Team Archive | International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)International Gorilla Conservation Programme (IGCP)

Margaret Kinnaird

Board Chair

Margaret has worked for over 30 years in the field of conservation in Ecuador, Kenya, USA and Indonesia. She established and co-directed WCS’s Indonesia Program for 13 years and conducted research on a wide variety of topics, including human/elephant conflict, tiger/prey interactions, parrot trade, forest dynamics, non-timber forest product use, and hornbill and primate conservation. Margaret spent 8 years in Kenya as the Executive Director of the Mpala Research Centre, one of the top ecological research stations in Africa, situated on a 48,000 acre wildlife conservancy and working ranch. Her research interests included how different livestock management regimes influence wildlife abundance and diversity. She is as well interested in the ecology and conservation of large cats, primates and hornbills. Margaret is the Global Wildlife Practice Leader at World Wildlife Fund International.

Cath Lawson

Board Member

Cath has over 10 years of programme management experience working for a number of leading environmental NGOs and across a diverse portfolio of projects and programmes. She has strong technical knowledge, with a particular focus on the illegal wildlife trade in Africa. Cath is skilled in building relationships with key partners and stakeholders at all levels and have managed and supported work that is funded by a range of donors, including statutory funding, trusts and foundations, individuals, and corporates. Cath works as Senior Programme Manager, Eastern Africa at Fauna & Flora International and is IGCP’s board member.

Cath.Lawson@fauna-flora.org

Jessica Farish

Focal Point

Jess Farish joined Fauna & Flora International as part of the Africa team in 2015. Her current role includes the IGCP Focal Point position for FFI, together with supporting project level monitoring and evaluation, project management and operations management across the Africa team. Jess holds a Masters degree in Conservation Science, from Imperial College, London and has over 8 years’ experience working for a variety of wildlife conservation NGOs.

Jessica.farish@fauna-flora.org

Simon Peter Weredwong

Focal Point

Simon is a successful Program Management specialist for over 15 years with a track record of initiating projects and providing leadership for effective results and sustainability. He is endowed with multifaceted skills from work experience with various agencies and professional training in Environment & Natural Resources Management, Forestry, Project Planning & Management and Climate Change Governance. Simon is an excellent team builder and player combining holistic leadership skills, participatory approaches and effective management principles to realize institutional goals.

spweredwong@wwfuganda.org

Matthew Lewis

Focal Point

Matthew is the Regional Director at Conservation International . He is a Wildlife biologist and conservationist with 25 years of international experience managing and implementing field projects for a variety of species conservation programs in North America, Asia and Africa.

mlewis@conservation.org

Marsden Momanyi

Comms Gatekeeper

Marsden Momanyi, is a Communications Manager for Wildlife at WWF and is based in Kenya. He leads communications around WWF’s wildlife conservation strategy and initiatives including several key species and landscapes globally. He joined WWF in 2017 from the African Union (AU) where he served as a strategic communications expert supporting regional conflict prevention, management and peace-building policy and advocacy efforts over a period of six years. He has over 15 years development communications experience with leading international and regional organizations among them the African Technology Policy Studies Network, Amref and ActionAid. He has a Masters degree in Communications from the University of Leeds and Bachelors degree in Communications from Loughborough University.

mmomanyi@wwfint.org

Tim Knight

Comms Gatekeeper

Tim is a communications specialist who has worked closely with Fauna & Flora International (FFI) as a writer and editor since 1999. Tim has been actively involved with IGCP throughout that time and helped create IGCP’s first website in 2003. He has edited FFI’s annual magazine for almost 20 years and is co-author of With Honourable Intent - A Natural History of Fauna & Flora International, which includes an in-depth account of IGCP’s origins.

tim.knight@fauna-flora.org

Wellard Makambo

Director

Wellard joined IGCP in 2007. Wellard is a Congolese national and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree, with a major in Business Administration from the Catholic University of Eastern Africa in Nairobi, Kenya. Wellard has served as a manager in charge of coordinating the IGCP program across the three countries with support of the Country Coordinators. Since 2022, Wellard assumed a new position as IGCP Director. Wellard is passionate about football, music, and community development.

wmakambo@igcp.org

DRC

Jean Paul Hirwa

Deputy Director

Jean Paul joined IGCP in June 2023 as Deputy Director. He completed his master’s degree in an Erasmus Mundus master’s program on Tropical Biodiversity and Ecosystems, which offered him opportunities to attend universities and research institutions in France, Cameroon, Belgium and Panama. Jean Paul has worked in the field of conservation, in different positions since 2009. Jean Paul’s role at IGCP is to provide input to develop and adapt the IGCP conservation strategy, ensure high-quality implementation, monitor progress and impacts of that strategy across the three countries, in close collaboration with the entire IGCP team and various partners. Jean Paul is passionate about making significant impact in communities. He likes traveling, music plus watching and playing tennis.

jhirwa@igcp.org