Stuart is internationally recognised as a leader in private sector conservation. Beginning his career as a zoologist, Stuart shifted his focus to biodiversity and land management, going on to work for almost 20 years in the extractives industry.

During this time, Stuart led the development and implementation of Rio Tinto’s Net Positive Impact on Biodiversity policy – a pioneering achievement in the early 2000s.

He has extensive experience working at a corporate policy level, as well as developing methodologies and tools for on the ground application.

Stuart is well regarded globally for his strong knowledge of business processes and drivers, coupled with his ecological and conservation expertise.His sophisticated understanding of the benefits of cross-sector collaboration has been developed over many years’ experience working in multi-party forums and initiatives.