All Speakers

Speaker Cathy Yitong LI
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…
Speaker Yoko Watanabe
Yoko Watanabe

Director (Environment)

Asian Development Bank

Yoko Watanabe is the Director of Environment at the Asian Development Bank. She heads the environment and nature initiatives, including biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management, nature-…
Speaker Karen Westley
Karen Westley
Karen Westley has a BS in Human Biology from Stanford University and an MSc from Yale University in Tropical Ecology. She spent her early career working for a large international humanitarian…
Speaker Faridah IBRAHIM
Faridah IBRAHIM

Head, Business Engagement Unit

IUCN Secretariat

Speaker Cécile FATTEBERT
Cécile FATTEBERT

Programme Officer

IUCN Secretariat

Cécile Fattebert joined the Protected and Conserved Areas (PCAs) Team in January 2020, to work on targeted knowledge exchanges between marine PCAs practitioners from different regions and Solution…
Speaker Javier ALMUNIA
Javier ALMUNIA

Director

Loro Parque Fundación

Javier Almunia holds a PhD in Marine Science from the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and a Master’s in Environmental Management from the Institute of Ecological Research. Since September…
Speaker José COURRAU
José COURRAU

Oficial Senior (Áreas Protegidas)

IUCN

His career has been dedicated to the planning, management, monitoring, teaching, and study of biodiversity conservation in the developing world. I believe that biodiversity can achieve its…
Speaker Nicolas LAURENT
Nicolas LAURENT

Coordinateur biodiversité Europe/International

Ministry of Ecological Transition

Nicolas Laurent is an agronomist engineer specialized in ecology and public policies, and holds a master’s degree in public policy and sustainable development.He began his career in the French civil…
Speaker Charlotte SMITH
Charlotte SMITH

Conservation Education Director

Chester Zoo (North of England Zoological Society)

Charlotte has extensive experience in conservation and nature based education, behaviour change and community engagement. As Director of Conservation Education she is responsible for the Chester Zoo'…
Speaker Jean-Charles DJELALIAN
Jean-Charles DJELALIAN

Chief Sustainability Officer

Solvay

Engineer by education, I started my career in the administration. The United Nations had just launched the Global Compact and I had to engage French industries on Sustainability. Later on, I joined…
Speaker Cedrick FOGWAN NGUEDIA
Cedrick FOGWAN NGUEDIA

Programme Manager

African Marine Conservation Organisation

Cedrick Fogwan is a Cameroonian marine biologist whose passion lies in building bridges between science, policy, and local knowledge to foster inclusive, long-term conservation outcomes that benefit…
Speaker Georges HABIB
Georges HABIB

Young Professional Focal Point

IUCN CEESP

Georges is an Engineering Geologist with a strong foundation in Geosciences, currently exploring the intersection of the earth beneath our feet and the energy systems shaping our future. With a…
Speaker Albert TAXONERA AMOROS
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…
Speaker Carla MANJATE ROMBE
Carla MANJATE ROMBE

Regional Gender Officer

IUCN

Carla Manjate Rombe is a Mozambican development professional with over 15 years of experience in program management, strategic planning, and gender equality in natural resource governance. She…
Speaker Michael APPLETON
Michael APPLETON

Senior Adviser

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

Thematic Vice Chair, Capacity Development. Mike’s work as a conservation practitioner focuses on applied, area-based conservation, working in more than 40 counties to help establish protected…
Speaker Bruno Smets
Bruno Smets

Lead Natural Capital Accounting/Biodiversity

VITO

Bruno Smets is a senior environmental informatics specialised in spatiotemporal analysisof ecosystems at VITO. He is leading the Natural Capital Accounting and Biodiversity teamand shares this…
Speaker Michael CLIFFORD
Michael CLIFFORD

Strategy Director

Reverse the Red

A deep love of natural, simplicity, and finding the richest flavors and experiences in life, Michael, with his wife, son, and dog live on thier small urban farm-ecosystem in Kansas, United States. He…
Speaker Alex Hai ZHANG
Alex Hai ZHANG

Secretary General

Eco Foundation Global

Speaker Cheryl MARGOLUIS
Cheryl MARGOLUIS

Executive Director of CARE-WWF Alliance

WWF

Cheryl Margoluis is the Executive Director of the CARE-WWF Alliance, a unique partnership between two global leaders in development and conservation. She leads efforts to design and scale integrated…
Speaker Susan CHEYNE
Susan CHEYNE

Vice-Chair

Borneo Nature Foundation International

Originally from Scotland, I have worked in Asia since 1997 and in Indonesia since 2002. My PhD at Cambridge was focused on the scientific assessment of gibbon rehabilitation – can gibbons raised as…
Speaker Deborah BRADY
Deborah BRADY

Lead Ecologist

The Lifescape Project

Deborah Brady is an experienced ecologist specialising in mammals and the use of species reintroductions as a tool to address biodiversity loss at a landscape scale. As a founding director and now…
Speaker Simon AWAD
Simon AWAD

Executive Director

EEC /ELCJHL

Simon I. Awad, Executive Director, Environmental Education Center of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land.Simon Awad, is the Executive Director of the Environmental…
Speaker Helge Mahne
Helge Mahne

Director of Innovative Nature Finance

African Parks

Helge is the Director of Innovative Nature Finance for African Parks, leading the development of new income streams from nature-based solutions. Prior to African Parks, Helge was a Director and…
Speaker MARIE-LAURE BOULOT
MARIE-LAURE BOULOT

CO FOUNDER

OCEAN ATTITUDE

Marie-Laure is a driven entrepreneur and a passionate advocate for the environment. As the co-founder of Ocean Attitude, she channels her professional expertise into protecting our planet. She’s not…
Speaker Steve EDWARDS
Steve EDWARDS

Co-Chair

IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2021-2025

Stephen Edwardshttps://www.linkedin.com/in/edwardsstephen/ Steve currently co-chairs the Nature Positive Working Group in CEM's Impact Mitigation and Ecological Compensation thematic group.…
Speaker Basilia Shivute
Basilia Shivute

Senior Operations Manager

Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC)

Basilia Shivute grew up in a rural village in northern Namibia, where a subsistence lifestyle and a strong sense of community shaped her early years and ignited a deep connection to nature. These…
Speaker Hugo Miguel COSTA
Hugo Miguel COSTA

Director of Business & Biodiversity Impact

IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2021-2025

Zoologist, conservation strategist, and biodiversity policy leader with 23+ years turning science into lasting impact across Africa and Europe. Proven expertise in biodiversity management,…
Speaker Jimpson DáVILA ORDOñEZ
Jimpson DáVILA ORDOñEZ

Director of The Marine Governance Program

Peruvian Society for Environmental Law - SPDA

Jimpson Dávila Ordoñez serves as Director of the Marine Governance Program at the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA). He plays a key role in building alliances and maintains close…