All Speakers

Matthew COLLIS

Senior Director, Policy

IFAW

Matt Collis is IFAW’s Senior Director for Policy. Matt has been with IFAW for 20 years in a number of different roles, first joining IFAW’s London office to lead IFAW’s engagement with the UK…

Yose CORMIER

IUCN #NatureForAll Coordinator

Parks Canada

I work for Parks Canada and as our commitment to international conservation and the IUCN , I manage the day-to-day operations of the IUCN #NatureForAll initiative, focusing on partner engagement and…

Rantonirina RAKOTOARIDERA

Point Focal CDB Madagascar

Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development

Forestry engineer. Graduated from the Higher School of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Antananarivo, Madagascar. I currently work at the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development…

PARANY LILIANE

Program Coordinator

Madagascar National Parks

Liliane Parany is Head of the Department of Quality, Resource Mobilization, and Monitoring & Evaluation at Madagascar National Parks, the institution responsible for managing 43 protected areas…

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.…

José Rafael FERRER-PARIS

Senior Lecturer

University of New South Wales, Sydney

I am a Research Fellow at the Centre for Ecosystem Science in the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. I am member of the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, in which I contribute…

Mark DAY

Head of Kazakh Steppe Programme

Altyn Dala Conservation Initiative

A biologist by training, my biodiversity conservation, strategic communications, and organisational development work since the 1990s have enabled me to lead the design and delivery of a range of…

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…

Alejandra BOWLES

Global Policy Events Manager

The Nature Conservancy

Johannes ELS

Operations Manager

IUCN Species Survival Commission 2021-2025

Johannes Els is a herpetologist specialising in Arabian reptiles and amphibians with a strong focus on conservation. He is Operations Manager of the Arabia’s Wildlife Centre and regional chair of the…

Jane BUDD

Head Veterinary Services

Environment and Protected Areas Authority Sharjah

Dr. Jane Budd is Head of Veterinary Services at the Environment and Protected Areas Authority (EPAA) in Sharjah, UAE. She has over 25 years of experience in wildlife health and conservation,…

Assad SERHAL

Director General

SPNL

Early Life & EducationBorn in the village of Keyfoun, nestled in the foothills of Mount Lebanon. His childhood was shaped by close contact with nature, including frequent hunting trips with his…

Katy SCHOLFIELD

Director Strategic Grantmaking

Arcus Foundation

I am the Director of Strategic Grantmaking for the Great Apes and Gibbons Program at Arcus Foundation. I oversee the foundation’s conservation grantmaking across Africa and Southeast Asia, where…

Jacinta ABALAKA

National Programme Coordinator

Society for Sustainability and Conservation Education for Rural Areas (SCERA)

Jacinta Abalaka is a conservation biologist with over 20 years experience in capacity building in conservation and ecology, and 10 years experience in grant and resource management. She has worked…

Roger Reyes

Director Ejecutivo

CODDEFFAGOLF

Roger Reyes is the Executive Director of CODDEFFAGOLF, with 10 years of experience in the conservation of marine resources in the Gulf of Fonseca. He has led multidisciplinary teams dedicated to…

Alanna SMITH

Director, Te Ipukarea Society - Environmental NGO

Te Ipukarea Society - Environmental NGO

Alanna Matamaru Smith holds a Bachelor's degree in Environmental Management and a Master's in Conservation Biology. She has been with Te Ipukarea Society, an environmental NGO based in the Cook…

Diana GARLYTSKA

Youth Advisory Committee Chair

IUCN

Diana Garlytska is a young expert who over 9 years of her career in academia has taught in more than a dozen of countries across Europe and Asia as a visiting lecturer. Diana has written several…

Cathy Yitong LI

Climate Crisis Commission Deputy Chair | Global Climate & Energy Policy Lead

Climate Crisis Commission | BirdLife International

Cathy Yitong Li is the Deputy Chair of IUCN's Climate Crisis Commission. Cathy has been focusing on international climate and environmental policy, multistakeholder collaboration and civil society…

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…

Ana MARISCAL

Research Coordinator

Fundación Cambugán

Ana G. Mariscal Chávez (she/her) is a biologist and independent researcher focused on the conservation and restoration of native ecosystems in collaboration with local communities. She holds a Ph.D.…

Samuel de Carvalho

GCELS Staff Intern

Center for Environmental Legal Studies

Samuel Fonseca de Carvalho is a Brazilian attorney and legal consultant who completed his LL.M. in Environmental Law with a specialization in Energy and Climate Change Law at the…

Cristian DíAZ

Coordinador de comunicaciones

Sociedad Peruana de Derecho Ambiental

Cristian Díaz has been working as Communications Coordinator at the Conservamos por Naturaleza initiative of the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law since 2019. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in…

Craig Bruce

Director Conservation and Communities

Jamma International

Craig was born in Zimbabwe and spent most of his formative years sitting in the back of his uncle’s Toyota Landcruiser, always on some sort of a quest after wildlife. This led to a firmly entrenched…

Cheikh MOHAMEDOU

Ecologist

IUCN

Senior Ecologist with over 10 years of experience in ecosystem restoration, biodiversity conservation, and climate resilience. Brings a systems perspective that links biodiversity outcomes with…

Andréanne BLAIS

Directrice générale

Conseils régional de l'environnement du Centre-du-Québec

Andréanne Blais is a passionate biologist and an influential figure in the field of environmental protection in Quebec. She is the Executive Director of the Regional Environmental Council of Centre-…

Anssi MIKOLA

CEO

Riverrecycle Oy

With over 30 years of entrepreneurial experience and a background in engineering, Anssi Mikola has emerged as a pioneer in turning waste management into a circular economy opportunity in emerging…

Albert TAXONERA AMOROS

Executive Director

Project Biodiversity

Founder and Director of the Cabo Verdean Associação Projeto Biodiversidade. While volunteering for a marine turtle conservation project, I recognised the threats faced by marine turtles and their…

Alister Scott

Executive Director

Global Rewilding Alliance

40 year career making big change happen with sustainability as the driving purpose. Doctorate in Science Policy from the University of SussexHonorary Professor of Practice at UCL Institute for…