Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim is a visionary environmental activist and member of the Mbororo pastoralist community in Chad. Since age 12, she has championed Indigenous rights and nature conservation, founding the Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of Chad (AFPAT). In the Sahel region, Hindou empowers Mbororo women through alternative income initiatives and pioneers participatory 3D mapping to resolve resource conflicts and protect land rights. A global leader in climate policy, she has served as co-chair of the International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change and is a UN Sustainable Development Goal Advocate. Hindou bridges the gap between local wisdom and international science, advocating for the integration of traditional knowledge into global climate strategies. Her impactful work has earned prestigious honors, including the Rolex Award for Enterprise and recognition on the BBC and TIME 100 lists.

Sessions:

Keynote

Jerome Foster II

Jerome Foster II is an environmentalist, social entrepreneur, and public speaker who believes a healthy planet is a human right, not a privilege, driven, in his words, "to speak for that which cannot speak, against those who do unspeakable things." Before he was old enough to vote, he led 80 consecutive weeks of climate protests outside the White House alongside Greta Thunberg; at eighteen, he was brought inside as the youngest advisor in US history, serving on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council through 2025. At sixteen, he served as a congressional intern under Congressman John Lewis and founded OneMillionOfUs (now WaicUp.org), mobilizing a million young voters. Named a TIME Next Generation Leader and UN Champion of the Earth, and studied in the Cambridge University curriculum as a modern historical figure, Foster continues to work on frontline climate and conservation efforts, including a global reforestation mission.

Sessions:

Keynote

Florent Kaiser

CEO, Global Forest Generation

Florent Kaiser is a conservation entrepreneur and CEO of Global Forest Generation. He co-leads Acción Andina, an Andes-wide initiative dedicated to large-scale forest ecosystem restoration and conservation. Leveraging his expertise in financing and scaling over 200 global projects, he builds strategic alliances with international partners to implement transformative ecosystem solutions. Under his leadership, Acción Andina has earned prestigious recognition, including the 2023 Earthshot Prize and 2024 designation as a World Restoration Flagship initiative.

Sessions:

Luncheon

Tim Christophersen

VP, Climate Action, Salesforce

Tim Christophersen joined Salesforce as VP, Climate Action in May 2022. Within the global Impact Team, he leads the work on climate and nature action and investments. Tim is based in Denmark. He is the author of ‘Generation Restoration’, a book about restoring nature at planetary scale. Before joining Salesforce, Tim was Head of the ‘Nature for Climate’ Branch at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and led a growing global movement backed by all UN Member States and over 300 partner organizations to ‘prevent, halt and reverse the degradation of ecosystems worldwide’: the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021-2030.

Sessions:

Luncheon

Arti Dhar

Co-Founder, Farmers for Forests

Arti Dhar is the Co-Founder of Farmers for Forests (F4F), an organization on a mission to protect and restore biodiverse green cover in India in close partnership with agrarian and indigenous communities and leveraging open-source AI/ML models. Arti leads fundraising, research, and strategic partnerships, and has helped grow F4F to over 170 staff and 25,000 farmers. Before F4F, Arti worked on rural women's financial inclusion and education across South Asia. Arti has a Master's in International Development from Cornell University and BA in International Relations and Politics from Mount Holyoke College.

Sessions:

Technology and Monitoring: Raising the Bar on What We Measure

Brian Williams

Regional Vice President for Asia-Pacific, Wildlife Works

Brian Williams is Regional Vice President for Asia-Pacific at Wildlife Works, where he leads the development of community-centered forest conservation and carbon projects across the Asia-Pacific region. His work focuses on building partnerships that align forest protection and biodiversity conservation with meaningful, long-term economic benefits for Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Brian brings experience navigating the practical challenges of translating carbon finance, conservation objectives, government policy, and community priorities into durable models that work on the ground.

Sessions:

Who Actually Benefits? Stress-Testing Community Economic Models

Cathy Watson

Senior Advisor, CIFOR-ICRAF

Cathy Watson is an Ashoka Fellow, journalist and social entrepreneur with 40 years’ experience in Africa, reporting from Rwanda, Burundi, Ethiopia, Madagascar and Uganda where she also founded NGOs: Straight Talk produced newspapers in four indigenous languages and radio shows in 16; Mvule Trust was a Guardian Christmas Charity and supported 3400 youth on courses, including 156 foresters. Now Senior Advisor at Landscape Alliance in Kenya, she has worked across the Global South from Peru to Vietnam. She is particularly exercised by seed systems for indigenous species and restoration in cocoa, refugee-hosting and urban landscapes. In Nairobi, she has created green jobs and a biodiversity corridor with over 140 tree species. Editor of the 2026 compendium Urban Forests and Green Spaces in Africa: Case Studies and Lessons from Across the Continent, Cathy believes Africa’s future lies in the hands of its botanists.

