Our team

Our global team of experts inspire and mobilise organisations and individuals to create change for animals in need. To find out more or schedule an interview, contact our media team.

Steve McIvor - CEO
Steve previously worked at Compassion in World Farming and The Body Shop, responsible for developing award winning campaigns on issues such as endangered species, domestic violence and human rights.

Based: London
Lena Aahlby - Director of Programmes
Lena previously worked for Greenpeace as Global Campaigns and Programme Director and now heads up World Animal Protection’s global programmes.

Based: Sydney
Ben Pearson Head of Campaigns ANZ
Ben has more than 24 years’ experience advocating for the environment and animals, working for NGOs and government both in Australia and overseas.

Based: Sydney
Kelly Dent - Global Programmes Director
Kelly has 25 years’ experience lobbying and campaigning on climate change, poverty, corporate accountability, trade, labour and human rights around the world. She has previously worked in international aid development with Oxfam. She is Director of External Engagement with World Animal Protection.

Based: Sydney
Mark Dia - Programme Director - Animals in Farming
Mark is taking more than 20 years of experience in campaign leadership on various issues like environment, human rights and labor and focusing this on improving the lives of farm animals globally.

Based: Philippines
Jacquiline Mills - Head of Campaign - Farming
Jacqueline is responsible for overseeing World Animal Protection’s pig welfare projects globally. The farming team are building a movement to improve the lives of pigs around the world.

Based: Sydney
Jonty Whittleton - Acting Director of Animals in Farming
Jonty previously worked for Freuds and Compassion in World Farming and now leads on the move towards positive global change for farm animals across the world.

Based: London
Kate Nustedt - Director of Wildlife
Kate has 20 years’ experience campaigning on wildlife, environmental, poverty and women’s rights issues with Greenpeace, ActionAid and Women for Women International.

Based: London
Dr Neil D’Cruze - Global Head of Wildlife Research
Neil is a wildlife biologist with expertise in conservation, illegal wildlife trade and animal welfare. He has led research projects all over the world and has discovered six previously unknown species.

Based: London​
Dr Jan Schmidt-Burbach - Global Head of Wildlife Research and Animal Welfare
Jan is a qualified veterinarian with experience in wildlife medicine, bear baiting in Pakistan and leading research on wildlife in entertainment and the micro-chipping of bears in Asia Pacific.

Based: Berlin
Nick Stewart - Global Head of Wildlife - Dolphins
Nick leads the captive dolphins work within our broader wildlife tourism campaign which is transforming the global travel industry’s treatment of wild animals, and exposing the cruelties of wildlife entertainment.

Based: London
Gilbert Sape
Gilbert joined World Animal Protection in 2015 and has been campaigning on various social justice issues for the last 20 years. Prior to World Animal Protection, he worked as campaigner for conservation and environmental issues for international organisations based in Malaysia, USA and Chile.

Based: Bangkok
Audrey Mealia - Global Head of Wildlife
Following a successful career in the private retail and manufacturing sector working on issues such as ethical trade Audrey made the switch to World Animal Protection in 2014. She is currently heading the Wildlife Not Entertainment group of campaigns which is committed to stopping the exploitation of wild animals in the tourist and entertainments industries.

Based: London

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