ZSL’s Sustainable Business and Finance Team

Gopalasamy Reuben Clements joined ZSL in 2023 as a Sustainable Finance Specialist, and represents ZSL’s Sustainable Finance team in Southeast Asia, where he has over 18 years of experience as a conservation scientist. He currently provides technical inputs, particularly on nature and biodiversity, in the development of new Nature-based Solutions (NBS) projects and engagement with finance institutions. During an 8-year academic career where he finished as a full Professor, Reuben published over 100 articles in journals such as Nature. He also co-founded a Malaysian non-profit known as Rimba, which incubated a NBS project called Kenyir for Life that aims to conserve a 200,000-hectare watershed through sustainable finance mechanisms. Reuben has a MSc and BSc in Biology from the National University of Singapore, and a PhD in Conservation Science from James Cook University.

Oliver Cupit joined ZSL in 2019 as Sustainable Business and Finance Programme Manager after spending over 5 years working at sustainability consultancy NEPCon. He has experience in responsible sourcing of timber and paper products, including provision of advice to companies on how to meet the EU Timber Regulation as well as FSC certification. Oliver has experience in auditing of timber product manufacturers, developing and delivering training courses on responsible sourcing, and has delivered services and training in the Solomon Islands, China, Malaysia and Vietnam, as well as across Europe. He holds an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Sustainable Tropical Forestry from Copenhagen and Padova Universities.

Annabelle Dodson joined ZSL in 2016. Her role as Sustainable Business Projects Manager, within ZSL’s Sustainable Business team, involves overseeing coordination of the SPOTT assessments and the development of SPOTT’s database and indicator frameworks, as well as grant management including donor reporting and activity tracking. She has previous experience working in Malaysia as a sustainability consultant and has volunteered with London Sustainability Exchange as well as on other field conservation projects. She has a BSc in Geology and Biology and an MSc in Environmental Diagnosis and Management from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Imogen Fanning joined ZSL in 2021. Her role as Project Analyst involves coordinating the SPOTT palm oil ESG assessments, engaging with companies on their results, and assisting in research to support the assessment process. She has previous experience in the sustainability and traceability of palm oil gained through her MSc in Sustainability and Management at Royal Holloway, University of London. Imogen worked at the Royal Society in Grants Operations before joining ZSL, where she developed skills in assessment and reporting.

Sam Ginger is a Sustainable Business Specialist focussing on natural rubber within ZSL’s Sustainable Business and Finance team. He leads on engagement with companies in the sector as well representing civil society in GPSNR. In 2020, Sam joined the team as a Project analyst working on company assessments and engagement for the SPOTT database, leading analyses on natural rubber and timber and pulp ESG transparency assessments. Before joining ZSL, Sam worked in Environmental Education and completed an MSc in Environmental Bioscience in a Changing Climate at the University of Warwick.

Mirjam Hazenbosch joined ZSL in 2024 as the Sustainable Business Programme Manager and leads ZSL’s engagement with the business sector. She started off her career in academia, researching tropical rainforest conservation and smallholder agriculture in Papua New Guinea. Mirjam then transitioned to work in the corporate sector advising businesses on how to act for nature, first as a Senior Project Manager at Proforest and then as a Principal Consultant at Biodiversify. Through her work Mirjam has built up a strong expertise in biodiversity risk assessments, strategy development and biodiversity monitoring, and a wide network of connections across businesses, academia, NGOas and farmers. Mirjam has lived and worked in The Netherlands, New Zealand, USA, Papua New Guinea, India and England, and speaks Dutch, English and Tok Pisin fluently. She holds a BSc in Liberal Arts & Sciences from University College Utrecht, and a PhD from the University of Oxford in Interdisciplinary Bioscience.

David Johnston is a passionate conservationist and sustainable business entrepreneur with extensive experience in the Amazon, where he co-founded a non-profit organisation and played a key role in establishing the Las Piedras Conservation Corridor initiative. At ZSL, David consults as a Communications and Conservation Enterprise Specialist, focused on integrating biodiversity into the heart of the decision-making in the private sector, while also on the look out for enterprise opportunities that support sustainable community development and conservation in ZSL’s focal landscapes. In addition to his work at ZSL, David serves on the board of Junglekeepers.