Sessions:

Ownership in Practice: Indigenous Leadership and the Next Twenty Years of Restoration

Who Actually Benefits? Stress-Testing Community Economic Models

Charlotte Lusty

Head of Seed Collections, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

Charlotte oversees the Millennium Seed Bank’s collections—the most diverse wild plant genetic resource on Earth, representing more than 40,000 species. She has held senior roles at the Crop Trust overseeing the CGIAR genebanks and worked at Bioversity International in France, the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Center in the United Kingdom and the Jane Goodall Institute in Tanzania.

Sessions:

Lessons from the Field: Challenges, Failures, and What Works

Dimple Patel

CEO, NatureMetrics

Dimple Patel is a multi-exited Founder and entrepreneur, currently CEO at NatureMetrics, the leading provider of nature data intelligence solutions. NatureMetrics harnesses transformative technologies like environmental DNA and AI to generate unprecedented biodiversity insights for businesses and governments globally, and has been recognised as a World Economic Forum Tech Pioneer 2024, BloombergNEF Pioneer 2024 and Earthshot Prize Finalist 2024. With 15yrs experience founding, scaling and exiting multiple successful ventures, such as Love Koffee and Trouva, Dimple’s work spans across multiple sectors and geographies. She has led teams through international expansions and acquisitions, with her previous company Trouva ranked #1 in the Startups 100 list in 2020, and operating in 50 markets at exit. Dimple is deeply passionate about creating social impact and actively supports underrepresented founders as a mentor and advisor. She also serves as an ambassador for grassroots organisations that provide opportunities for young people. Dimple regularly shares her expertise through articles for publishers such as Impact Investor, BBC, Drapers magazine and Sifted.

Sessions:

Technology and Monitoring: Raising the Bar on What We Measure

Dr. Hugh C.A. Brown

Chief Executive, Forestry Commission, Ghana

Dr. Hugh Clement Adokwei Brown is a professional forester with over 30 years of experience in tropical forest management, protection, and development. He holds a BSc. in Natural Resources Management and an MBA from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana; Masters in Forestry (MF) from Yale University, U.S.A.; and a Ph.D. in Sustainable Use of Renewable Natural Resources from the University of Helsinki, Finland.

Sessions:

Building Country Platforms: How Capital Comes Together at Scale

Emiel Cockx

Founder and CEO, Genvision

Emiel Cockx is the Founder and CEO of Genvision, an AI-native carbon project development platform that helps teams design, review, and get carbon projects compliant. Born in Belgium, he earned degrees in cello from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels and then architecture at UC Berkeley, thus bringing an unusual blend of architecture and music to his work in carbon. He's been personally offsetting his carbon footprint for more than 10 years and is passionate about leveraging technology to bring better projects to market faster.

Sessions:

Lessons from the Field: Challenges, Failures, and What Works

Erin Kitchell

Managing Director for Land, Environment, and Climate, Namati

Erin Kitchell is the Managing Director for Land, Environment, and Climate at Namati. She leads on strategy and learning for grassroots environmental justice initiatives that support communities to know, use, and shape the law. She is currently building out programs related to tenure rights, community-led conservation, and carbon markets. Erin has more than 15 years of experience leading research and supporting community-based work on land rights and environmental governance in the U.S., Africa, and Asia. She has a PhD in Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Sessions:

The Work Before the Trees: Strengthening the Foundation of Community-Led Restoration

Hilary Franz

CEO, American Forests

Hilary Franz is the President and CEO of American Forests, the nation's oldest nonprofit dedicated to forest stewardship and conservation, where she leads bold initiatives across 45 states to restore forests, end the wildfire crisis and ensure tree canopy for every community. Before joining American Forests, she served two terms as Washington State's Commissioner of Public Lands where she developed the state's first Wildfire Strategic Plan and Forest Health Plan and restored over one million acres of forest. With nearly three decades of experience spanning natural resources conservation, public service and nonprofit leadership, Franz is a nationally recognized champion for climate resilience.

