All Speakers

Kristen WALKER-PAINEMILLA

Senior Vice President/Managing Director

IUCN/ Conservation International

Kristen Walker Painemilla is Senior Vice President of Inclusive Finance at Conservation International, where she drives global strategies to scale direct access finance for Indigenous Peoples and…

Dean Mathews

Assistant Manager - Environmental Services Unit, Nyamba Buru Yawuru

Nyamba Buru Yawuru

Dean Mathews - Assistant Manager, Environmental Services Unit - Nyamba Buru Yawuru Dean is a descendant of the Yawuru People from Broome, Western Australia, with in-depth cultural knowledge…

David Millar

Vice President, Real Property and Assests

Parks Canada

David Millar is Vice-President of Real Property and Assets at Parks Canada, where he oversees a $30 billion infrastructure portfolio that includes bridges, highways, heritage buildings, dams,…

Jana HARB

Youth Biodiversity Ambassador

Jeunes Ambassadeurs pour l'Environnement (JAE)

Jana is a passionate nature and biodiversity advocate with a multidisciplinary background in geography, ecology, cognitive sciences, and territorial planning. She works at the interface of science,…

Victoria SAWCHUK

GCELS Staff Student Intern

Center for Environmental Legal Studies

Victoria Sawchuk is a Staff Student Intern at the Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies (GCELS) and a J.D. Candidate (Class of 2026) at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University.…

Evelyn UNDERWOOD

Senior policy analyst

Institute for European Environmental Policy

Evelyn heads IEEP’s Biodiversity and Ecosystems team since June 2021, and has been a policy analyst in the team since 2012. Her areas of expertise include implementation of EU biodiversity policy,…

Javokhir Abdukhalikov

Deputy Head of International Cooperation and Rankings Department

Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Javokhir Abdukhalikov is a Deputy Head of Department at the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, working in the International Cooperation…

Yue FEI

Ministry of Natural Resources of China

Angus MIDDLETON

Executive Director

Namibia Nature Foundation

Angus Middleton is the Executive Director of the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF). With 25 years in senior leadership, he has spent the last 15 years guiding NGOs through complex change to sharpen…

Heba AHMED ABOUKHOUSA

Assistant Professor

Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities

Assistant Professor, Sustainability Leader, and Environmental AdvocateDr. Heba Aboukhousa is an Assistant Professor at Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities in the UAE, where she leads the…

Maria FEDOROVA

Strategic Partnerships and Projects

INSEAD Hoffmann institute

Maria Fedorova is a senior social impact and education professional with over 10 years of global experience in the education and sustainability sectors. Her work focuses on building strategic multi-…

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…

Hiba ABI HUSSEIN

Head of Biostatistics Department

Ekthar Wildlife Development Limited

Rashed KARKAIN

CEO/MD

Sustainable Development Research and Training Institute

Dr. Rashed Mohamed Karkain, author of the book Sustainable Development Leaders, is the CEO and Managing Director of the Sustainable Development Research and Training Institute…

Nina ATTIAS

Project mmanager

Wildlife Conservation Network

Nina is a Program Manager at the Wildlife Conservation Network (WCN), where she leads the Rising Wildlife Leaders Amazonia Program. She is passionate about animal conservation, with a special…

Olivier HABIMANA

Regional Programme Delivery Manager, GEF/GCF

IUCN

Olivier Habimana is an experienced program manager and agro-ecological economist with expertise in climate resilience, market systems development, sustainable finance, private sector development and…

Vivian EJEZIE

Communications Assistant, MCSU

IUCN Secretariat

Vivian is an analytical communications professional with expertise in developing and designing initiatives tailored to diverse audiences. She holds a Master’s degree in International Politics from…

Liette VASSEUR

Professor/ UNESCO Chair

Brock University

Deputy Chair - Commission on Ecosystem Management. Dr. Vasseur is a full professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at Brock University. She is a member of the Environmental…

Gina DELLA TOGNA

Executive Director

The Amphibian Survival Alliance / Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute

Dr. Gina Della Togna is a conservationist and researcher currently serving as the Executive Director of the Amphibian Survival Alliance and a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Tropical Research…

Pam MCELWEE

Professor

Rutgers University

I am an environmental anthropologist with additional training in geography and forestry & ecology. My interests are in the social impacts of global environmental problems, and the distributional…

Matthew LEWIS

Great Apes & Gibbons Program Officer

Arcus Foundation

Matthew has served as a Program Officer with the Arcus Foundation’s Great Apes & Gibbons Program since 2023, bringing extensive experience in wildlife research and conservation, particularly in…

Zhao ZHAO

partnership coordinator

Shan Shui Conservation Center

Srijana Joshi Rijal

Ecosystem Specialist

International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development

Dr. Srijana Joshi is an Ecosystem Specialist for ICIMOD’s work on Landscapes. She is a plant ecologist by profession with over 15 years of experience working in the field of ecology and natural…

Barney LONG

Senior Director Conservation Strategies

Re:wild

Barney Long is the Senior Director of Conservation Strategies at Re:wild where he oversees the species conservation, protected area management, crime prevention, exploration and restoration and…

Vinamra MATHUR

Director, Biodiversity Indicators Program

Colorado Natural Heritage Program

Vinamra is the Director for the Biodiversity Indicators Program at the Colorado Natural Heritage Program. He brings over a decade of professional experience working on issues at the intersection of…

Fanourios-Nikol SAKELLARAKIS

Programme Manager

Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (MedINA)

Fanourios-Nikolaos (Fanikos) Sakellarakis is an environmental scientist specializing in ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation, with more than a decade of professional experience in…

Joydeep BOSE

Regional Coordinator-CA|TS

International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

Dr. Bose is Regional Coordinator-CA|TS & Associate Director, Wildlife & Habitats Division, WWF-India based at secretariat in New Delhi, India. For WWF-India, he leads the Protection and…

Rym ZAKHAMA SRAIEB

Trésorière

ATUTAX

I am a marine ecologist and currently serve as Assistant Professor at the Department of Fundamental Sciences, High Institute of Biotechnology of Sidi Thabet, and as a researcher at the Laboratory of…