All Speakers
Benjamin Lee
Director (Research & Advisory)
Royal Commission for AlUla
Dr. Benjamin Lee is the Director of Research and Advisory for the Wildlife and Natural Heritage Division at the Royal Commission for AlUla. A zoologist by training with a deep curiosity about the…
Baerbel VOGEL
Secretary
IUCN/WCPA GSG Caves and Karst Working Group
Over 30 years I am an engaged speleologist with a special focus on cave and karst protection and policy. I serve as president for the German Speleological Federation VdHK for almost 20 years now. In…
Taís NOGUEIRA FERNANDES
Environmental specialist
Vale S/A
Specialist in strategic environmental management, corporate sustainability, and biodiversity, with 20+ years of experience leading high-impact projects in both industrial and academic sectors. Ph.D.…
ANTOINE ALLAM
IUCN Climate Crisis Commission 2022-2025
Dr. Allam is a highly experienced Water Resources and Hydrology Expert with 15 years of experience in Lebanon and the Mediterranean Region. He holds a PhD in hydrology, where he studied Mediterranean…
Mateo PORTER PARTIDA
Student
EducationNatureNexus
I am a 17-year-old Mexican student living in Canada with a deep passion for marine ecosystems and sustainability. As I navigate my final year of high school, I aspire to study marine biology and…
Shamen VIDANAGE
Country Representative, IUCN Sri Lanka
IUCN
Shamen Vidanage brings over 30 years of experience in natural resource management at government, academia and non-government sectors. He is currently the Country Representative of IUCN Sri Lanka…
ELISA FURLAN
ELISA FURLAN
John EWEN
Professor
Zoological Society of London
Professor John Ewen is a conservation scientist in ZSL’s Institute of Zoology, leading a research group focussed on species recovery including conservation translocations. He has published more…
Stefania PETROSILLO
Expert
IUCN WCPA TBCSG
Senior expert in: - Natural Protected Areas - international and cross-border cooperation on protection of nature and culture heritage and sustainable development - community participatory management…
Priscilla YU
Program Officer, Forests
WWF
Aizhong LIU
Secretary General
Centre for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge
Dr. Aizhong Liu, Professor at Southwest Forestry University in China, Secretary General at Center for Biodiversity and Indigenous Knowledge. Engaged in researches in plant science and…
Ivan PASPALDZHIEV
Senior Manager | Sustainability Services
EY denkstatt
Senior Manager at EY denkstatt with 10 years of experience in sustainability strategy, focusing on nature & climate strategy, environmental economics, and public policy consulting, advising…
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…
Tariq ABU TALEB
Executive Director
Wadi for Sustainable Ecosystems Development (Wadi)
Tariq Abu Taleb – Executive Director & Founding Member, Wadi for Sustainable Ecosystems Development (Wadi)Tariq Abu Taleb is the Executive Director and a founding member of Wadi for Sustainable…
Daniel MATEOS MOLINA
Head of Marine Conservation at Emirates Nature - WWF
Emirates Nature - WWF
Daniel Mateos-Molina is a passionate marine scientist and the Head of Marine Conservation and Biodiversity at Emirates Nature-WWF. Holding a Ph.D. Cum Laude in Biodiversity and Environmental…
Saud ABDULAZIZ AL MUHAIDIB
Managing Director of the Board
Tilad Business Holding
Saud Al-Muhaideb is the Managing Director of the Board of Tilad Business Holding, a pioneering Saudi group headquartered in Riyadh that integrates environmental consultancy, veterinary sciences, and…
Pakkasem TONGCHAI
Programme Officer, Water and Wetlands
the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Pakkasem Tongchai is a landscape architect and water and wetlands practitioner with over nine years of experience in sustainable landscape design and ecological management. His award-winning 2017…
Alla Aleksanyan
senior researcher
HH GAA A. TAKHTAJYANI ANVAN BUSABANUTYAN INSTITUT
Dr. Alla Aleksanyan is a leading Armenian conservation biologist and Head of the Department of Plant Diversity and Ecosystem Studies at the International Scientific-Educational Center of NAS of…
Noora OBAID
Noor BADER
Student
Ecoherence New York University Abu Dhabi
Nour Bader is a biology undergraduate at New York University Abu Dhabi, specializing in Brain and Cognitive Sciences with minors in Psychology and Anthropology. Passionate about neuroscience and…
SAIFUDEEN KABEER
Senior Data and Ranking Specialist
United Arab Emirates University
Saifudeen A is a Senior Research Data and Ranking Specialist at the Office of the Associate Provost for Research, United Arab Emirates University (UAEU). He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering from…
Manal BAHMAN
Chief Operations Officer
Emirates Nature - WWF
Manal Bahman is the Chief Operations Officer of Emirates Nature–WWF, where she shapes strategy, governance, and operations to accelerate high-impact nature and climate action across the UAE and the…
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…
Tommaso DEMOZZI
Biodiversity Policy Officer
IUCN
Tommaso Demozzi works as Biodiversity Policy Officer for the IUCN EU Representative Office and for the IUCN Centre for Policy and Law. He follows key international policy processes both at the…
Sally WREN
Co-Chair
IUCN SSC Amphibian Specialist Group
Sally joined the ASG as a Programme Officer in 2013, and had roles as Conservation Planning Officer, then Deputy Chair, before becoming Co-Chair in 2024. One of Sally’s main roles to date was leading…
Dominic REGESTER
Director Education
IUCN Commission on Education and Communication 2021-2025
Dominic Regester is Director of Education and Director of the Center for Education Transformation at Salzburg Global, where he is responsible for designing, developing and implementing programs on…
Naïk FAUCON
European & International Affairs Officer
OFB. Office français de la biodiversité.
Multicultural experience in capacity building (individual, organizational, and systemic) in the field of biodiversity protection, conservation, and restoration.
Helga Katharina Mahler
Project Director
GIZ PANORAMA
Helga Katharina Mahler is a Project Director at GIZ, author, and humanitarian, working transdisciplinarily and transculturally to drive sustainable transformation. She co-coordinates the global…