All Speakers

Speaker Taras BAINS
Taras BAINS

Junior Professional- World Heritage

International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Taras is a young conservation professional with experience across natural world heritage, conservation communications, environmental education and protected areas/community-based conservation. He…
Speaker MALU KISHORKUMAR
MALU KISHORKUMAR

Research Assistant & PhD Scholar

Unite Arab Emirates University

Malu Kishorkumar is a Ph.D. scholar at the United Arab Emirates University, where she explores the fascinating world of desert fungi. Her passion lies in protecting native species such as desert…
Speaker Christelle SALAME
Christelle SALAME

Managing Partner

Artefact

Christelle Salame is a Managing Partner at Artefact MENA and serves as the Global Industry Lead for Real Estate. She has over 14 years of consulting experience in MENA and S.E. Asia and has led large…
Speaker Monica ESPINOZA MIRALLES
Monica ESPINOZA MIRALLES

Head of Latin America

Global Fishing Watch

As Head of Global Fishing Watch’s programmatic work in Latin America, Mónica Espinoza Miralles leads engagement with governments and other vital partners across the region to advance ocean governance…
Speaker Manal BAHMAN
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…
Hammad NAWAZ
Hammad NAWAZ

Principal

Strategy&

Hammad Nawaz is a management consultant working at Strategy& Middle East. Based in Dubai, he is a member of the firm’s energy, resources, and sustainability practice. He specializes in…
Speaker John KAMANGA
John KAMANGA

Director

SORALO

With a background training in Anthropology and community development, John has worked with various communities across the country, especially in rural areas of Kenya, for over fifteen years.…
Speaker Pedro José CARRILLO ARTEAGA
Pedro José CARRILLO ARTEAGA

Presidente

Eco Redd

Speaker Maria Ana BORGES
Maria Ana BORGES

Programme Officer

IUCN

Maria Ana has worked in IUCN since 2008, starting in the Global Business and Biodiversity Programme where she was responsible for managing corporate engagements with companies in the cement and…
Speaker Angie Melissa OREJUELA YUSTES
Angie Melissa OREJUELA YUSTES

Young Professional, Protected and Conserved Areas

IUCN

Angie Orejuela is a Colombian biologist driven by a deep-rooted passion for nature conservation and a strong belief in the power of collaboration. She holds a Master of Science in Behaviour,…
Speaker Hana MATSUZAKI
Hana MATSUZAKI
Hana Matsuzaki has joined IUCN Protected and Conserved Areas team after seven years' experience as an officer in the nature conservation sector at the Ministry of the Environment, Japan. Among her…
Speaker Thomas VIEGAS
Thomas VIEGAS

Nature Strategy Lead

Aviva

Thomas Viegas is an experienced professional with deep expertise in environmental economics, finance, and policy making.  He has worked for the Bank of England, HM Treasury, the Taskforce…
Speaker Diogo VERÍSSIMO
Diogo VERÍSSIMO

Research Fellow

University of Oxford

Diogo Veríssimo is a conservation marketer, using marketing principles and theory to influence human behavior and mitigate the threats faced by biodiversity. Diogo’s current portfolio of projects…
Speaker Robin LAWSON
Robin LAWSON

Director of Programs

Wildlife Habitat Canada

Robin Lawson’s specialties are community engagement, program design and governance for land conservation. She is a strong proponent for meaningful youth engagement and intergenerational collaboration…
Speaker Paul SMITH
Paul SMITH

Secretary General (CEO)

Botanic Gardens Conservation International

Dr Paul Smith is the Secretary General of Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI). BGCI is the largest plant conservation network in the world, comprising 650 member institutions in 100…
Speaker Aaron HENDERSON
Aaron HENDERSON

Associate Professor

University of Khorfakkan

Speaker Najla MOHAMED ALNAQBI
Najla MOHAMED ALNAQBI

Executive Director

Mohamed Bin Zayed University for Humanities

Dynamic and visionary academic leader with over 20 years of experience in higher education, educational technology, and strategic academic planning. Served as academic leader in several institutional…
Speaker Taha GHAZNAVI
Taha GHAZNAVI

Chief Product Officer

Nabat

Leading product development for Nabat. Previously Global SVP Product for CropX, SVP Product at Infarm, Head of Product at Zalando.
Speaker Adrián BENEDETTI
Adrián BENEDETTI

Director Ejecutivo

ANCON

Speaker Ahmed LEFGHIH
Ahmed LEFGHIH

Executive Director

Fonds Fiduciaire pour le Banc d’Arguin et la Biodiversité Côtière et Marine

Economist, public finance specialist, sustainable finance expert
Speaker Florian ROULLE
Florian ROULLE

Vice President, Sustainable Finance

Finance Montréal

Florian Roulle is Vice-President, Sustainable Finance, at Finance Montréal. He leads the company’s sustainable finance efforts and, with his team, is responsible for mobilizing the organization's…
Speaker sophie DEPRAZ
sophie DEPRAZ

Deputy CEO

Ipieca

Speaker Assad SERHAL
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…
Speaker Pippa HOWARD
Pippa HOWARD

Chief Nature Strategist

NatureMetrics Limited

Pippa Howard is Chief Nature Strategist at NatureMetrics. Pippa has degrees in Environmental Science, Marine Biology, Zoology and International Development. She is a registered Professional Natural…
Speaker Safira Warili Hawari DJOHANI
Safira Warili Hawari DJOHANI

Executive Director

Coral Triangle Center (CTC)

Safira Warili Hawari Djohani or Rili Djohani (short name) has over 30 years of experience in marine protected and conserved areas, and sustainable fisheries in the Asia-Pacific region. She co-…
Speaker Yuuko IIZUKA
Yuuko IIZUKA

Executive Officer, Deputy Head of Corporate Division, Head of Sustainability

Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd.

Yuuko Iizuka is executive officer, deputy head of Corporate Division of Sumitomo Forestry Co., Ltd. as of January 2025, where she oversees the Sustainability Department as general manager since 2015…
Speaker Eilish Kathleen FARRELLY
Eilish Kathleen FARRELLY

Research Assistant

University of Oxford

Éilish Farrelly is a Research Assistant co-leading the forward-looking 'NATURE Impacts' initiative in collaboration with WWF, which tracks progress and sets priorities for nature recovery at the…
Speaker Prachi JADHAV
Prachi JADHAV

Regional Manager

WWF

Prachi Jadhav is the Regional Programme Manager with WWF, leading Mekong in BALANCE (MiB), a Sida-funded initiative that aims to deliver inclusive and equitable biodiversity governance across…