All Speakers

Rashed ALSUWAIDI

PUBLIC EVENTS SPECIALISTS

Department of culture and tourism

My name is Rashed Al Suwaidi, and I work as a Public Events Specialist at the Zayed National Museum. I’m also the Vice Chair of the Department of Culture and Tourism Youth Council, where I focus on…

Ariane LAPORTE-BISQUIT

Senior Manager, Risk Filter Suite

WWF Deutschland

With 10 years of work experience as a sustainability professional, Ariane Laporte‑Bisquit is Senior Manager for the WWF Risk Filter Suite, which includes two leading online tools (Biodiversity Risk…

Vinitaa Hemant APTE

Founder & Director

TERRE Policy Centre

Dr. Vinitaa a multifaceted personality & founder of TERRE started this NGO with a motto “To think is good but to act is better”. Dr. Apte has an out of the box thinking process and due to which…

Carlos Manuel RODRIGUEZ ECHANDI

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…

Raphaël BILLÉ

Deputy Director General

Tour du Valat

John ROBINSON

Joan L. Tweedy Chair in Conservation Strategy

Wildlife Conservation Society

John G. Robinson directed the WCS’s conservation programs in the Americas, Africa and Asia from 1990 to 2020. He has studied subsistence and commercial hunting in tropical forests, and has a long…

Osama AL NOURI

Program Manager

IFAW / SSCW

Osama Al Nouri holds an executive master’s in business administration. Since July 2024, he works as Program Manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for the Middle East and North…

Wilhelm KIWANGO

Researcher

The University of Dodoma

I am a Lecturer in the Department of Geography and Environmental Studies, The University of Dodoma, Tanzania. I have a background in natural sciences having trained in wildlife conservation/ecology,…

Sarah FOWLER

Scientific Advisor

Save Our Seas Foundation

Forty-five years working in marine biodiversity conservation and management, particularly the conservation and management of sharks and rays, including CITES implementation, CMS, RSCAPs, and RFBs.…

Deborah BRADY

Lead Ecologist

The Lifescape Project

Deborah Brady is an experienced ecologist specialising in mammals and the use of species reintroductions as a tool to address biodiversity loss at a landscape scale. As a founding director and now…

Gray THORNTON

President and CEO

Wild Sheep Foundation

Gray N. Thornton is President & CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation (WSF) the world’s leading wild sheep conservation organization. Prior to joining WSF, Thornton served 18 years in leadership…

Atef LIMAM

Chargé de Projets Aires Marines Protégées

UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC

Dr. Atef LIMAM has always been fascinated by marine biodiversity. Most of his career has been devoted to the conservation efforts and initiatives of the Mediterranean marine and coastal biodiversity…

Sebastian SCHMIDT ROACH

CEO

Ocean Revive

Sebastian Schmidt-Roach began his coral reef research in 2005 in Trinidad and Tobago, later innovating coral recruitment methods in Indonesia. He earned his PhD on coral reproductive ecology at the…

Achinthi VITHANAGE

Professor and Exec. Dir. of Envt'l Law Programs

Center for Environmental Legal Studies

Prior to joining Haub Law as the Associate Director of Environmental Law Programs, Professor Vithanage was a Visiting Associate Professor of Law and the first Environmental and Energy Law Fellow with…

Graciela Coy Maas

Advocacy

Asociación Ak' Tenamit

Graciela is a Q'eqchi Mayan indigenous leader with extensive experience related to girls education, community based tourism and rural development

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…

David RAMOS

Senior Manager, Sustainability

HSBC Bank Middle East Limited

David Ramos is a Senior Manager in Sustainability for HSBC Bank Middle East, North Africa and Turkey. From November 2022 to June 2024 he was Acting Head of Sustainability for the region while the…

Sukhyun PARK

International Coordinator

Sustainable Systems Research Institute

Sukhyun Park is the Director and Head Researcher at the Sustainable Systems Research Institute, with extensive expertise in environmental policy and sustainable development. Her career bridges both…

Yan ZHANG

Country Coordinator

IUCN Secretariat

Emily NICHOLSON

Professor of Conservation Biology

IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2021-2025

Professor Emily Nicholson is a conservation scientist whose work has impacts on conservation policy and practice at global and local levels. Her research interests include biodiversity monitoring and…

Marco LAMBERTINI

Convener

Nature Positive Initiative

Marco Lambertini is the Convener of the Nature Positive Initiative.Marco was WWF International Director General (2014-2022) and Special Envoy (2023). Before joining WWF he was Global Director of…

Alexandra Kalandarishvili

Senior Policy Coordinator

The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC)

Hori Orlando Salanic Xec

Licenciado en Trabajo Social

Asociación SINERGIAS

Hori Orlando Salanic Xec, Guatemalan, K'iche Maya indigenous people. I have a degree in Social Work. For the past 15 years, I have worked for territorial development for Indigenous peoples and local…

Fernanda CARVALHO

Head of Policy for climate and energy

WWF International

Head of Policy for Climate and Energy at WWF, with 25 years of experience in global environmental politics and policy. Holds a PhD in International Relations from the Universidade de Brasília and an…

Gemma PARKES

Head of Communications

IUCN Commission on Education and Communication 2021-2025

With over 20 years’ experience as a global strategic communications leader across the non-profit, public and private sectors in organizations both large and small, Gemma is Head of Communications…

JENEEN GARCIA

SENIOR EVALUATION OFFICER

GEF IEO

Jeneen R. Garcia is a Senior Evaluation Officer with over 10 years’ experience in evaluating environmental programs at the Global Environment Facility Independent Evaluation Office (GEF IEO). Her…

Nicolas SALAUN

Responsable coopération internationale

IUCN French Committee

After studying international agricultural development engineering and completing a specialized master's degree in tropical forest management, Nicolas worked for two years at the French Development…

Tania AMMOUR

Member of 20y SV Team; Senior Advisor ORMACC RD

IUCN

Tania has an extensive experience in the design, implementation, technical assistance, monitoring and evaluation of projects and programmes in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as in other…