Meet the Team
Get to know the Founder and our Board Members
Founder
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Jaime Dias is a conservationist and founder of Wings for Conservation. Born in Lisbon in 1989, he earned his pilot’s license after military school and attended Lusófona University in Lisbon. Relocating to Africa in 2012, he began his conservation career in Chad's Zakouma National Park with African Parks. He subsequently worked as a pilot and technical assistant in Gabon and South Sudan, and led the 2015 Gourma elephant survey in Mali. Jaime founded Wings for Conservation in 2016 and leads the foundation's operations and field projects in Africa, which have included projects in Chad, Niger, Mozambique and South Africa. In the course of his work, he led the process to establish a new national park, discovered a new population of giraffes and had a direct impact on the protection of several species and ecosystems that are now recovering.
Board Members - Netherlands
Markéta Antonínová holds a PhD in tropical agriculture. After beginning her career in academia in Ethiopia, she shifted her focus to field-based wildlife management and population dynamics. She has directed wildlife monitoring, particularly for elephants, and law enforcement implementation across the DRC, Chad, and South Sudan. Formerly the CEO of the Kenyan organization Friends of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, she currently serves as a Program Officer at African Parks, applying her background in research and protected area management to conservation efforts across the continent.
Minke Hahn holds a master’s degree in Dutch law from Utrecht University. She spent eight years working as a candidate civil-law notary at the Dutch law firm NautaDutilh. During her tenure, she was introduced to Wings for Conservation and began advising the foundation on various legal and corporate matters. In 2022, Minke officially joined the organization as a Board Member. She currently serves as both secretary and treasurer, applying her legal background to support the foundation's conservation initiatives.
Rian and Lorna Labuschagne have worked together in conservation for 40 years. Following Rian's decade with South African National Parks, the couple served as Technical Advisors for the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) in Tanzania's Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti National Park. After working with Grumeti Reserves from 2002 to 2011, they joined African Parks to manage Zakouma National Park in Chad, with Rian as Park Manager and Lorna as Special Projects Manager. In 2017, they returned to Tanzania to continue their conservation work with FZS in the Serengeti.
Professor Brendan Godley is a conservation scientist specializing in marine vertebrates. With degrees in Zoology, Veterinary Medicine, and a Doctorate from the University of Glasgow, he has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications. His collaborative research focuses on interdisciplinary issues such as fisheries bycatch, ocean plastics, and marine protected areas. An active educator, he has designed multiple MSc conservation programs. Since 2018, he has led the ExeterMarine Research Network, and in 2023, he became the founding Director of the University’s Graduate School of Environment and Sustainability.
Board Members - South Africa
Dan Sermand holds a Master’s in Geography and a Postgraduate Degree in Urban Planning. After early roles in education and urban planning in France, he joined Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in 1999. During his 25 years with MSF, he progressed through various operational and leadership roles, ultimately serving as General Director for the Belgian, Swedish and Southern African country offices. His expertise lies in strategy and organizational development, where he has guided new entities and conducted executive structural reviews across multiple countries and headquarters.
John Bowen is a Chartered Accountant with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Cape Town. After qualifying in 1989, he built his career at KPMG South Africa, eventually becoming a Partner. He specialized in financial due diligence for corporate transactions across Sub-Saharan Africa. Retiring from professional practice in February 2026, John brings his extensive financial expertise to the Board of Wings for Conservation. Based in Nelspruit, South Africa, his new role aligns with his long-standing interest in wildlife and environmental conservation.
Frédéric Melki is the president and co-founder of Biotope, a company established in 1993 that has become a European leader in ecological engineering and nature conservation. A Doctor of Pharmacy by training, he chose to turn his passion for biodiversity into his profession. Beyond his leadership roles, Frédéric is a renowned naturalist and field photographer. A specialist and enthusiast of orchids and freshwater fish, he has led numerous field expeditions across the globe. Additionally, he chairs the Biotope Endowment Fund for Nature.
Florence Erb holds a Master’s in Humanitarian Action from the Catholic University of Louvain. With over 12 years of experience in international development, she specializes in strategic donor engagement, resource mobilization, and program coordination. Fluent in four languages, Florence has managed global health initiatives and public health emergency responses across Africa, Latin America, and Europe. She has worked with major organizations, including the UN's WHO, UNICEF, the Global Fund, and Save the Children, successfully building multi-stakeholder partnerships across governments, NGOs, and the private sector.