Armstrong Mba joined the ZSL Sustainable Business team in February 2020 as Sustainable Business Advisor, operating from Yaoundé, Cameroon. Armstrong has over 12 years’ experience in sustainable forestry, working as a Sustainability Manager for various forestry companies in Cameroon as well as a consultant for Proforest. A qualified FSC auditor and HCV assessor, he holds an undergraduate Diploma in Forestry from National Forestry School in Mbalmayo, Cameroon and a Master’s degree in Cartography, GIS/Remote Sensing with Specialization in Landscape Dynamics Management from the University of Yaoundé 1. Armstrong also has experience working on other soft commodities in Cameroon, including palm oil, rubber and cocoa. He is a fluent French and English speaker.

James Pilkington joined ZSL in 2022 as Sustainable Finance Programme Manager, leading on ZSL’s work engaging the finance sector and developing bankable conservation finance projects. He is passionate about creating the resources and incentives to protect and restore our planet’s biological and cultural diversity. James has 12 years’ experience working with financial institutions, governments, Indigenous communities, local peoples and conservation organisations to attract investment and generate income based on their natural assets. He has worked in Central America, East Africa, Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe and Outback Australia on projects in a wide variety of sectors including agriculture, soft commodities, seafood, tourism, energy access, professional services, carbon and other payments for ecosystem services. He has a BA in International Development from SOAS in London, an MBA from Melbourne University and an MA in Political Economy from University of Sydney.

Rachel Poluan is a Sustainable Business & Finance Communications Advisor at ZSL, supporting the team in amplifying messages about sustainable practices in high-risk commodity sectors and their impact on tropical forests. Rachel joined ZSL in 2023 as an intern, following her internship in Internal Communications and Corporate Social Responsibility at DBS Bank Indonesia. She holds a double bachelor’s degree in International Business and Marketing from Bandung Institute of Technology and University of Hull.

Sam Ross joined ZSL in 2022. His role as Sustainable Business Project Analyst involves coordinating the SPOTT timber & pulp ESG assessments, engaging with companies on their results, and conducting research to support the assessment process. Prior to joining ZSL, Sam completed a postgraduate degree in Environmental Sustainability at the University of Edinburgh. Through this degree, he developed an interest in various environmental issues, with a particular focus on ESG and climate policy. He also volunteered with World Female Ranger Week and the Galapagos Conservation Trust in a research and communications capacity.

Claire Salisbury joined ZSL in 2018, and is a Sustainable Business Project Manager alongside Annabelle. Her role involves overseeing ZSL’s Sustainable Business Projects including SPOTT, related communications including the SPOTT website, social media channels and publications, and coordinating policy-related activities of the team. Prior to joining ZSL, Claire contributed to Mongabay as a freelance writer, and a volunteer and communications consultant with the Asian elephant conservation charity Elephant Family. She has an MSc in Evolutionary and Behavioural Ecology from the University of Exeter and a PhD from the University of Oxford, focusing on the diversity and ecology of Amazon birds.

Jack Sheehy joined ZSL in 2023 as a Blue Finance Specialist. He manages ZSL-led marine conservation and restoration projects and inputs scientific, technical, and financial support. He is passionate about eco-social economic approaches that drive ecological conservation, biodiversity restoration, and wider climate change mitigation and adaptation through equitable finance generation and community engagement. Jack has a diverse work history, holds a BSc in Marine Biology and Coastal Ecology from the University of Plymouth, as well as an MSc, in Marine Renewable Energy, and a PhD (viva pending) in Blue Carbon from Heriot-Watt University.

Eleanor Spencer leads our palm oil workstream as the Sustainable Business Specialist, Asia, managing the team’s palm oil company assessment and engagement processes, as well as representing ZSL on the RSPO Board of Governors as an alternate environmental NGO member. Eleanor originally joined the team in 2015, with a focus on engagement with the financial sector and other SPOTT users, before switching to her current role in early 2020. She has a background in supply chain sustainability and governance across various other soft commodity sectors, including soy, cattle and seaweed, and holds an MSc in Biodiversity Conservation and Management from the University of Oxford.

Bronwyn Trafford joined ZSL in 2023 as a Spatial Data Advisor. She will be undertaking spatial data analysis and management within the teams’ numerous projects, as well as providing technical training and capacity building in spatial data. Her role also includes working with terrestrial carbon projects and restoration projects. Bronwyn’s passion is ecological restoration and incorporating new technology such as remote sensing, GIS, drones, etc. in restoration. She has a Master of Science (MSc) degree in Zoology from Rhodes University, South Africa where she focused on land use change from farmlands to game reserves and using remote sensing to highlight vegetation changes over time. Bronwyn previously worked in ecology on a big 5 game reserve where she focused my efforts on a restoration and carbon project as well as endangered species (rhino and cheetah) conservation.