Leadership & Governance

Founder Niassa Lion Project

Dr. Colleen Begg was raised in South Africa. She earned her Master’s Degree (with distinction) assessing the translocation of problem cheetah into Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe and her PhD in Zoology on the first in-depth study of the honey badger. Colleen is a well published scientist and is also a professional photographer with articles and images published worldwide in National Geographic Magazine and Africa Geographic among others.

In 1996, Colleen joined forces with Keith Begg to start the first in depth study of the honey badger in the Kalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa. In 2003, Colleen and Keith, left South Africa for Mozambique and founded the independent Niassa Lion Project in the little known Niassa Reserve in Northern Mozambique where they work in collaboration with local communities and Mozambican management authority (co-management between Wildlife Conservation Society and Ministry of Tourism).

The goals of this project are to secure lions, leopards, wild dogs and spotted hyaenas in Niassa Reserve by finding practical, community based sustainable solutions to human induced threats like unsustainable sport hunting, retaliatory killing and bushmeat snaring. In 2007, Colleen received a Rufford Innovation Award for Niassa Lion Project’s lion conservation work in Niassa Reserve.

Chief Executive Officer, Wildlife Conservation Network

JG has always been passionate about animals. With over two decades of experience in the non-profit sector, his focus has been at the interface between wildlife conservation and development issues. He joined WCN in 2012 and provides strategic leadership to enhance WCN’s overall impacts, sustainability and growth. Originally from Paris, France, JG started his career working with inspiring ecologists studying chimps, gorillas, and mandrills and dodging the occasional elephant in Gabon. At the World Resources Institute, he managed an NGO network to monitor logging companies in Central Africa. He returned to Gabon with the Wildlife Conservation Society to help the development of national parks and ecotourism. For his Ph.D., JG studied the effects of tourism on people’s wellbeing around protected areas in northeastern Namibia. JG is thrilled to combine all of his interests through his work at WCN. When not at work, he tries to  keep up with his wife and two children.

Director, Lion Recovery Fund Wildlife Conservation Network

Peter joined WCN in 2017 as the Conservation Initiatives Director and brings a lifelong passion for African wildlife conservation to the organization. He has been working on and with African wildlife since 1993, when he started out as an apprentice in Save Valley Conservancy in Zimbabwe. Peter went on to study at Oxford and ultimately graduated with a PhD from the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria.

Developing an early expertise on African wild dogs, Peter went on to work on a broad array of conservation issues ranging from predator conservation, to the threats facing them and other wildlife, to wildlife ranching and community conservation, and most recently to Africa’s vast protected area network. Peter has worked in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe and brings a unique ‘big picture’ perspective to our African conservation efforts. Prior to joining WCN, Peter worked for Panthera’s Lion Program as the policy coordinator and completed some major overviews of the issues facing the conservation of lions in Africa’s protected area network.

Director/Vice President, Board Member Wildlife Conservation Network

After 20 years in the private sector in Silicon Valley, Rebecca joined The Nature Conservancy in 2001 to pursue her life-long interest in conservation. As a Regional Director, she oversaw conservation programs in many parts of the world, from China to Peru to the western United States, and developed a deep appreciation for the importance of community-based conservation. Then as the Chief Conservation Strategies Officer she led TNC’s global policy and science initiatives. She joined WCN in 2010 to contribute her experience to WCN’s innovative and effective model for wildlife conservation. She is on the boards of several other conservation organizations, and in her free time, she also enjoys hiking adventures.

Executive Director, Kenya Wildlife Trust

A landscape ecologist with over fifteen years of experience in field ecology, GIS, and project management, Irene has worked in academia, government, and the private sector in Kenya, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

She holds a BSc in Zoology, an MSc in Environmental Assessment and Management, and a PhD in Landscape Ecology, and she is passionate about bridging the gap between science and policy formulation in the conservation sector. Her research focuses on the interface between wildlife, people, and emerging land uses, looking at practical and sustainable ways to mitigate and adapt to adverse impacts, particularly in fragile ecosystems.

Irene is a 2022 Eisenhower Fellow and serves on the boards and advisory councils of several national and international conservation organizations.