Sessions:

From Seed to Forest: What Thorough Reforestation Requires

Jim Stephenson

Program Officer, Hewlett Foundation

Jim Stephenson is a Program Officer in the Environment Program at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation where he leads grantmaking on climate finance and oversees the Foundation’s multilateral portfolio within its global climate strategy. Jim brings nearly two decades of experience advancing climate and nature finance, with a track record spanning forest and land-use, nature-based solutions, and sustainable supply chains in regions including Latin America, Africa, and Asia-Pacific. Before joining the Foundation, he co‑founded Terranomics, a specialist consultancy that helps design and raise capital for high‑impact climate and biodiversity initiatives. Previously, he held roles in Pricewaterhouse Coopers’ Sustainability & Climate Change team and RECOFTC – The Center for People and Forests.

Sessions:

Building Country Platforms: How Capital Comes Together at Scale

John Ringer

Vice President of Climate Finance, American Forest Foundation

John Ringer is Vice President of Climate Finance at the American Forest Foundation, where he leads investment and market strategies that support large-scale forest conservation and carbon initiatives. With more than 14 years of experience in climate finance, environmental markets, and natural climate solutions, he has worked with investors, corporations, landowners, and conservation organizations to develop innovative approaches that align financial returns with measurable environmental impact.

Sessions:

Unpacking Forest Finance: A Live Cross-Sector Exchange

Leslie Durschinger

Founder CEO & CIO, Terra Global

Leveraging 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Leslie Durschinger founded Terra Global in 2006 to attract private-sector capital to NbS. She is a recognized innovator in aligning development values and financially viable approaches to NbS. Under Durschinger’s leadership, Terra has become a leader in GHG quantification and financing commercially viable NbS programs that generate multiple-benefit emission reductions/removals. She launched an investment fund that provides that finances a diverse portfolio of NbS programs in developing countries. Durschinger is on the IETA Council, Verra VCS Program Advisory Group, and served on the REDD+ SES Committee and Verra VCS JNR-Expert WG.

Sessions:

What's Landing on Funders' Desks: A Look at What's Getting Attention and Why

María Camila Villegas Piedrahita

Executive Director, Fundación Grupo Argos

She holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable International Development and a specialization in Environmental Conservation and Social Justice from Brandeis University in the United States. She has more than 20 years of experience designing sustainability strategies and developing social and environmental projects in Colombia and several Latin American countries — initiatives that are now benchmarks in Colombia and have earned international recognition. She also has an extensive track record at Grupo Empresarial Argos, where she has held sustainability roles and led several of the Group’s foundations, driving the consolidation and scaling of initiatives that have advanced the organization’s highest goals in international sustainability standards, climate change, natural capital conservation, and shared value creation. In a role of particular strategic significance, she led the formation of Sembrando Futuro, Grupo Empresarial Argos’ carbon project focused on ecological restoration — a strategic bet by the Group to advance nature-based climate solutions in Colombia.\

Sessions:

Lessons from the Field: Challenges, Failures, and What Works

The Work Before the Trees: Strengthening the Foundation of Community-Led Restoration

Raymond Achu Samndong

Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager, International Land and Forest Tenure Facility

Raymond Achu Samndong is the Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning Manager at the International Land and Forest Tenure Facility in Stockholm. He has extensive experience in land and forest governance, Indigenous Peoples’ and local communities’ tenure rights, climate change, and land use interventions. Raymond holds a PhD in International Environment and Development Studies from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences. His work bridges research, policy, and practice, with particular expertise in the Congo Basin, and focuses on strengthening evidence and learning to advance Indigenous and local community land rights and territorial governance.

Sessions:

The Work Before the Trees: Strengthening the Foundation of Community-Led Restoration

Romain Fau

CEO and co-founder, Kanop

Romain Fau is CEO and co-founder of Kanop, a satellite and AI-based MRV platform for nature-based carbon projects. Kanop measures biomass, canopy dynamics and forest carbon from 10m satellite data, supporting project developers, corporates and verification bodies across the full project lifecycle, from eligibility screening through baselining to monitoring. Kanop is a Verra Listed Data Provider for VM0047 and works with organisations including WWF Switzerland, Ecosia and Terraformation. Romain founded Kanop to make forest carbon measurement transparent, comparable and affordable enough to be used everywhere it is needed.

