Heusinkveld is the Sustainability Manager at Kyagalanyi Coffee Ltd, Uganda’s leading coffee exporter and a key member of the Swiss based Volcafe group. With a strong foundation in…