Founder Niassa Lion Project

Dr. Colleen Begg was raised in South Africa. She earned her Master’s Degree (with distinction) assessing the translocation of problem cheetah into Matusadona National Park in Zimbabwe and her PhD in Zoology on the first in-depth study of the honey badger. Colleen is a well published scientist and is also a professional photographer with articles and images published worldwide in National Geographic Magazine and Africa Geographic among others.

In 1996, Colleen joined forces with Keith Begg to start the first in depth study of the honey badger in the Kalagadi Transfrontier Park in South Africa. In 2003, Colleen and Keith, left South Africa for Mozambique and founded the independent Niassa Lion Project in the little known Niassa Reserve in Northern Mozambique where they work in collaboration with local communities and Mozambican management authority (co-management between Wildlife Conservation Society and Ministry of Tourism).

The goals of this project are to secure lions, leopards, wild dogs and spotted hyaenas in Niassa Reserve by finding practical, community based sustainable solutions to human induced threats like unsustainable sport hunting, retaliatory killing and bushmeat snaring. In 2007, Colleen received a Rufford Innovation Award for Niassa Lion Project’s lion conservation work in Niassa Reserve.

Director, Rhino Recovery Fund

Since a young age, Markus has been interested in wildlife and conservation. He graduated as veterinarian from the University of Pretoria in 1994. After graduating, he worked as an exotic animal vet at the University of Pretoria. In 1995, he joined the North West Parks and Tourism Board as veterinarian and field ecologist for Madikwe Game Reserve. From there he moved to Kruger National Park at the end of 1999 as a junior veterinarian, rising through the ranks to become the Head of the Veterinary Wildlife Services Department for South African National Parks in 2003. From SANParks, Markus moved to Botswana in 2017 to fill the role as the Chief Conservation Officer for Great Plains Conservation and overseeing the Botswana component of the Rhino without Borders rhino translocation to the Okavango Delta. After 2 years Markus moved to the Oak Foundation as a program officer in the wildlife conservation & trade portfolio based in London and currently will remain with them and play a dual role as Director of the Rhino Recovery Fund and developing the conservation strategy in the Oak Foundation. Markus has been working with rhino since a student so they have been a thread throughout his career.

Executive Director Wildlife Conservation Society’s Big Cats Program

Director, Lion Recovery Fund Wildlife Conservation Network

Peter joined WCN in 2017 as the Conservation Initiatives Director and brings a lifelong passion for African wildlife conservation to the organization. He has been working on and with African wildlife since 1993, when he started out as an apprentice in Save Valley Conservancy in Zimbabwe. Peter went on to study at Oxford and ultimately graduated with a PhD from the Mammal Research Institute at the University of Pretoria.

Developing an early expertise on African wild dogs, Peter went on to work on a broad array of conservation issues ranging from predator conservation, to the threats facing them and other wildlife, to wildlife ranching and community conservation, and most recently to Africa’s vast protected area network. Peter has worked in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe and brings a unique ‘big picture’ perspective to our African conservation efforts. Prior to joining WCN, Peter worked for Panthera’s Lion Program as the policy coordinator and completed some major overviews of the issues facing the conservation of lions in Africa’s protected area network.

Luwi Nguluka attributes her passion for wildlife to her childhood in the Okavango Delta. She then went on to study ecology at the University of Botswana and now leads several behavioural change campaigns in Africa. This includes “This is Not Game”, a campaign launched to tackle the illegal bushmeat trade — a devastating threat to carnivore and prey species across the continent.

As Director of Communications, she is responsible for several other innovative projects in Zambian conservation. This includes “Protect the Pangolins”, the Zambian Conservation Careers Fair and the Zambian Environmental Journalism Fellowship. Her work focuses on the use of behavioral science and social marketing expertise to create positive outcomes for people and wildlife.

Luwi is a founding member of “Women for Conservation,” a pioneering network in Zambia dedicated to empowering and connecting women working in, or passionate about, conservation. Through her multifaceted contributions, Luwi continues to drive meaningful change, inspiring others to join her in safeguarding Africa’s natural heritage for generations to come.

Wildcru, Oxford University