Biodiversity – Speakers

Shaun has specialised as strategy practitioner in complex, multi-stakeholder environments for the past three decades. During his 17 year track record in the travel and tourism industry and sustainable mega-project development, he served as special adviser to the South African tourism and environment minister and as vice president for commercial at Expo 2020 Dubai. Social impact and environmental stewardship cut across his portfolio of professional activities during his career in the private sector, government, think tanks and academia. He holds a doctorate in International Political Economy and a mid-career MBA cum laude. He is a widely published author across different disciplines, including scenario studies, corporate governance, sustainable tourism, low-carbon aviation, and climate change. He previously served on the judging panel for the WTTCs ‘Tourism for Tomorrow’ awards, and was one of the architects behind the inaugural T.20 (G20) Tourism Ministers’ Meetings when it was originally launched in South Africa in 2010.

Harold is WTM’s Responsible Tourism Advisor, he puts together the flagship Responsible Tourism programme at WTM London which attracts 2000 participants each year and the programmes run at WTM Africa, WTM Latin America and Arabian Travel Market. Harold has worked on 4 continents with local communities, their governments and the inbound and outbound tourism industry. He is Managing Director of the Responsible Tourism Partnership and chairs the panels of judges for the World Responsible Tourism Awards and the other Awards in the family, Africa, India and Latin America. Harold works with industry, local communities, governments, and conservationists and undertakes consultancy and evaluations for companies, NGOs, governments, and international organisations. He is also a Director of the Institute of Place Management at Manchester Metropolitan University, where he is an Emeritus Professor, and Founder Director of the International Centre for Responsible Tourism promotes the principles of the Cape Town Declaration which he drafted.