All Speakers

Speaker Magda ZACHARA
Magda ZACHARA

Programme Officer

IUCN

Magda Zachara is an educator and advocate for nature conservation with a strong scientific background. She holds a Master’s degree in Biochemistry from the University of Geneva and a PhD in Molecular…
Speaker Melissa ABDERRAHIM
Melissa ABDERRAHIM

IUCN Secretariat

Marine Programme Officer in the IUCN Ocean Team, based in Headquarters. Working on blue carbon and blue natural capital, sustainable finance, conservation and restoration of marine and coastal…
Speaker Lee WRAY-DAVIES
Lee WRAY-DAVIES

Global Director for Education

Foundation for environmental education

Speaker Masego MADZWAMUSE
Masego MADZWAMUSE

Environment Programme Director

Oak Foundation

Masego is the Environment Programme Director at Oak Foundation where she oversees three sub-programmes, namely and respectively the Nature and People - the Regenerative Landscapes and the Marine and…
Speaker Olivier CHASSOT
Olivier CHASSOT

Senior Project Coordinator, AlUla PAN Project

International Union for Conservation of Nature

Dr. Olivier Chassot is the Senior Programme Officer for Protected, Conserved, and Heritage Areas at the IUCN Asia Regional Office. He previously served as a Steering Committee member of the IUCN…
Speaker Helga Katharina Mahler
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…
Speaker Laith ALRAHAHLEH
Laith ALRAHAHLEH

Programme manager- IUCN-ROWA

IUCN Secretariat

Dr. Laith ALRahahleh, a seasoned expert with a Doctorate in Forestry and Agricultural Sciences from the University of Eastern Finland, has over 20 years of extensive experience. He is currently the…
Speaker Juliette PAEMELAERE
Juliette PAEMELAERE

Chargée de production et gestion des connaissances BIODEV2030

Expertise France

With a multidisciplinary background in risk management in the Global South and international environmental project management, I have specialized in knowledge production and capacity-building in…
Speaker Suman GHIMIRE
Suman GHIMIRE

Founder and CEO

PlantSat by Seed Innovations Pvt. Ltd.

I am an agri-insurtech entrepreneur who started his journey in 2019 with a mission to protect South Asian farmers, starting from Nepal, from both agriculture and climate risks. My startup harnesses…
Speaker Rachel CLAUSING
Rachel CLAUSING

Fondation Prince Albert II de Monaco

Rachel Clausing is the Special Advisor to the Vice President and the Head of Initiatives at the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. A marine scientist by training, she earned her doctorate from…
Speaker Lara OCALLAGHAN
Lara OCALLAGHAN

GCELS Staff Student Intern

Center for Environmental Legal Studies

Lara O'Callaghan is a J.D. candidate at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, where she is actively involved with the Global Center for Environmental Legal Studies. Her studies focus…
Speaker Suk-Kyung SHIM
Suk-Kyung SHIM

Chair of Education and Communication Committee

IUCN National Committee of Korea

Dr. Suk-Kyung Shim is the Director of the Institute for Human and Nature. She has extensive experience in policy…
Speaker Jorge SALAVERRY
Jorge SALAVERRY

Subsecretario de Recursos Naturales

SERNA

Jorge Salaverri (Puerto Lempira, Gracias a Dios. January 23, 1961).Forestry Engineer, graduated from the National School of Forest Sciences and from the BS Forestry program at West Virginia…
Speaker Carolina MARQUES
Carolina MARQUES

Consultant

Consultant

Biologist, project manager, and content/publications coordinator with over 10 years of experience in socio-environmental initiatives, particularly with international and network-based organizations…
Speaker Susanne PEDERSEN
Susanne PEDERSEN

Director

IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature

Susanne Pedersen has 30 years of experience as a board member, director, and strategic advisor from international organizations, a science-based advisory centre, an innovation community, industry…
Speaker *Carlos Manuel RODRÍGUEZ
*Carlos Manuel RODRÍGUEZ

CEO and 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…
Speaker Fernanda CARVALHO
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…
Speaker thijs BIERSTEKER
thijs BIERSTEKER

Woven Foundation

As an ecological artist who works together with leading scientists, Thijs Biersteker creates data-driven artworks that transform complex environmental research into immersive installations and…
Speaker Alice REISFELD
Alice REISFELD

Conservation Director

SAVE Brasil

Alice holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Management from the University of São Paulo (USP) and currently serves as the Conservation Director at SAVE Brasil – the BirdLife International…
Speaker Rebecca MOON
Rebecca MOON

Education Coordinator

Centre for Global Education

Rebecca empowers youth to take meaningful action toward SDGs. With a B.Ed. from the University of Alberta, Rebecca brings a strong foundation in education and science to her work. Teaching in rural…
Speaker Kongjian YU
Kongjian YU

Professor

Peking University

A farmer’s son and Doctor of Design from Harvard, Yu is a professor and dean of Peking University College of Architecture and Landscape, and founded Turenscape and the Landscape Architecture…
Speaker Jacques SOMDA
Jacques SOMDA

Chef de Programme Burkina Faso

IUCN

Il est de nationalité burkinabé, et a un doctorat en économie rurale, option économie agricole et de l’environnement de l’Université de Cocody en Côte d’ivoire, et prendra ses nouvelles fonctions le…
Speaker Wendy ELIOTT
Wendy ELIOTT

Senior Director Wildlife, Biodiversity Practice

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

Wendy Elliott is the Senior Director, Wildlife at WWF-International, working primarily on strategic design and innovation across WWF’s global wildlife conservation portfolio. Wendy has worked at the…
Speaker Katalin CZIPPAN
Katalin CZIPPAN

nature education expert

Blue Planet Foundation

Strategic Advisor & Nature Education for Sustainability Co-Chair Katalin Czippan is an educator with experience in the field of environmental and sustainability education and communication…
Speaker Petch Manopawitr
Petch Manopawitr

Technical Advisor

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

Petch is a conservation scientist with over 25 years of experience in the fields of biodiversity conservation, protected area management and science on sustainability.  His master research at…
Speaker Joseph NJUE
Joseph NJUE

GIS Officer, Forest Landscape Restoration

IUCN Secretariat

Mr. Joseph Njiru holds a Bsc. Degree in Surveying and mapping and a Msc. in Computer Systems from University of Nairobi and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT)respectively…
Speaker Kathy Lene CIELO
Kathy Lene CIELO

Deputy Executive Director

Mindoro Biodiversity Conservation Foundation Inc.

Kathy Lene Cielo, also fondly known to colleagues as Kyle, is a wildlife biologist with over 10 years of experience in conservation science and environmental management. She holds a B.Sc. in Wildlife…