Sessions:

Technology and Monitoring: Raising the Bar on What We Measure

Saurabh Gaidhani

Chief Operating Officer, NO.17 Foundation

Saurabh Gaidhani is the Chief Operating Officer of NO.17 Foundation, a member of TPC (Tsao Pao Chee) Group. Saurabh has 15+ years of experience in the international development and philanthropy sector. During which, he has advised clients from the public, private, and philanthropy sectors on diverse topics such as climate change, circular economy, net-zero, energy transitions, decarbonization, nature-based solutions, urban development, inclusive growth, environmental degradation, and ESG frameworks. Saurabh has an Executive Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts from the National University of Singapore and Executive Education in Public Policy and Sustainable Finance from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and the University of Cambridge, respectively. Before joining TPC (Tsao Pao Chee), Saurabh was Regional Head at Resilient Cities Network and Associate Director at Rockefeller Foundation, leading the organization’s strategic engagement, programs, and partnerships in the Asia Pacific region.

Sessions:

What's Landing on Funders' Desks: A Look at What's Getting Attention and Why

Sean DeWitt

Director, Global Restoration Initiative, World Resources Institute

In his current role as the Director of the Global Restoration Initiative at World Resources Institute (WRI), Sean DeWitt leads a talented team of restoration experts who drive coordination among governments, civil society, companies and communities to restore ecosystems and deliver benefits to communities, climate and nature. Sean previously worked for 15+ years in the private, public and nonprofit sectors. He supported women in Africa and Asia with microbusiness ideas at Grameen Foundation. He strengthened small businesses and small nonprofits at the Fund for the City of New York. He delivered innovative projects for the US Department of State in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Sean worked in the private sector with PwC as a Management Consultant and worked as an Industrial Engineer for Intel and the Walt Disney Company.

Sessions:

Building Country Platforms: How Capital Comes Together at Scale

Stéphane Hallaire

CEO, Reforest'Action

In 2010, Stéphane Hallaire traveled to Senegal, where he came across a reforestation project in a village in Casamance. There, he planted his first tree—a mango tree. When he returned to France, he left his consulting job to found Reforest’Action, convinced that ecosystem restoration could combine wealth creation with positive environmental impact. Fifteen years on, Reforest’Action helps companies worldwide transform their business models and value chains, particularly through the carbon market, via forestry and agroforestry projects. Today, Stéphane represents forest and agricultural landscapes in international forums and among global private-sector leaders. He plays a leading role in the Circular Bioeconomy Alliance, founded by King Charles III as part of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, and serves as President of the Nature+ Coalition, an international alliance dedicated to advancing Nature-based Solutions.

Sessions:

Lessons from the Field: Challenges, Failures, and What Works

Steven Nitah

Executive Vice President, Nature for Justice

Steven Nitah is a respected Indigenous leader from the Łutsël K’é Dene First Nation, serving as Managing Director of First 30×30 Canada and Executive Vice President at Nature For Justice. He brings extensive experience in Indigenous-led conservation, land stewardship, and climate action. As Chief and Lead Negotiator, Steven helped establish Thaidene Nëné and advance a relationship agreement recognizing the Nation as an equal partner in governance, operations, and management. His work reflects the spirit and intent of Treaty relationships through shared responsibilities and benefits. Through First 30×30 Canada, Steven supports Indigenous governments in advancing conservation, protecting special places, and pursuing nature-based solutions.

Sessions:

Ownership in Practice: Indigenous Leadership and the Next Twenty Years of Restoration

Who Actually Benefits? Stress-Testing Community Economic Models

Todd Apo

CEO, ‘Iole

Todd Apo brings a multi-sector lens to climate and resilience work, rooted in extensive community engagement across the public, private, and philanthropic sectors. As CEO of ‘Iole—a Global Resilience Hub in Kohala, Hawai’i—he leads efforts to develop scalable, shareable models that integrate Indigenous Hawaiian knowledge with modern resilience practices. Grounded in this community-focused foundation, Todd works to translate complex regional challenges into practical, culturally integrated solutions that deliver lasting impact locally and globally.

Sessions:

What's Landing on Funders' Desks: A Look at What's Getting Attention and Why

Tracey Osborne

Founder and Director, Carbon Justice Standard Lab

Tracey Osborne is the Founder and Director of the Carbon Justice Standard Lab and an Associate Professor at the University of California, Merced, with over two decades of experience working on climate change mitigation in tropical forests, carbon markets, climate finance, and climate justice. Her research and practice focus on the social, ecological, and political economic dimensions of forest-based climate solutions, with particular attention to Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Through the Carbon Justice Standard Lab, she and her team are developing a framework for high-integrity, community-led carbon projects that centers community leadership, governance, and equitable benefit-sharing.

Sessions:

The Work Before the Trees: Strengthening the Foundation of Community-Led Restoration