Speaker profile

John E. Scanlon AO

Special Envoy
African Parks

John is a seasoned leader in the fields of conservation, environment and sustainable development. He has worked across multiple continents, disciplines and organisations and served in senior positions with the private sector, government, the UN, and not-for-profit organizations. This includes senior positions with IUCN in Germany and UNEP in Kenya and John was Secretary General of CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) from 2010 to 2018. During his term John significantly increased the level of political attention, public profile, funding, partnerships and outreach of CITES. This included leading global efforts to combat illegal wildlife trade, the creation of the International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime and actively engaging with the International Air Transport Association and the World Travel and Tourism Council on combating wildlife crime.