All Speakers

Frank MUGISHA

CEO,

AKATALE ON CLOUD

Frank Mugisha is a 28-year-old Ugandan entrepreneur, lawyer, and environmental activist. Inspired by his farming background, he champions innovative climate-tech solutions to address food insecurity…

Midori PAXTON

Director - UNDP Nature Hub

United Nations Development Programme

Midori Paxton is the Director of the UNDP Nature Hub within the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support. Under the UNDP Nature Pledge for 2030, Midori leads UNDP’s work to support over 140…

Alfred KUKE

Governance and Engagement Manager

Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program

Alfred Kuke is a social worker by profession. Alfred worked in number of development NGOs in Papua New Guinea for over a decade. However, his passion for rural development, inclusive governance…

Bibiana SUCRE SMITH

Directora Ejecutiva

Provita

Biologist with a master's degree in public management. Her technical experience has focused on the recovery of endangered species, ecosystem restoration, local community participation, and…

Mark VAN DER WAL

Senior Ecologist - Focal point Extractives

IUCN National Committee of The Netherlands

Tropical ecologist by training. I have worked the 1st 14 year of my career in, mostly very remote settings, in S.America, East Indonesia and Central Africa. Since 2004, based in Amsterdam and working…

Alain Sandy Liva RAHARIJAONA

Senior Advisor

SPACES Program

Alain Liva Raharijaona is a professional in economics, international trade, and biodiversity finance. He held notable positions as Economic Counselor at the Embassy of Madagascar in Brussels, non-…

ludovic BRANLANT

NbS Mainstreaming Adviser

Pacific Community (SPC)

Ludovic Branlant is an experienced climate change and Nature-based Solutions (NbS) specialist with over a decade of expertise in project design, management, and policy integration across the Pacific…

Anita TZEC

Senior Program Manager on Indigenous Peoples & Con

IUCN Secretariat

Hyacinth ARMSTRONG-VAUGHN

COLOURS Coordinator

IUCN Secretariat

Hyacinth Armstrong-Vaughn is an accomplished conservation specialist with more than 15 years of work in project management, natural resource conservation, and the non-profit sector. She has extensive…

Marianne DE BEER

Communications and Public Affairs Manager

Communications Manager and Members contact at IUCN National Committee of the Netherlands. I am an experienced communications specialist with over 5 years of expertise in strategic communication…

Guichard BOUNGOU

chargé de projet BIODEV 2030

WWF Congo

Manal BAHMAN

Chief Operations Officer

Emirates Nature - WWF

Manal Bahman is the Chief Operations Officer of Emirates Nature–WWF, where she shapes strategy, governance, and operations to accelerate high-impact nature and climate action across the UAE and the…

Alex MCWILLIAM

Regional Coordinator, Species and Habitats

IUCN

Alex McWilliam is the Regional Coordinator, Species and Habitats, for the Science and Strategy Group at the IUCN Asia Regional Office. He plays a leading role in delivering IUCN’s species…

Richard Labilé SAGNO

Coordinateur

IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature

Richard Labilé SAGNO is a Guinean professional committed to promoting nature-based solutions and the sustainable governance of natural resources. A Rural Economics Engineer, he has over a decade of…

Rima JABADO

Founder and lead scientist

IUCN Species Survival Commission 2021-2025

Deputy Chair Dr Rima Jabado is the Deputy Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) and Chair of the IUCN SSC Shark Specialist Group. As a scientist and conservationist, she has spent…

Anand Punja

Director of Stakeholder Relations

Forest Stewardship Council International

Anand has worked on sustainability through its different core lenses (Social, Environmental and Economic) for 25+ years now at varying scales from local level to international. Anand has held…

YUMI SON

Senior Programme Officer, Coastal and Marine

IUCN

Ms. Yumi Son is the Coordinator of the Regional Coordination Unit (RCU) for the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Phase II (BOBLME II) Project, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization…

Peter FROST

Senior Urban Officer

Natural Resources Wales

Pete Frost is Natural Resources Wales Urban Green Infrastructure Advisor. His work is to find ways to ensure there are enough green spaces of the right kinds in the right places to make Wales’…

ALAYA DE LEON

Deputy Executive Director

Philippine Tropical Forest Conservation Foundation / Forest Foundation Philippines

Alaya “Aya” de Leon is an environmental lawyer with over 15 years' experience in the Philippines and at international level, focused on climate change, forests and land use, nature-based solutions,…

Ryan PAIK

CEO

HaejooX

Ryan Paik, CEO of HaejooX LLC, is a global leader in ocean reef innovation and marine biodiversity. For over a decade in the region, he has overseen Oman’s sustainable artificial reef program, and he…

Mamadou DIOP

Green List Project Officer

IUCN Secretariat

Mamadou is a specialist in protected area management, having successfully completed several training courses and diplomas. He has benefited from IUCN scholarships on several occasions since the DU…

Annette LANJOUW

Chief Executive Officer

Arcus Foundation

Behavioural ecologist, primatologist, conservationist and philanthropic officer. I have worked in ape conservation, primarily in the Congo Basin, since the early 80's, including the International…

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…

Christian GORTAZAR

Universidad de Castilla La Mancha

Christian Gortázar defended his doctoral thesis at the University of Zaragoza in 1997. He is a professor of animal health at the National Wildlife Research Institute IREC, a joint center between the…

David CARRERA BONET

Head of Biodiversity Conservation, Natural Parks Net of the Barcelona Provincial

Diputació de Barcelona

A naturalist by vocation since childhood. He holds a degree in Environmental Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. Early in his career, he worked in communication about protected…

Candice STEVENS

Founder and CEO: Sustainable Finance Coalition

Sustainable Finance Coalition

Candice Stevens leads the Sustainable Finance Coalition and is Co-Chair of the IUCN WCPA Sustainable Finance Specialist Group. Candice is a visionary in green finance and sustainable solutions and…

Roko CINAVILAKEBA

Godfrey NYANGARESI

Protection Manager

Southern Tanzania Elephant Program (STEP)

Godfrey Nyangaresi is the Protection Manager at the Southern Tanzania Elephant Program (STEP), a dedicated conservationist with over 15 years of experience in wildlife protection and human-wildlife…