Barbara de Waard, Founder and CEO
Whilst living in Malaysia, Barbara got involved in conservation efforts to save the highly endangered Malayan Tiger and decided to dedicate her career to saving endangered species and their habitats. Combining her extensive experience and skills as a Marketing Communications Professional with her passion for wildlife, she embarked on a Masters Research project “Re-inventing Capitalism to save the Tiger”. Since then, she has provided consultancy to local and international conservation NGOs on Strategic Marketing and NGO-Business collaboration. This ground-breaking work resulted in the creation of BiodiversityBusiness, a social enterprise dedicated to Creating Shared Value for Nature and People.
Listen to Barbara’s podcast on Social Marketing and Conservation
Michelle Latorre, Volunteer Coordinator
Growing up in Hawaii, Michelle is a true water baby. Her passion lies in everything below the water’s surface. Life in the corporate world has given her organisational skills that are off the charts! But then she and her husband took off to travel the world and discovered eco-volunteering! She has planted trees, taught English, and restored coral gardens all around the globe. After getting locked down in Malaysia for 2 years during COVID, Michelle now thinks of Malaysia as her second home. She spends much time here and loves the food and people. When not in Malaysia, she can be found in her permanent home in Bali
Shimara Gokani, Finance and Compliance Manager
Shimara is a wiz with contract management and admin. This is not surprising given her legal training and experience in the financial sector. She is also a great guide to Malaysia and its delights, as she grew up right in Kuala Lumpur. She has travelled extensively within Malaysia and beyond. So, mention the word ‘Roti Canai’ and she can find you one, in Perhentian or London!
Dora Khoo, Partnership Coordinator
Dora has an admirable track record of supporting grassroots conservation in Malaysia over many years. She has been a long-standing trustee of the well respected Turtle Conservation Society Malaysia. Her pragmatism and sense of humour are a great asset to build relationships with local conservation groups. Currently, Dora is active on the committee of the Gibbon Conservation Society which manages the popular GReP Gibbon Rehabilitation Project in peninsular Malaysia.
Daniel Quilter, Conservation Partner
Trained as an environmental scientist at Plymouth University, Daniel had a lifechanging experience on a field trip to Malaysia and decided to set up his own ecotourism company, Ecoteer, in 2005. His goal is to inspire as many people as possible to make small changes in their lives to help reduce our impact on the planet. Ecoteer has developed several inspiring and impactful conservation and community projects, including the popular ‘Ecoteer House’ on Perhentian Island. Based on the success of the volunteering, Daniel also co-founded Fuze Ecoteer Outdoor Adventures, to offer tourism experiences to individual travellers and groups such as schools and corporates
Fareea Ma, Conservation Partner
Growing up in urban Kuala Lumpur, Fareea‘s passion for nature and wildlife has been evident from a very young age influenced by her father. After dabbling in the corporate sector for a few years, Fareea co-founded APE Malaysia, one of the country’s first social enterprises to dedicate people, funds and efforts to managing volunteers in support of environmental conservation and wildlife welfare projects. The diverse APE Malaysia team has been working continuously with local communities, both on in-situ and ex-situ project sites, building capacity for conservation and making an impact through highly focused wildlife welfare
