Paula Kahumbu

Dr Paula Kahumbu is the Chief Executive Officer of Wildlife Direct, an organisation that leads campaigns in wildlife conservation.

She has been leading the Hands Off Our Elephants Campaign with former First Lady Margaret Kenyatta in a campaign aimed at ending poaching.

The PhD holder in Ecology from Princeton University is also the producer of Wildlife Warriors - a series that documents wildlife conservancy stories in Africa.

Her work in Wildlife conservancy has not only earned her global recognition but also landed her a prestigious opportunity as she was appointed to the National Geographic Society Board of Trustees in January this year. 

On October 3, She was also recognised in Austria and bagged two awards at the 2022 Jackson Wild Film Festival for Wildlife Warriors in light of her work in wildlife preservation.

Apart from her wildlife conservancy campaigns, she also lectures community conservation at Princeton University which is based in New Jersey. 

Some of the awards she has won over the years include the National Geographic Emerging Explorer,  the Whitley Gold Award and the Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year.