All Speakers

Speaker Laura SONTER
Laura SONTER

Technical Director - Science & Policy

The Biodiversity Consultancy

Dr Laura Sonter is Technical Director for Science and Policy at The Biodiversity Consultancy and an Adjunct Associate Professor at The University of Queensland. With over 15 years’ experience at the…
Speaker Thomas PIENKOWSKI
Thomas PIENKOWSKI

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

Dr Thomas Pienkowski is a Research Fellow at the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology and a member of the E3 Sharing Space for Nature initiative.His overarching aim is to produce research…
Speaker Isabel WALLNOEFER
Isabel WALLNOEFER

Youth and Stewardship Officer

IUCN

Motivated by a strong commitment integrating youth voices in global water governance, Isabel Wallnöfer works to promote sustainable water management across sectors and strengthen youth leadership in…
Speaker Joaquín Humberto GUTIéRREZ SáNCHEZ
Joaquín Humberto GUTIéRREZ SáNCHEZ
Speaker Odile CONCHOU
Odile CONCHOU

Nature Senior Advisor

AFD

Currently Nature Senior Advisor to the Executive Management of the Sustainable Development Solutions Direction at the French Development Agency (AFD), Odile CONCHOU has over 35 years of experience in…
Speaker Duko HOPMAN
Duko HOPMAN

Executive Director

Rob Walton Foundation

Duko Hopman Executive Director, Rob Walton FoundationDuko joined the Rob Walton Foundation in February 2025 after more than a decade at McKinsey & Company, where he co-founded and co-led the…
Speaker Patricia SEWE
Patricia SEWE

Chief Operations Officer (COO)

WildlifeDirect

Trish Sewe is a seasoned communications and results-driven development professional with over 20 years of experience leading complex, high-impact projects in conservation and sustainable development…
Speaker AMIR IQBAL
AMIR IQBAL

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

SINDH ENGRO COAL MINING COMPANY

Amir Iqbal has been serving as Chief Executive Officer of Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) and its community development arm, Thar Foundation, since 2021. As Pakistan’s pioneering coal mining…
Speaker Michelle BENDER
Michelle BENDER

Legal Counsel and Head of Ocean Rights

Ocean Vision Legal

Michelle is the creator and leading expert in the movement towards "Ocean Rights," the application of Rights of Nature in the ocean policy seascape. She has provided her expertise to Rights of Nature…
Speaker Saud ABDULAZIZ  AL MUHAIDIB
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…
Speaker Patricia RICARD
Patricia RICARD

Présidente

Institut Océanographique Paul Ricard

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…
Speaker Sylvia Alicia EARLE
Sylvia Alicia 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…
Speaker Ivana THOMPSON
Ivana THOMPSON

Programme Officer, BESTLIFE2030

IUCN EU Representative Office

Ivana Thompson is a former marine biology researcher currently serving as a Programme Officer with the IUCN Protected and Conserved Areas under the BESTLIFE2030 programme. In this role, she…
Speaker Ann-Katrine GARN
Ann-Katrine GARN

Director of Conservation

Copenhagen Zoo / IUCN National Committee of Denmark

Ann-Katrine Garn is a zoologist and the Director of Conservation at Copenhagen Zoo, Denmark. With over 25 years of experience in biodiversity conservation, she has led national and international…
Speaker Malak CHALBI
Malak CHALBI

Project Management Officer

Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS)

Environmental professional passionate about wildlife, with a background in agronomy, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and wildlife management, project management, and knowledge dissemination.…
Speaker Antonis ANTONIOU LATOUROS
Antonis ANTONIOU LATOUROS

President

Aggregates Europe

Antonis Antoniou Latouros is President of Aggregates Europe, having been re-elected in 2024 as the first person to serve a second consecutive term since the association’s establishment in 1987.…
Speaker Mercy MULENGA
Mercy MULENGA

Journalist

BBC MEDIA ACTION

Mercy is a Zambian and seasoned journalist working for Yar FM radio, with over five years of experience. Driven by the passion to uncover untold stories, Mercy is committed to amplifying marginalized…
Speaker Maria Ana BORGES
Maria Ana BORGES

Programme Officer

IUCN

Maria Ana has worked in IUCN since 2008, starting in the Global Business and Biodiversity Programme where she was responsible for managing corporate engagements with companies in the cement and…
Speaker Fernanda CRUZ RIBEIRO
Fernanda CRUZ RIBEIRO

Director, Institutional Partnerships, Conservation Science

PANTHERA FRANCE

Fernanda Ribeiro is the Director of Institutional Partnerships at Panthera, coordinating and executing Panthera’s high-level engagement with governments, key institutions and conservation…
Speaker Naira DEHMEL
Naira DEHMEL

Researcher

International Institute for Environment and Development

Naira is part of IIED’s Natural Resources research group where she works on environmental justice and rights-based approaches to biodiversity conservation and natural resource governance.
Speaker Ruben KHACHATRYAN
Ruben KHACHATRYAN

Founding Director

FPWC

Ruben Khachatryan is a conservation leader with over two decades of experience pioneering cross-sectoral solutions to biodiversity loss, species protection, and environmental education in the South…
Speaker Stephen WIDDICOMBE
Stephen WIDDICOMBE

Director

Sharjah Marine Science Research Centre

I am Director of the Sharjah Marine Science Research Centre (SMSRC), at the University of Khorfakkan in the United Arab Emirates. This role allows me to further extend my leadership on the global…
Speaker Rashed KARKAIN
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…
Speaker AMELIA ARREGUIN PRADO
AMELIA ARREGUIN PRADO

Coordinator / Project officer

CBD Women's Caucus & Forest Peoples Programme

Amelia Arreguín Prado is the Regional Vice Chair for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean at IUCN CEESP. A specialist in gender justice, human rights, and environment, she has extensive…
Speaker Miriam MONTERROSO DE HELWIG
Miriam MONTERROSO DE HELWIG

Directora Ejecutiva

Asociación Rescate y Conservación de Vida Silvestre (ARCAS)

Miriam Elena Monterroso is a Lawyer and Notary, and for the past 35 years she has served as Executive Director of the Wildlife Rescue and Conservation Association (ARCAS) in Guatemala. Under her…
Speaker Irene HEUSER
Irene HEUSER

Administrator / Expert on International and European Environmental Law

IUCN WCEL

Dr. Irene Lucia Heuser Since July 2018 Dr. Heuser is Chair of the Specialist Group on “Soil and Sustainable Agriculture Law“ of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. Dr. Irene Heuser…
Speaker Stéphan PLISSON-SAUNE
Stéphan PLISSON-SAUNE

Head of Environment Department

TotalEnergies SE

Stéphan Plisson-Sauné joined the TotalEnergies Company in 1996. He has been working in the Environmental domain since that date. He is currently the head of the Corporate Environment Department. He…