Bringing extensive experience in both the private and public protected area management sectors, Andrew has worked as CEO of both Welgevonden and the Sabi Sand Private Nature Reserves in South Africa. He joined African Parks in 2013, firstly as Operations Director, then as Conservation Director driving the growth and development of African Parks across the continent. After five years, he joined Conservation International (CI) as Senior Director of Conservation for Africa; then promoted by CI to Vice President of Strategy and Programs for Africa.

In March 2020 he turned his full attention to leading the development of Conserve, driven by a sense of urgency to address the crisis unfolding around vacant concessions.

Qualifications include an MSc degree in ecology from the University of the Witwatersrand (South Africa). Andrew believes firmly that conservation must be part of Africa’s development agenda and is committed to promoting the value of the continent’s wildlife and wild places as a source of enduring value for her people.

He has recently been awarded a Henry Arnhold Fellowship with Mulago Foundation

Matt began with grassroots community conservation work in Namibia under the tutelage of Garth Owen-Smith, a globally acclaimed pioneer in this field.

This work was critical in establishing one of the most successful conservation programmes in Africa that today represents 86 conservancies covering 166,000 km². He later applied this experience in building Northern Rangelands Trust in northern Kenya. He was involved in the design, creation and executive management of Chuilexi Conservancy within Niassa Reserve in northern Mozambique – Africa’s largest tourism holding under private management; and initiating a new conservation programme for Fauna & Flora International in South Sudan. He has also been involved in diverse conservation contexts and projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Conservation at scale has been one of the hallmarks of Matt’s career.

Focused on the intersection of philanthropy, conservation and sustainable development with experience in strategic planning, team leadership, donor engagement, grants and project management, project management, organizational development, communications and corporate ESG.

Her career has spanned refugee and immigrant resettlement, grassroots organizing related to resource rights for all, housing microfinance, health and education – all with a cross cutting focus on skill exchanges, network building and social movements. Steph sees healthy ecosystems and protection of natural resources as requisite for peace, security and reduction of global inequalities. Originally from the U.S., she has been based in South Africa for the last 15 years with regional portfolios that focused on Africa, the Middle East and Asia in global funding roles with the International Rescue Committee, Habitat for Humanity, VSO and African Parks. Steph also co-founded a fund that invests in African entrepreneurs whose core businesses have a positive impact on the environment and sits on the board of Polar Bears International.

Qualifications include a Masters in Social Work (public policy) with a certificate in management from Boston University and a bachelors in Anthropology and Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame. Steph joined Conserve in 2022 to help build up the funding base required to scale rapidly and deliver its bold ambition to expand the conservation estate while deepening long term stewardship and enthusiasm for Africa’s incredible ecosystems.

Bridging the domains of science, management, and policy, and promoting practical evidence‐based research as the basis for effective and impactful strategies to conserve Africa’s rich biodiversity.

With an early career focussed on large carnivore conservation, Harriet is passionate about the role of conservation evidence and applied science in driving effective action. She also understands that good decision making is both a science and an art. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, Harriet spent the last 23 years at the Endangered Wildlife Trust in South Africa, driving its strategic direction and later building its Conservation Planning and Science Unit. Harriet sits on various national and international advisory and technical committees and is an active member of the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group. She has published over 50 scientific papers and book chapters covering topics from large carnivore ecology and conservation, natural resources governance and policy, the wildlife economy, road ecology, and restorative justice.

Qualifications include an MSc in Tropical Resource Ecology from the University of Zimbabwe, and a Doctorate on African Wild Dogs from Oxford University’s WildCRU. Harriet is excited by the opportunity to assist Conserve in delivering enormous conservation impact across Africa.

With a background in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Environmental Planning, Project Management and Commercial Development, Stuart has spent the past 30 years operating across Africa seeking innovative ways to conserve the biodiversity of Africa he so loves, and to do that in an authentic manner that is in relationship with communities that so depend on the same resource.

Stuart has in depth experience with both socio-economic development projects and large-scale commercial investments that span a range of sectors that include tourism development, community enterprise developments, aquaculture, fisheries, agriculture, large scale apiculture, structuring innovative funding and investment models, and carbon project development. Stuart is driven to find innovative investment and funding solutions towards achieving financial sustainability of protected areas.