All Speakers

Swetha STOTRA BHASHYAM

Youth Affiliate

IUCN Commission on Education and Communication 2021-2025

Chair - IUCN CEESP Young Professional Swetha Stotra Bhashyam is the Global South Focal Point of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN). GYBN is a youth network of more than 1 million members…

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…

Naomi KINGSTON

VP Global Resource Mobilization Strategy

Conservation International

Naomi Kingston is a strategic leader in global conservation, currently serving as Chair of the Key Biodiversity Areas (KBA) Partnership and Vice President of Global Resource Mobilization with…

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…

Elham CHEHAIMI

Director

CSO Network

Dr. Elham ChehaimiDirector, MENA CSO Network | Director, Posterity Institute | Action Learning Leader, GovCampusSustainability strategist and policy advisor with 15+ years’ experience bridging…

Mehdi BALAMISSA

Réalisateur de documentaires

Documentary Filmmaker

Mehdi Balamissa is a Montreal-based documentary filmmaker dedicated to nature conservation. With a notable experience in the Pacific, including collaborations with Blue Cradle Foundation and IUCN, he…

Anthony GIORDANO

Executive Director/Chief Conservation Scientist

S.P.E.C.I.E.S.

Only June 17th of 2025, Dr. Anthony J. Giordano, Executive Director of S.P.E.C.I.E.S. and affiliate faculty at the CSU’s Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence and Center for Collaborative…

Zhou ZHOU

Zhou Zhou is a Researcher at Beijing Zhongcai Green Financing Consultant Ltd. Her work is centered at the critical intersection of finance and ecology, with a specialized focus on green finance,…

Sadka SAENMI

Indigenous Expert

IPO

Mr. Sakda Saenmi is an Indigenous expert from Thailand with expertise in the areas of Indigenous Peoples and their relation to Climate Change and Biodiversity

Catherine MUNGAI

Senior Programme Officer - Climate and Biodiversity Engagement

IUCN Commission on Education and Communication 2021-2025

As a Senior Programme Officer, Catherine provides policy advice to IUCN Kenya, focusing on (i) aligning climate and biodiversity management and economic development and private sector investments; (…

Hany EL SHAER

Regional Director - West Asia

IUCN ROWA

Dr. Hany El-Shaer is a highly accomplished environmental leader and conservation expert with over 25 years of experience across government and international organizations in biodiversity conservation…

Sudhansu Sekhar DASH

Scientist F ( Senior Scientist )

Botanical Survey of India

Dr. Sudhansu Sekhar Dash, M.Sc, M.Phil, Ph.D presently working as Scientist F (Additional Director and the Head of Technical Division) in Botanical Survey of India. He is also Adjunct Faculty Member…

Jampel LHENDUP

Forest Ranger

Department of Forests & Park Services, MoENR, Bhutan

Son of former poacher

Martina Fleckenstein

Global Policy Director, Food

WWF International

Martina Fleckenstein, Global Policy Director, Food ,WWF InternationalMartina Fleckenstein is the Global Policy Director, Food for WWF International. Martina has more than 25 years of experience in…

Wouala NGNIADO

Coordonnateur projet Biodev 2030

WWF Cameroon

My name is Ngniado Wouala, I'm Working for WWF Cameroon, where I'm coordinating Biodev 2030 project .with more than thirty years of experience working with …

Milica RADANOVIC

NbS Officer

IUCN Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia (ECARO)

Milica Radanovic is a biologist by training and a nature conservationist by practice. She completed her bachelor’s and master’s studies in biology (botany) at the Faculty of Sciences, University of…

Emmanuel Barde ELISHA

Research Coordinator

Africa Nature Investors (ANI) Foundation

Emmanuel Barde Elisha is the Research Coordinator, Africa Nature Investors Foundation (ANI) Nigeria. As a researcher, I have devoted and spent about a decade in the field and laboratory building…

Yassir HAMDAN AL KHARUSI

Specialist – Animal Assessment and Monitoring

Environment Agency- Abu Dhabi (EAD)

I am Yassir Hamdan Al Kharusi, working at Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD) as a wildlife monitoring and assessment specialist. I conduct wildlife baseline surveys in Abu Dhabi protected areas…

Anabella PALACIOS

Senior Programme Manager Ocean

IUCN

Anabella is a Senior Programme Manager at IUCN, based in Washington DC, with over a decade of experience managing transformative climate initiatives, with a particular focus on addressing the…

Myrna SEMAAN

President

Friends of Nature

MYRNA SEMAAN PhD Brief summaryA- Project Management and Consultancy (over 15 years):International organizations: 7 topics for IUCN, EU Commission, GEFGovernment: - ecological studies to the…

Sue STOLTON

Partner

Equilibrium Research

Sue Stolton established Equilibrium Research in partnership with Nigel Dudley in 1991. Equilibrium promotes positive environmental and social change by linking targeted research to field application…

Zhicong ZHAO

Associate Professor

Tsinghua University

Zhicong Zhao is an Associate Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture, School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, and the Deputy Director of the Institute for National Parks, China.…

Sean DICK

Senior Conservation Education Manager

Chester Zoo

Sean has a background in Zoology and Animal Behaviour and 15 years experience across a variety of roles and zoo education disciplines, both formal and informal. He, and his team, create engaging…

veronique VERMETTE

Consultant écologie

Reseau de milieux naturels protégés

David Millar

Vice President, Real Property and Assests

Parks Canada

David Millar is Vice-President of Real Property and Assets at Parks Canada, where he oversees a $30 billion infrastructure portfolio that includes bridges, highways, heritage buildings, dams,…

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…

Santiago RUGERONI

Animal Care Supervisor - Birds

Al Ain Zoo

Santiago Rugeroni is the Animal Care Supervisor for the bird collection at Al Ain Zoo, overseeing avian welfare, enrichment, and habitat design. With over 14 years of zoo experience from Buenos Aires…

Jennifer KELLEHER

Programme Lead, Governance, Equity and Rights

IUCN Secretariat

Jennifer leads the programme on governance, equity and rights in IUCN's protected and conserved areas team.