About us

Who we are

About us

Who we are

Our mission

Our mission is to deliver high-integrity nature finance solutions in real-world conservation settings. Through long-term, partnerships on the ground – beginning in Zimbabwe’s Protected Area Network – we aim to create scalable models that protect biodiversity, support livelihoods, and inform the future of global conservation finance. 

As part of this mission, Awe Nature established the Chewore Conservation Trust in Zimbabwe to lead the management of the Chewore South pilot project. The Trust serves as the local implementation vehicle, working in close coordination with local communities, national authorities, and credible conservation partners.

As part of this mission, Awe Nature established the Chewore Conservation Trust in Zimbabwe to lead the management of the Chewore South pilot project. The Trust serves as the local implementation vehicle, working in close coordination with communities, government authorities, and conservation partners.

Our name and values

Our name stems from our shared awe for nature.

Research shows that experiencing awe – rather than fear or doom – is more likely to motivate positive action. In facing the twin biodiversity and climate crises, we believe that fostering wonder, respect, and connection is essential to driving meaningful change.

 

This appreciation for something so much greater than ourselves inspires our commitment to protect it. It also underpins the values shown here, which guide how we collaborate, innovate, and work pragmatically to secure a thriving future for nature and people alike.

Our core values

Our Name and Values

Our name stems from our shared awe for nature. Research shows that experiencing awe – rather than fear or doom – is more likely to motivate positive action. In facing the twin biodiversity and climate crises, we believe that fostering wonder, respect, and connection is essential to driving meaningful change.

 

This appreciation for something so much greater than ourselves inspires our commitment to protect it. It also underpins the values shown here, which guide how we collaborate, innovate, and work pragmatically to secure a thriving future for nature and people alike.

Our core values
Meet the Team

Geneva Team

Aaron Murphy

Executive Director of Innovative Finance
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Michael Hacking

Director
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Chido Munyati

Strategic Advisor
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Sue Phillips

Strategic Advisor
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Gregor Pipan

Conservation Finance Advisor
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Dr Niall McCann

Executive Director, Head of Conservation & Communications
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Aaron Murphy

Executive Director of Innovative Finance
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Chido Munyati

Strategic Advisor
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Dr Niall Mcann

Executive Director, Head of Conservation & Communications
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Gregor Pipan

Conservation Finance Advisor
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Michael Hacking

Director
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Sue Phillips

Strategic Advisor
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Zimbabwe Team

Blake Muil

Field Operations Manager
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James Egremont-Lee

Country Director
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Netsai Dube

Head of Accounts
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Simba Sandram

Community Manager
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Christelle Pasques

Procurement Officer
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Mark Griffiths

Chewore Conservation Trust Trustee
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Nicholas Chinembiri

Head of Law Enforcement
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Simbai Mutematemi

Technology Officer
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Dwain Strydom

Project Manager
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Nesia Mhaka

Community Liaison Officer
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Dr Paradzayi Tagwireyi

Conservation and Research Manager
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George Manyere

Chewore Conservation Trust Trustee
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Ndanatsiwa Tagwireyi

Communications Lead
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Prince Chikwara

Research Officer
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Blake Muil

Field Operations Manager
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Dwain Strydom

Project Manager
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Christelle Pasques

Procurement Officer
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George Manyere

Chewore Conservation Trust Trustee
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James Egremont-Lee

Country Director
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Mark Griffiths

Chewore Conservation Trust Trustee
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Ndanatsiwa Tagwireyi

Communications Lead
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Nesia Mhaka

Community Liaison Officer
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Netsai Dube

Head of Accounts
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Nicholas Chinembiri

Head of Law Enforcement
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Dr Paradzayi Tagwireyi

Conservation and Research Manager
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Prince Chikwara

Research Officer
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Simba Sandram

Community Manager
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Simbai Mutematemi

Technology Officer
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UK Trustees

Alistair Graham

Trustee
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Patsy Shannon

Trustee
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William Stancer

Trustee
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Alistair Graham

Trustee
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Patsy Shannon

Trustee
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William Stancer

Trustee
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Inspired and driven by our shared awe for nature

Proudly partnered with

Aaron Murphy

Executive Director of Innovative Finance

Aaron leads Awe Nature’s innovative finance strategy, working closely with government and international partners to channel investment into nature. His work is driven by a commitment to mobilising the resources needed to address the biodiversity crisis at scale.

