Our team
Virginia (Gin) Simpson (Adelaide) — Country Manager, Australia
Gin has over 20 years of experience working with civil society, governments, and the private sector on a wide range of conservation initiatives. Starting work with Conservation International in Cambodia in 2015, Gin was the Program Manager for the Greater Mekong program for three years before moving back to her native Australia. Based in Adelaide, Gin is responsible for managing Conservation International Australia, building new partnerships to encourage two-way flow of finance and expertise between Australia and CI’s global conservation efforts. Please contact Gin if you’re a company or an individual who’d like to talk about how to participate!
Mael Imirizaldu (Sydney) — Senior Regional Program Officer, Blue Nature Alliance
Maël is the senior regional program officer of the Pacific region and the French-speaking countries for the Blue Nature Alliance. Maël is responsible for cultivating new relationships, leading the scoping of new locations, and coordinating with implementing partners to ensure ocean conservation success. Maël was born in France, grew up in New Caledonia, and is now based in Sydney, Australia. Before joining the Alliance, Maël worked for seven years to design and launch Conservation International’s marine conservation program in New Caledonia. In that role, he supported the establishment of the Natural Park of the Coral Sea, strengthened community-based management for the UNESCO World Heritage site of Ouvea, facilitated the development of responsible and sustainable fisheries, and participated in several biodiversity expeditions and stock assessment in the Coral Sea, Wallis and Futuna Islands, Tonga, and Nauru. Maël holds a Master of Marine and Coastal Science from the European University Institute for the Sea and a Master of Functional Ecology from the University of Perpignan in France.
Johann Bell (Wollongong) — Senior Director, Tuna Fisheries, Center for Oceans
Johann is the Senior Director – Pacific Tuna Fisheries at Conservation International and a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) at the University of Wollongong. He has a background in fish ecology, fisheries science and management, food security and climate change, and has spent more than 25 years working in developing countries in the Pacific Island region. Johann’s current work for Conservation International involves leading the development of a proposal to the Green Climate Fund on behalf of 14 Pacific Island countries and regional organisations entitled ‘Adaptations for tuna-dependent Pacific Island communities and economies to climate change’. Johann is also supervising projects designed to add value to tuna to assist Pacific Island countries achieve the goals of the Regional Roadmap for Sustainable Pacific Fisheries.
Nicholas (Nick) Souter (Adelaide) — Freshwater Manager, Greater Mekong
Nick is an ecologist with over two decades of experience in conservation and natural resource management. Nick has experience in a range of environments from Cambodian rainforests to the deserts of central Australia. He has worked in private consulting, government agencies, universities and international conservation NGO’s implementing and managing a range of complex research, education and infrastructure projects and programmes. Formerly the President of the Royal Society of South Australia (2012-2014), Nick remains an editor of the Cambodian Journal of Natural History and on the editorial board of the Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia. Currently Nick is leading a project working with fishing communities to improve their livelihoods and conserve the unique natural resources of the Tonle Sap Lake, vital for their wellbeing. Nick and his team of five Cambodia-based staff are also examining freshwater health in the Sesan, Srepok and Sekong River Basin – which encompasses portions of Lao, Vietnam and Cambodia and the catchment of the Tonle Sap Lake – using the Freshwater Health Index.
Anurag Ramachandra (Brisbane) — Technical Adviser, Indonesia Terrestrial Programs
Anurag Ramachandra is a technical advisor with Conservation International Indonesia, helping to implement integrated landscapes initiatives such as the Sustainable Landscape Partnership program. Anurag is helping design and implement Forest Carbon projects, integrated landscape conservation and agriculture programs, support carbon policy work and community forestry initiatives. Anurag has over 15 years of experience in designing and implementing projects in a wide range of sectors. He has been involved in environmental assessments, mine planning, local government service provision, geotechnical studies, socio-economic evaluations, land use planning and policy support for low emissions development. Anurag has worked on projects in Australia, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Cambodia and Indonesia.
Simon Badcock — Managing Director, Restoration Portfolio Delivery
Simon Badcock is a social scientist (geography/political science) who has been working with CI since 2013 on a range of programs including Sustainable Landscape Partnership (SLP) in Indonesia and then taking on new responsibilities to help support program design, delivery and monitoring globally for our projects. Prior to working with CI Simon has had more than 20+ years in various roles working in Indonesia across the Archipelago involved in improving smallholder crop / commodity production systems as well as broader issues linked with spatial planning and landscapes. Simon leads a small team of three who besides providing direct technical support is also contributing to the development of a range of internal tools to support improved capacity.
Christie Kempton (Perth) — Operations Manager
Christie is the Operations Manager for Conservation International Australia. Christie has over 20 years of experience in finance and business management and has worked with numerous not-for-profit organisations. Some of her accomplishments include building and operating a successful bookkeeping company, as well as managing – and returning to profit – a struggling multi-million-dollar boat maintenance yard. Christie has also volunteered with various wildlife and conservation organisations, her role with Conservation International Australia aligns her passion for conservation with her finance & operations skill set. Based in Western Australia, she is working to ensure Conservation International Australia’s finance, HR and operations run smoothly.
