Meet our key speakers

Razan Al Mubarak

President

IUCN

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak is a global leader in nature conservation and climate action, serving as President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and previously as UN Climate…

Grethel Aguilar

Director General

IUCN

Dr Grethel Aguilar, born in Costa Rica, assumed office as Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in October 2023. Dr Aguilar brings with her thirty years of…

Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak

Minister of Climate Change and Environment & Member of the UAE Cabinet

UAE

Her Excellency Dr. Amna bint Abdullah Al Dahak is the UAE Minister of Climate Change and Environment and a Member of the UAE Cabinet. She leads national efforts in environmental protection,…

Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri

Secretary General

Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD)

Her Excellency Dr. Shaikha Salem Al Dhaheri serves as the Secretary General of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD), the largest environmental regulator in the Middle East. Since her appointment…

Peter Thomson

UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean

United Nations

Ambassador Peter Thomson is the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Ocean, in which role he leads global support for the implementation of UN Sustainable Development Goal 14, to conserve and…

Mukhtar Babayev

Representative of the President of the Republic, UNFCCC COP29 President

Azerbaidjan

Mukhtar Babayev was appointed Representative of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on climate issues on 5th February 2025. Mr Babayev is the official envoy appointed by the President of…

Humphrey Kariuki

Founder

Janus Continental Group

Humphrey Kariuki is a Kenyan conservation advocate and the visionary Patron of the Mount Kenya Wildlife Conservancy (MKWC), home to the world’s first Mountain Bongo sanctuary. He is internationally…

Serge Wilmes

Minister of the Environment, Climate and Biodiversity

Luxembourg

Serge Wilmes, born on 6 May 1982 in Luxembourg, is a leading political figure in Luxembourg and emerging political advocate of climate and environmental action in the international area. After…

Alessandra Yupanqui

Andean activist & Editor-in-chief

Sapiens

Alessandra Yupanqui is a content creator, Andean activist, TEDx speaker, and storyteller. Recognized in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, she is the co-founder and editor-in-chief of Sapiens, a media…

Anderson Tanoto

Managing Director

Royal Golden Eagle (RGE)

Anderson Tanoto is Managing Director at Royal Golden Eagle (RGE) and a member of its Executive Management Board. Headquartered in Singapore, RGE is a global group of resource-based manufacturing…

Carlos Manuel Rodríguez

CEO & Chairperson

Global Environment Facility

Lawyer by profession, politician by choice, and conservationist at heart, Carlos Manuel Rodríguez was elected as CEO and Chairperson of the Global Environment Facility by its governing body, the GEF…

Claudine Blamey

Chief Sustainability Officer

Aviva

Currently Chief Sustainability Officer at Aviva. Claudine was previously the Director of Sustainability and Digital Strategy at Argent LLP for 3 years. Claudine delivered the net zero carbon…

Daouda Ngom

Minister for the Environment and Ecological Transition

Senegal

Professor Daouda Ngom, Senegal's Minister for the Environment and Ecological Transition since April 5, 2024, is a full Professor of Ecology and Agroforestry, Director of the Plant Ecology Laboratory…

Daouda Sembene

Founder and CEO

AfriCatalyst

Daouda Sembene is the CEO of AfriCatalyst, a global development advisory firm headquartered in Dakar, Senegal. He also serves as a Distinguished Non-resident Fellow at the Washington-based Center for…

David Obura

Chair

Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES)

David Obura is a Founding Director of CORDIO East Africa, chairs the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES, 2023-2026) and is on the Earth Commission (2019-2026).…

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema

Assistant Secretary-General (UN) & Deputy Executive Director (UNEP)

United Nations and United Nations Environment Programme

Elizabeth Maruma Mrema is Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. Ms…

Eric Jing

Chairman and CEO

Ant Group

Mr. Eric Jing joined Alibaba Group in 2007 and became President of Ant Group in June 2015. In October 2016, Eric was appointed CEO of Ant Group, and in April 2018, assumed the additional role of…

Jean Lemire

Special Envoy for Climate Change, Nordic and Arctic Affairs

Quebec

A biologist by training, Jean Lemire is an environmental specialist and renowned science communicator. He was appointed Special Envoy for Climate Change, Nordic and Arctic Affairs by the Government…

Jochen Flasbarth

State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety

Germany

Jochen Flasbarth, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, has many years of experience in international cooperation and…

Juan Carlos Navarro

Minister of Environment

Panama

BA in Geography and Government, Dartmouth College; Master's in Public Administration, Harvard University. 1985, Member of the Board of Trustees and Founding Director, Ancon Foundation, an…

Kazuhiko Kamada

Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer

Oji Holdings Corporation

Mr. Kazuhiko Kamada is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) of Oji Holdings Corporation, the leading pulp and paper manufacturing group in Japan with a global presence.After…

Laurence Pessez

Global Chief Sustainability Officer

BNP Paribas

As creator of the Sustainability function within the group, Laurence is managing BNP Paribas related policy and contributed to obtaining several awards such as the “World Best Bank for Sustainable…

Musonda Mumba

Secretary General

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands

Dr Mumba is a Zambian-born environmentalist with over 25 years of global experience in environmental management and sustainable development. She joins the Convention on Wetlands from the United…

Nisreen Elsaim

Chair

Sudan Youth Organization on Climate Change (SYOCC)

Nisreen Elsaim is an accomplished environmental and climate activist with a Bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Khartoum, Sudan. She furthered her academic pursuits by obtaining a…

Patricia Ricard

President

Paul Ricard Oceanographic Institute

Patricia Ricard has been actively engaged in environmental protection for over 30 years and is President of the Oceanographic Institute Paul Ricard. Founded in 1966, the Institute operates as a…

Ralph Regenvanu

Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management

Vanuatu

Ralph Regenvanu is Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management. He is currently serving his sixth term as a Member of…

Rohitesh Dhawan

President & CEO

International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM)

Rohitesh “Ro” Dhawan is the President and Chief Executive Officer of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). He leads the Council of 24 CEOs of the world’s largest mining & metals…

Seyni Nafo

Co-chair

Green Climate Fund Board

Ambassador Seyni Nafo is an influential voice in global climate diplomacy and a driving force behind Africa’s climate and sustainable development efforts.Currently serving as Co-Chair of the Green…

Sylvia A. Earle

Founder and Chair

Mission Blue

Sylvia A. Earle is an oceanographer with expertise in ocean science, technology, exploration, and conservation and a spokesperson for policies that emphasize a harmonious relationship between human…

Thani Mohamed-Soilihi

Minister Delegate to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, for Francophonie and International Partnerships

France

Married and father of three children, Thani Mohamed-Soilihi was born on June 20, 1972 in Sada, Mayotte. A graduate of the École du Centre Ouest des Avocats de Poitiers, he has been practicing as a…

Yann Wehrling

Vice president in charge of Ecological transition, Climate and Biodiversity

Ile-de-France Region

Yann Wehrling is graduated from the University of Human Sciences of Strasbourg (Arts and History of Art) and from the School of Decorative Arts in Strasbourg.Yann Wehrling is involved in the…