Michael Hacking

Director
Michael’s love of Africa permeates his business and philanthropic activities. In 1998, Michael founded Mocoh, a leading African trading company reputed for its integrity and focus on empowering partnerships.
Michael established the mc2h foundation in 2017, with a mission to boost literacy in West Africa. Collaboration with local partners enables primary-aged children in remote and often underserved communities to gain literacy skills.
AWE represents the continuation of Michael’s lifelong passion for Africa and his desire to invest in impact initiatives across the continent.
Chido Munyati

Chido Munyati

Strategic Advisor
Chido Munyati is Director for Africa at the World Economic Forum, where he leads the regional agenda and fosters public-private cooperation. A qualified attorney admitted in New York, Chido previously practiced law at Swiss firm Froriep and worked at the UN International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He is a graduate of Hofstra Law School, where he received a full academic scholarship. A 2017 Global Leadership Fellow, he was named among the “Top 100 Under 40 Most Influential People of African Descent” in 2023.

Sue Phillips

Strategic Advisor

With three decades in international media, Sue has held senior roles at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and Al Jazeera, where she built and led global news bureaux. She has since applied her communications expertise to African conservation, working with the African Wildlife Foundation and co-founding Wildlife Workshop, a conservation journalism training programme for journalists in Tanzania and Kenya. Sue is a Patron of the Borneo Nature Foundation and serves on the boards of News-Decoder and the Frontline Club. 

Gregor Pipan

Conservation Finance Advisor

Gregor is a native of Slovenia, where he grew up and developed a lifelong passion for nature and the outdoors on the edge of the Triglav National Park in the Julian Alps.  His fascination with African landscapes and wildlife has led him to merge his two-decades-long career in finance and investment management with nature conservation and restoration. In recent years, he has been involved with numerous initiatives and projects that introduce nature topics into financial frameworks, strategies, and financial mechanisms and instruments.

Dr Niall McCann

Executive Director, Head of Conservation & Communications

Niall first visited Africa as a teenager and has dedicated much of his professional life to conservation in the Zambezi Valley. After completing his PhD, he transitioned to frontline conservation, establishing projects on three continents with a particular focus on protected area management and restoration. In recent years, he has become engaged in multiple projects at the nexus of innovative finance and conservation. In addition to his day-to-day work, Niall is a National Geographic Explorer, an award-winning wildlife TV presenter, lecturer, adventurer and Mountain Rescuer.

Blake Muil

Field Operations Manager

With over 30 years in conservation and tourism, Blake oversees daily field operations and logistics, ensuring smooth implementation across CCT’s Zimbabwean project area.

James Egremont-Lee

Country Director

With a 30-year history of work within the Zambezi Valley, James leads CCT’s conservation programming, applying deep regional experience to scalable, sustainable models for wild landscape protection.

Netsai Dube

Head of Accounts

Netsai leads CCT’s finance and administration in Zimbabwe, bringing over a decade of experience in financial strategy, systems management, and administrative oversight.

Simba Sandram

Community Manager

Simba ensures effective delivery of CCT’s programmes in communities, drawing on two decades of conservation experience, including service with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.

Christelle Pasques

Procurement Officer

Christelle manages supply chains, logistics, and supplier compliance for the Chewore Conservation Trust. Her administrative and operational oversight keeps CCT’s field projects running smoothly, underpinning conservation efforts in the Chewore South Safari Area.

