This blog provides an informal portal to better understand how leaders of conservation can achieve higher levels of success for their projects and organisations: improving the situation for species and ecosystems of concern.
Simon Black runs the MSc in Conservation Project Management within the School of Anthropology & Conservation. He is also Visiting Lecturer for the Durrell Conservation Academy at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Jersey. He currently runs professional workshops and supports conservation project management, zoo management and research in Europe, the Middle East, North and East Africa, South Asia, and the islands of the Indian Ocean.
Simon has held senior roles in the commercial, industrial and educational sectors in the UK and overseas. He has also led management development programmes over many years in business, higher education, third sector NGOs and the public sector. He has worked in the USA, France, Spain, Belgium and Sweden. As an HR professional he has been involved in business planning, workforce planning, talent management and business improvement. He has facilitated events large and small, supporting team development in operational teams, academic schools and business units, as well facilitating large conferences. Within the conservation sector he has supported organisational improvement in projects in the UK, USA, India, United Arab Emirates, Madagascar, Comoros and Mauritius.
Simon holds an MSc in Conservation Biology and a PhD in Management. He regularly publishes research in international journals as well as contributing regularly to several blogs on management, leadership and change. He has particular interest in effective leadership, interpersonal skills, organisation assessment, change management, performance measurement, continuous improvement and the impact of improved management on conservation success.