All Speakers

Munir VIRANI

Chief Operating Officer

Mohamed Bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund LLC

Dr. Munir Virani is Chief Executive of the Abu-Dhabi-based Mohamed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund dedicated to the protection and conservation of threatened birds of prey…

Loreley Picourt

Directrice Générale

Ocean and Climate Platform

Loreley Picourt is the Executive Director of the Ocean & Climate Platform (OCP) – an international network from civil society mobilised for “a healthy ocean, a protected climate”. As a strong…

Mohamed AL KAABI

Secretary General

Emirates Council for Balanced Development

H.E. Mohamed Khalifa Al Kaabi is a distinguished leader with extensive experience in government, finance, and strategic sustainable development. He played an instrumental role in establishing the…

Nabegh GHAZAL ASSWAD

Programs Manager / Senior Scientific & Technical Advisor

Syrian Society for the Conservation of Wildlife

Dr. Nabegh Ghazal Asswad had a PhD. in Wildlife Ecology and Management. He works as a Programmes Manager at the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for the Middle East and North Africa…

Chad Wilsey

Chief Scientist

National Audubon Society

Chad leads a team of scientists conducting analyses in support of Audubon’s Flight Plan. Chad was a principal investigator on Audubon’s Survival by Degrees report, and Water and Birds in the Arid…

Tim BADMAN

Director, World Heritage

IUCN Commission on Education and Communication 2021-2025

Tim Badman is Head of the World Heritage Programme at IUCN. He joined IUCN in August 2007, and was previously based in Dorset County Council (UK) as Environment Policy Manager. Between 2000-2006 he…

Aysha AL HAMEDI

Unit Head Landscape

Al Ain Zoo

Academic Degree: • Bachelor's Degree in Horticulture, August 2001-June 2007, United Arab Emirates University Training Courses: • Collecting Folk Tales in the Emirates, June 15-July 3, 2002, Zayed…

Jennifer CORPUZ

Fellow and Strategic Advisor

Nia Tero

I am an Indigenous woman from the Kankanaey Igorot People of Besao, Mountain Province in the Philippines. I am a lawyer by profession, having obtained my Bachelor of Laws degree from the University…

Ubayd GULAMADSHOEV

Country Director, Fauna&Flora in Tajikistan

Fauna&Flora

My name is Ubayd Gulamadshoev, and I was born and raised in Tajikistan.In 2008, I received a Master’s degree in Developing Policy and Management from the University of Bradford in the UK. Since then…

Sadka SAENMI

Indigenous Expert

IPO

Mr. Sakda Saenmi is an Indigenous expert from Thailand with expertise in the areas of Indigenous Peoples and their relation to Climate Change and Biodiversity

Sarah Amy WYATT

Sr. Biodiversity Specialist

GEF (Global Environment Facility)

Sarah Wyatt is a Senior Biodiversity Specialist at the Global Environment Facility (GEF). At the GEF, she leads work with Latin American and Pacific island countries to develop biodiversity…

Rabab AL LAWATI

Conservation Outreach Coordinator

Environment Society of Oman

Rabab Al Lawati is an early-career wildlife and conservation biologist and, until June 2025, served as the Conservation Outreach Coordinator at the Environment Society of Oman (ESO), Oman's first and…

Soma KATIYAR

Executive Creative Director

BBC Media Action

Soma Katiyar is Executive Creative Director at BBC Media Action, where she turns ideas into action, transforming complex development and climate challenges into campaigns that shift culture and…

Elsburgh 'Tres' CLARKE

Director of Animal Health and Welfare

SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, Yas SeaWorld Research and Rescue Center

Dr. Elsburgh “Tres” Octavius Clarke III is the Director of Animal Health and Welfare at SeaWorld Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates and a diplomat of the American College of Zoological Medicine. He…

James BARTRAM

Advisory Chair - NFEL

Toronto Zoo

I have a broad base of international experience in education, conservation and design, with particular interest in program start-ups, innovation, staff development and multi-agency partnerships. I’ve…

Silvia MUSEIYA

Principal Secretary

State Department for Wildlife

A young woman who comes from a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural background; born to a small hunter-gatherer indigenous community of Mukogodo forest in Laikipia, Kenya called the Yiaku in the late 80s…

Wes SECHREST

CEO and Board Chair

Re:wild

Dr. Sechrest co-founded Re:wild, where he is CEO and Board Chair. He leads Re:wild’s efforts to use nature-based solutions to address the interconnected biodiversity, climate, and human wellbeing…

Abdullah ALZAHRANI

grazing regulation manager

NCVC

I hold a PhD in Rangeland and Forest Sciences and an MSc in Biodiversity. I specialize in rangeland management and grazing regulation.I began my career in the field of natural sciences education as a…

Melissa LEACH

Executive Director

Cambridge Conservation Initiative

Melissa Leach is Executive Director of the Cambridge Conservation initiative (CCI), a collaboration between ten world-leading nature and biodiversity organisations with the University of Cambridge,…

Shahid KHAN

Scientist

ENVIRONMENT AGENCY ABU DHABI

I have spend the last two decades studying the biodiversity particularly avifauna of the UAE being associated with Environment Agency Abu Dhabi as a scientist. Most of our work has been to study…

Laxmi AGGARWAL

Conservation Officer

Botanic Gardens Conservation International

Influenced by her upbringing near the Serengeti National Park, Laxmi Aggarwal has completed her PhD. researching illegal ivory markets in Tanzania, with a determination to inform policy dialogue and…

Ben AKATCH

Mobile Education Officer

IUCN Commission on Education and Communication 2021-2025

I am a committed and passionate conservation Education Officer with relevant experience. currently I work for wildlife clubs of Kenya helping in reaching out to empower and impart the youths with the…

Jennifer SKENE

Global Forest Policy Manager, Int'l Program

Natural Resources Defense Council

Global Forest Policy Director, NRDCClinical Lecturer, Yale Law School

Benjamin Lee

Director (Research & Advisory)

Royal Commission for AlUla

Dr. Benjamin Lee is the Director of Research and Advisory for the Wildlife and Natural Heritage Division at the Royal Commission for AlUla. A zoologist by training with a deep curiosity about the…

Alex Hai ZHANG

Secretary General

Eco Foundation Global

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…

Benson KASYOKI

AWF-Wall Policy Fellow

African Wildlife Foundation-Voi

I am an advocate of the High Court of Kenya and a conservation enthusiast. Currently working with the African Wildlife Foundation and involved in managing the court monitoring program within the…

Sebastian BUCKUP

Managing Director

World Economic Forum

Managing Director, leading the Centre for Nature and Climate and the Forum’s Foundations (Global Shapers, Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship, Young Global Leaders); previously Member of…