All Speakers

Grethel AGUILAR ROJAS

Director General

IUCN

Dr Grethel Aguilar, born in Costa Rica, assumed office as Director General of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in October 2023. Dr Aguilar brings with her thirty years of…

Dung Xuan Nguyen

Head of Division of Ecology and Natural Landscape/NBCA/MAE

Ministry of Agriculture and Environment

Deni POREJ

Director Marine Conservation

Neom

Dr. Deni Porej is the Marine Conservation Director at NEOM, where he leads one of the world’s most ambitious marine conservation programs. Overseeing 4,000 km² of pristine northern Red Sea waters, he…

Arthur Tuda

Executive Director

Western Indian Ocean Marine Sciences Association

Haizea JIMENEZ

Head of Overseas programme

IUCN French Committee

Marine biologist specializing in the quantitative ecology of benthic communities across coastal temperate and tropical ecosystems. I bring extensive fieldwork expertise, strong taxonomic skills, and…

Hori Orlando Salanic Xec

Licenciado en Trabajo Social

Asociación SINERGIAS

Hori Orlando Salanic Xec, Guatemalan, K'iche Maya indigenous people. I have a degree in Social Work. For the past 15 years, I have worked for territorial development for Indigenous peoples and local…

Fatima EL-AARABY

Phd student

IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic, and Social Policy 2021-2025

Fatima El-Aaraby is a Moroccan researcher, biodiversity advocate, and PhD candidate at Abdelmalek Essaadi University in Tetouan. Her doctoral research focuses on the distribution and conservation…

Erin BILLMAN

Executive Director

Science Based Targets Network

Erin Billman is the Executive Director of the Science Based Targets Network (SBTN), part of the Global Commons Alliance. She has over 20 years of experience in the private and non-profit sectors. She…

Gabriel QUIJANDRIA

Regional Director for South America

IUCN

A seasoned professional in environmental and natural resource management with 20 years of experience in the Latin American region. Expert in environmental policy formulation, implementation, and…

Zabrina WHITMAN

Parks Canada Agency - Agence Parcs Canada

Zabrina holds an honour bachelor’s degree in social sciences from the University of Ottawa in political science and Aboriginal studies, and a Master of Arts degree from Queen’s University…

Natalia Gabriela MINKSZTYM

YP Communications and Events

IUCN

I’m Natalia Gabriela Minksztym, a Young Professional in Communications and Events with the IUCN Water and Wetlands Team. My work focuses on digital communications, event support, and project-specific…

Sona KALANTARYAN

Reforestation projects coordinator

Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets

Sona Kalantaryan has worked at the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) since 2018, where she manages Forest Landscape Restoration projects. At FPWC, she brings in…

Rohit SINGH

Director Protected and Conserved Area Governance and Management

IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law 2021-2025

Rohit has been with WWF for 19 years and brings his considerable experience, enthusiasm and insights into his position as Director PCA Management and Governance Poaching. Rohit has been working on…

Gloria Amor Paredes

Gloria Amor Paredes is an environmental education and community development specialist with over a decade of experience in forest and water restoration, Indigenous knowledge systems, and climate…

Borja DE LA PEñA ESCARDó

Global Policy Officer

International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR)

Partnership Development Specialist with 10+ years of experience in developing and managing partnership and institutional engagements with bilateral and multilateral agencies. including the three…

Michael ELLIOTT

Professor and Director

IECS Ltd, and University of Hull

Mike is the Director of International Estuarine & Coastal Specialists (IECS) Ltd and also the Emeritus Professor of Estuarine and Coastal Sciences at the University of Hull, UK. He was Director…

INDRA MANI PANDEY

BIMSTEC Secretary General

BIMSTEC

Ambassador Indra Mani Pandey is a distinguished diplomat who joined Indian Foreign Service in 1990. He currently serves as BIMSTEC Secretary General. Earlier, Ambassador Pandey had served as…

Jocelyne SZE

Postdoctoral researcher

Autonomous University of Barcelona

Jocelyne (she/her) is a post-doc researcher currently on the CONDJUST project based at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She is looking at how geospatial data (maps) are used in conservation…

Denis MICHEZ

Professor

University of Mons

Denis Michez holds a degree in engineering from University of Liège (Belgium) and a Ph-D in Biological Sciences from the University of Mons (Belgium). He did a postdoc at Cornell University (USA) in…

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…

Aonghais COOK

Principal Consultant

IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2021-2025

Aonghais Cook is a Principal Consultant at The Biodiversity Consultancy. He works closely with developers, lenders, regulators and other organisations to better understand how to avoid, minimise and…

Andrew MOONEY

Senior Conservation and Science Officer

Dublin Zoo

Senior Conservation and Science Officer at Dublin Zoo, Ireland, and Coordinator for the IUCN Centre for Species Survival: Ireland.

karima HAGUI

Secretary General of Ministry of Environment of Tunisia

ministère de l'environnemet

Karima Haggui has over 15‑20 years of experience in public financial oversight and environmental administration. As Contrôleur des Dépenses Publiques, she oversaw the legality, conformity, and…

Elsa G RICHARDSON TEMM

Lead, GEF Small Grant Program

The Global Environment Facility

Gabriella has over 25 years of experience in advancing human rights, social inclusion, and sustainability in global conservation. With an academic background in sociology and economics, she has led…

Kornelija RADOVANOVIC

Governance and Policy Programme Officer

IUCN Secretariat

Kornelija started her professional career in a corporate environment as Environmental Officer for Coca-Cola and Heineken in Skopje Brewery, later moving on in an international environment as Project…

Megan SIM

IBAT Programme Officer

IBAT

Megan Sim is a Programme Officer on the IBAT team, where she supports businesses and financial institutions in integrating biodiversity into their decision-making. With previous experience in…

Michael BROMBACHER

Michael Brombacher is a trained environmental scientist. From 2001 to 2011 he worked and lived (since 2004) in Central Asia where he developed the Important Bird Areas Programme in the region on…

Debasmita BORAL ROLLAND

Regional Portfolio Manager, GEF/GCF

IUCN Secretariat