Emmeline Johansen (Waitārere, New Zealand) — Communications Director, Asia-Pacific Field Division
Born and bred in Wellington, New Zealand, Emmeline has worked in marketing and communications for two decades, dedicating the past ten years to Conservation International. Initially working in Phnom Penh with the Cambodia country office, Emmeline expanded her focus to the Asia-Pacific region, leading efforts that garner global attention for the stories that need to be told. Through storytelling, Emmeline uplifts indigenous voices and connects people to vital science and on-the-ground partnerships focused on protecting some of the most important and biodiverse places left in Asia-Pacific.
Erika Korosi — Fellow and Senior Director, Nature Markets
Erika is Conservation International’s Fellow and Senior Director Nature Markets, leading CI’s global efforts in the innovative space of nature and biodiversity markets. Erika joined CI in 2023 with a background spanning over two decades in corporate, philanthropic and not for profit sectors. She has broad and deep experience across a range of sustainability aspects including biodiversity, nature-based solutions, climate change mitigation and adaptation, water stewardship and rights-centered approaches. Understanding the key levers to enable change, she has driven strategy development, implementation, engagement, financing and disclosure. Erika has successfully led numerous global collaborations that have catalysed change and delivered sustainable outcomes for the planet and people.
Prachi Maheshwari (Sydney) — Regional Director for Sustainable Finance, Pacific & Oceania
Prachi is CI’s regional director for Sustainable Finance in Pacific and Oceania. She designs and implements innovative conservation financing structures to achieve local and regional climate and nature goals. She is a strategic advisory professional with over 18 years of experience working across corporate and impact sectors in Australia, South and Southeast Asia, and East Africa. She brings extensive experience in private sector development, blended finance, sustainable finance, gender lens and ESG investing.
Bene Agulto — Regional Lead, Blue Nature Alliance
Bene is the regional lead for Asia engagements for the Blue Nature Alliance. He holds a multidisciplinary academic and professional background in marine science, conservation, and communication. He has close to 20 years of experience combining NGO work in MPA development, sustainable finance, strategic communication, and university teaching and research. Before joining the Alliance, Bene worked with international conservation NGOs in designing innovative sustainable financing mechanisms and blue carbon projects for marine protected areas in the Philippines, Cambodia, and the Caribbean. He also lived and worked in Singapore, Malaysia, and France. In his current capacity with CI, he supports governments across Asia to achieve their marine protection target, builds and maintains relationship with stakeholders, and coordinates project implementation by the implementing partners.
Jyanti Singh — Sustainable Tuna Program Manager, Centre for Sustainable Lands and Waters, Commodity Production
Jyanti Singh is the Sustainable Tuna Program Manager with Centre for Sustainable Lands and Waters, Global Fisheries and Aquaculture Programme with Conservation International. Jyanti joined CI Fiji in 2021 and has 10 years of experience working in tuna fisheries space in the Pacific region. She is based in Melbourne, Australia and supports the team in providing technical and related support in the development and implementation of triple bottom-line tuna fishery Jurisdictional initiatives for Pacific tuna fisheries. Jyanti is a PhD candidate and has a master’s degree in marine management from the University of South Pacific in Fiji.
Board of Directors
Richard is CI’s Senior Vice President for the Asia Pacific and Chair of the Board. Richard directs CI’s work in the Asia-Pacific region, overseeing strategies and programs in 16 countries. He guides the organization’s role in international and regional networks, as well as partnerships with both the private and public sectors to achieve lasting outcomes for people and nature.
Richard brings more than 25 years of experience in NGO leadership, conservation finance, and science to the role.
Kris is Chief Scientist at the Australian Museum and a renowned mammalogist including past expedition work with CI. Previously Curator-in-Charge of Mammals at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, Kris is now based in Sydney.
Holding past executive roles in several well-known Australian environmental organisations, Pip brings a detailed understanding of relevant governance and regulatory matters. Pip also has an intimate understanding of CI field programs having facilitated program planning for many of our teams. Pip is Secretary for both the Board and the Public Fund Management Committee.
Angus is CEO of Jord Group, a multi-national engineering firm based in Sydney. Angus has a clear personal passion for conservation. The Jord Environmental Trust has funded a range of national and international projects in the past, including supporting CI’s Indonesian partner Konservasi Indonesia to work with government on marine protection in Indonesia.
Roewen is the High Value and Strategy Director for Xponential: The Big Gift Specialists. With a background working in conservation organisations himself, Roewen is widely regarded as Australia’s top authority on conservation-focused philanthropy.
Kim has a legal background and presently consults on renewable energy in Australia, including to government. Kim is based in Queensland and has previously consulted for the Great Barrier Reef Foundation on innovative financing solutions and climate change. Kim also serves on the Public Fund Management Committee.