NEW FACE AND HOPE IN EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR POSITION

Nigel Hunter

I reported in the previous edition that the Society was going through transition over the post of the Executive Director. After excellent service to the Society, the previous holder of this position, Ali Kaka, moved on to assume broader responsibilities as IUCN Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa.

The Society Council decided that the post left vacant be advertised locally and regionally. The Council appointed a search committee headed by Jake Grieves-Cook and the search began in March this year. The committee held final interviews in June and reported a clear winner from among the top contestants. Now it is my pleasure to introduce Nigel Derek Hunter as our new Executive Director to members, other readers and the general public.

Nigel brings on board extensive experience in conservation policy and practice on land, natural resources and wildlife. His professional experience started with hands-on work as farm manager of 2,000 acre dairy, maize and coffee farm in Kenya from 1962. He then moved on to Malawi to develop a Land Husbandry unit within the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources in the period 1972 to 1978.

Perhaps the most notable contribution in Malawi was the setting up of a Land Husbandry Training Centre for soil and water conservation technical staff. His last assignment in Malawi was capacity building in the same ministry as Senior Physical Planner for the period 1978 to 1980. Nigel then moved on to Botswana to work in various capacities between 1981 to 1995. During this period he served as leader of a pilot integrated farming project, National Co-ordinator of Land Use Planning, and Director of the Botswana Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

It was from this last engagement in Botswana that he began his hands-on experience with wildlife management. From Botswana, he changed working base to serve as wildlife and natural resource management specialist at the Natural Resource Institute of the University of Greenwich in UK between 1995 and 1999. During this period, he also served as the Project Manager of Biodiversity in Development Support Network.

He was then appointed as Head of Natural Resources Management Department of that University in 1999 and served in that position till 2001. He the moved on to become Director of the CITES Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme at CITES Secretariat/IUCN East Africa Regional Office in Kenya between 2001 and 2006. His last engagement prior to joining us was service as Senior Technical Advisor with IUCN East Africa Regional Office in Kenya.

Nigel’s great wealth of experience is base for new hope that he will move the Society to new heights as its Executive Director. I have already interacted with Nigel and facilitated his smooth taking over and I can report to members that he has hit the ground running. I have great confidence in his ability to perform. Please join me in welcoming Nigel.

Fredrick Owino,
Chairman, EAWLS