All Speakers
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…
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…
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…
Joaquín Humberto GUTIéRREZ SáNCHEZ
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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.…
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…
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…
Amgad ELMAHDI
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…