All Speakers

Speaker Mark LECKIE
Mark LECKIE

Programme Officer

Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool

Mark Leckie is a Programme Officer at the Integrated Biodiversity Assessment Tool (IBAT), supporting companies, financial institutions, and conservation organizations in integrating biodiversity...
Speaker Philippa BRAKES
Philippa BRAKES

Research Fellow

Massey University

Philippa Brakes is a behavioural ecologist and marine mammal biologist. Her research on social learning and culture in cetaceans and other non-humans, uses a combination of theoretical and empirical...
Speaker Megan OWEN
Megan OWEN

Vice President of Conservation Science

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

Speaker ADIZA OWUSU ADUOMIH
ADIZA OWUSU ADUOMIH

PROGRAMMES MANAGER(Gender Equality and Social Inclusion)

HEN MPOANO

Adiza Ama Owusu Aduomih is a Programs Manager and Gender Equity & Social Inclusion (GESI) Team Lead at Hen Mpoano, Ghana. She has extensive experience in coastal resource management, gender...
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 Karen HAMANN
Karen HAMANN

CEO, Head of Research

IFAU Institute for Food Studies & Agri Industrial Development

Karen Hamann holds a Masters' Degree in Agriculture from University of Copenhagen (Denmark). Karen is the CEO of IFAU Institute for Food Studies & Agri Industrial Development, a Danish SME...
Speaker Velvizhi S
Velvizhi S

Area Director, Coastal Resources and Fisheries

M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation

Dr. S. Velvizhi, holding a Ph.D. in Marine Biology and Oceanography, has dedicated 22 years to small-scale fisheries development. Since 2002, she has worked with marine fishing communities along...
Speaker Shereefa Al-Salem
Shereefa Al-Salem

Environment Public Authority

Head of wildlife monitoring section, Kuwait focal point for CITES, working as Wildlife Enforcement Officer, follow up and implement biodiversity related conventions, responsible of wildlife...
Speaker Ian KNIGHT
Ian KNIGHT

Director

Abacus Agri - UK

Ian Knight is an independent farm advisor working for Abacus Agri focused on organic and agroforestry systems. Ian has worked on several large EU Horizon agroforestry projects and for his sins was...
Speaker Binbin LI
Binbin LI

Professor

IUCN Species Survival Commission 2021-2025

Dr. Binbin Li is the Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences at the Environmental Research Center at Duke Kunshan University. She holds a secondary appointment with the Nicholas School of the...
Speaker Lesley DICKIE
Lesley DICKIE

Executive Vice President for Conservation and the Regions

BirdLife International

Dr Lesley Dickie is the Executive Vice President of BirdLife International (BLI), the largest civil society partnership for nature and the global Red List authority for birds.  At BLI she has...
Speaker Susana WAQAINABETE
Susana WAQAINABETE

Vice President Pacific Islands Program

Conservation International

Susana Tuisese is Vice President for Conservation International’s Pacific Islands and Oceans Program. She has a Bachelor of Science from the University of the South Pacific and Master’s Degree in...
Speaker Clara L MATALLANA TOBON
Clara L MATALLANA TOBON

Ecóloga

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

I am an Ecologist with a Master’s Degree in Ecology, Evolution and Conservation. I currently work as a independent consultant on conservation and restoration projects. My work has focused on...
Speaker Javokhir Abdukhalikov
Javokhir Abdukhalikov

Deputy Head of International Cooperation and Rankings Department

Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection, and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan

Javokhir Abdukhalikov is a Deputy Head of Department at the Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan, working in the International Cooperation...
Speaker Francesca BENZONI
Francesca BENZONI

Associate Professor

King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Professor of Marine Science Francesca Benzoni  explores the diversity, evolution, and ecology of corals and coral-dominated ecosystems across the tropical Indo-Pacific, with a particular focus...
Speaker Reine Metlej
Reine Metlej
Reine Metlej is a sustainability consultant and social entrepreneur from Lebanon, passionate about driving climate action, circular economy solutions, and youth empowerment. With a background in...
Speaker Issahaku Npoagne TAWANBU
Issahaku Npoagne TAWANBU

Programme Officer, PANORAMA

IUCN

Speaker Richard Labilé SAGNO
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...
Speaker Ulrika ÅBERG
Ulrika ÅBERG

Senior Programme Officer

IUCN

Ulrika is a Senior Programme Officer with the Protected and Conserved Areas Team at IUCN.  She is currently leading IUCN’s engagement and contribution related to the protection and effective...
Speaker Francesco SINDICO
Francesco SINDICO

Professor

University of St

Francesco Sindico is a Professor of International Environmental Law at the University of Strathclyde Law School in Glasgow, Scotland. He is also the Founder and Director of the Climate Change Legal...
Speaker Alifireti TAWAKE
Alifireti TAWAKE

Executive Director

LMMA Network International Trust

Alifereti Tawake, an Indigenous Fijian leader, is the Executive Director and co-founder of the LMMA Network International Trust. For over two decades, he has pioneered LMMAs, community-based...
Speaker Katherine HEINEMAN
Katherine HEINEMAN

Program Officer

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, IUCN SSC Center for Species Survival Biodiversity Banking

I am originally from the midwestern United States with degrees from the University of Nebraska and a doctorate in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology from University of Illinois-Urbana. For...
Speaker Sarah OLSON
Sarah OLSON

Director, Health Research

IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas 2021-2025

Sarah Olson joined WCS Global in 2011 and is currently the Director of Health Research for the Health Program. She received a joint PhD in Population Health and Environment & Resources from the...
Speaker Britta HACKENBERG
Britta HACKENBERG

Senior Technical Associate

Namibia Nature Foundation

I am a passionate female conservationist with a Master’s degree in Sustainable Forestry and Land Use Management, an Engineer degree in Landscape Design and 18 years’ work experience in the field of...
Speaker Muzaffar AHMAD
Muzaffar AHMAD

Senior Environment Specialist

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Muzaffar Ahmad is a Senior Environment Specialist at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), where his work is dedicated to ensuring that large-scale infrastructure investments are...
Speaker Naïk FAUCON
Naïk FAUCON

European & International Affairs Officer

OFB. Office français de la biodiversité.

Multicultural experience in capacity building (individual, organizational, and systemic) in the field of biodiversity protection, conservation, and restoration.
Speaker Emily COFFEY
Emily COFFEY

Vice President of Conservation and Research

Atlanta Botanical Garden

Dr. Emily E. D. Coffey is VP for Science and Conservation at the Atlanta Botanical Garden. Coffey joined the Garden in 2017 to lead the Conservation and Research Department where she leads and...