Our Board and Vision Council

Ali Allport

Born in 1968 and raised in Kenya, I am passionate about conservation and community development. Trained as a physiotherapist, I later joined the British Army, where I developed discipline and a global perspective. I am fortunate to have one gorgeous daughter, Savanna, and I am married to Tony.

In 2004, we returned to Kenya, embarking on a journey in tourism and conservation. Our work took us to Samburu, where we met Shivani at the inception of Ewaso Lions, an organisation close to my heart. Currently, we live in Watamu, and I serve as the Operations Manager of Watamu Snake Farm. I am very proud to be a part of the Ewaso Lions Board, continuing my commitment to wildlife and community conservation.

Dr Irene Amoke

Dr Irene Amoke is a landscape ecologist with over twenty years of practical experience in conservation. Her work focuses on developing and implementing strategies for sustainable coexistence between humans and wildlife, particularly in ecologically fragile ecosystems. With a background spanning conservation science and policy, strategic leadership, and programme management, she has worked across academia, government, and the private sector in Kenya, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

As Founder of ConserveAbility Pathways Ltd, a Kenyan-based consultancy, Irene partners with conservation organisations to turn broad goals into measurable outcomes, bridging the gap between strategic vision and effective implementation. She advises on programme design, organisational development, and sustainable financing. Irene also serves as a Strategic Advisor to the Kenya Wildlife Trust (KWT), supporting efforts to strengthen conservation impact and institutional sustainability. As former Executive Director of KWT, she led strategy development, deepened partnerships and stakeholder engagement, and oversaw fundraising efforts.

Irene holds a PhD in Landscape Ecology, an MSc in Environmental Assessment & Management, and a BSc in Zoology. She is a Senior Associate of the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL), an Eisenhower Fellow (2022, Africa Climate Change Programme), and a Women in Environment Africa Fellow (2023). Passionate about natural capital and nature-based solutions, Irene sits on several national and international boards and is also a mentor and facilitator, supporting conservation leadership across Africa.

Nagib Popat

Kenyan born and bred, with the exception of 4 years spent in the UK for University, Nagib’s love for Safari started at a young age, where he was enthralled by the open spaces and the abundant wildlife on show. This led to his choice of a career in tourism for the last 37 years. He began initially as a Tour Operator / DMC, then in hospitality as the Managing Director of Atua Enkop Africa Ltd. It is through this work, twenty years ago, that he met Shivani, who was setting up Ewaso Lions as Atua Enkop were building their first camp in Samburu. The decreasing numbers of our wildlife and habitat in Kenya over the years have been alarming; Nagib has always admired the tireless and unselfish work done by Ewaso Lions and others who strive to conserve the wildlife and the habitat in this beautiful country. He is therefore very excited to be working with this organisation and helping to continue to drive awareness of this work.

Heather Gurd

Heather first connected with Ewaso Lions as a volunteer in 2010, following an undergraduate degree in Conservation Biology and Ecology. Her early experiences in Samburu cementing the importance of community-led conservation and laying the foundation for her continued support for Ewaso Lions. As part of her Master’s in Conservation Science at Imperial College London, Heather conducted an evaluation of Ewaso Lion’s Warrior Watch programme in 2012. Between 2015 and 2018, she joined the Ewaso Lions team as Conservation Manager, supporting the development and delivery of community programmes, including Mama Simba and Lion Kids Camp. Maintaining an interest in monitoring and evaluation, Heather has subsequently worked as the Social Impact Manager for Marwell Wildlife and now holds the position of Grants and Monitoring Manager for the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund.

Emma Lear

Emma Lear is an environmental and social specialist with extensive experience in risk management and positive-impact reporting. Currently, she is the ESG and Impact Director at Outrigger Impact, a blue-economy-focused impact investment manager that supports enterprises in Small Island Developing States. She has worked in Impact Investing for over 10 years and has run ESG risk management and impact reporting for several funds in the environmental space.

Emma is a conservation biologist, and before working in the impact investment sector, she worked with grassroots NGOs in Kenya, including Ewaso Lions and Save the Elephants. Emma has an MSc in Conservation Science from Imperial College London and a BSc in Zoology from Durham University.

Nina Fascione

Nina Fascione is the Executive Director of The International Rhino Foundation, responsible for the organisation’s strategic direction, vision, growth and performance in support of all rhino species. Before this role, Nina spent many years at Defenders of Wildlife in Washington, D.C., including as Vice President of Development, where she oversaw the organisation’s corporate, foundation, major and planned giving, and as Vice President for Field Conservation Programs, where she managed Defenders’ largest division, dedicated to endangered species and habitat conservation. Nina served for two years as Executive Director of Bat Conservation International, where she guided the Austin, Texas-based organisation in its efforts to protect bats and their habitats around the world. Nina co-founded and chairs the Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (EWCL) program, a two-year training course for early-career professionals, and serves as advisor to Ewaso Lions in Kenya. Nina has a Master of Applied Anthropology and a B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Maryland, and edited the book “People and Predators: From Conflict to Coexistence.”

Susie Offord-Woolley

I am from the UK and grew up on the beautiful north Antrim coast in Northern Ireland, where I fell in love with nature. I studied my MSc in Conservation Science at Imperial College London and came to Kenya to volunteer at Ewaso Lions when it was still quite a small project. After this, I was the Managing Director at Save the Rhino International, Asia Programme Manager at Chester Zoo and Conservation Partnership Manager at the Zoological Society of London. Throughout this time, my heart has always been in Samburu, inspired by the important work that the Ewaso Lions team does. Ewaso Lions is one of the most inspirational organisations and is ahead of its time. I try to use my experience from other projects and cultures, including other human-wildlife coexistence challenges, to support the Ewaso team whenever needed, but I also use the learnings from the team in Samburu to advise how other projects should be truly community-led.