Mark Griffiths

Chewore Conservation Trust Trustee

Mark is an ‘ecopreneur’ connecting sustainability and business to deliver financial, social, and environmental returns. He is the CEO and founder of COsolve, a venture builder and VC supporting decarbonisation ventures with capital, talent, and market access. His previous roles include leadership positions at Climate Impact Partners, WWF, and 2degrees, as well as founding and selling the sustainability advisory firm SecondNature. With experience spanning global corporates and start-ups — including roles at Dimension Data and Procter & Gamble — Mark also serves as a Trustee of Chewore Conservation Trust, advises several climate-tech ventures, and mentors for the CDL/Xprize Carbon Removal programme.

Nicholas Chinembiri

Head of Law Enforcement

With 22 years of experience in wildlife conservation, Nicholas heads law enforcement at Chewore Conservation Trust. He brings institutional knowledge to the complex work of balancing wildlife law with the realities of community pressure on natural resources. 

Simbai Mutematemi

Technology Officer

Simbai serves as the Technology Officer for the Chewore Conservation Trust, where he spearheads the use of spatial data and conservation technology to support frontline operations. He manages real-time intelligence platforms that deliver critical alerts, directly amplifying the safety and strategic impact of ecological research and anti-poaching teams.

Dwain Strydom

Project Manager

Dwain oversees the Chewore Conservation Trust’s organisational operations, financial management, infrastructure development, and strategic planning.  He has extensive experience in conservation operations, lodge management, logistics, and project implementation within remote wildlife areas across Southern Africa.

Nesia Mhaka

Community Liaison Officer

With over five years of experience in the conservation sector, Nesia works extensively with local communities, government stakeholders, and conservation partners to promote sustainable natural resource management, community engagement, and human-wildlife coexistence. 

Dr Paradzayi Tagwireyi

Conservation and Research Manager

Paradzayi leads CCT’s biodiversity datawork, applying his GIS and remote sensing expertise to strengthen nature-based solutions and robust credit methodologies in Zimbabwe. 

George Manyere

Chewore Conservation Trust Trustee

George is an entrepreneur and investment banker with significant experience in mergers & acquisitions deals in Zimbabwe and sub-Saharan Africa. George was previously an Investment Officer in Global Financial Markets with the International Finance Corporation, part of the World Bank Group. After IFC, George founded Brainworks Limited, the first Zimbabwean company to list on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. Among his various qualifications and achievements, George is an alumni of the Harvard Business School, he has successfully completed the Harvard Business School General Management Program, and he is a member of the London Stock Exchange Africa Advisory Group.

Ndanatsiwa Tagwireyi

Communications Lead

With over eight years of experience in the communications sector, Ndanatsiwa leads strategic communications at Awe for Nature Foundation, shaping the organisation’s narrative and amplifying conservation impact through storytelling.

Prince Chikwara

Research Officer

Prince supports the research team by collecting and analysing biodiversity data, using GIS and remote sensing to underpin nature credit calculations and monitoring.

Alistair Graham

Trustee/Director

Alistair is the Head of White Collar London and a Consultant in the Commercial Dispute and Resolution Practice in the London Office of Mayer Brown. With a background in financial services disputes, he has experience in white collar work advising both corporates and individuals directly. 

Patsy Shannon

Trustee

Patsy brings over 35 years of administrative experience supporting the growth of Africa-centric companies through a hands-on, solutions-focused approach, particularly in management control. She has a strong intuitive mindset that will be invaluable in advancing the AWE for Nature Foundation’s mission. For the past eight years, Patsy has also served as a director of the mc2h Foundation, an organisation dedicated to improving literacy across Africa.

William Stancer

Trustee

William is a private investor and involved with a number of advisory boards for universities and charities in the UK. He has a passion for conservation and sustainability which reaches from the Polar regions (Scott Polar Research Institute) through to this remarkable land holding in the Zambezi River basin – Chewore South.