Hugues is a conservation professional from Benin with 20 years of cumulative experience in conservation project management and leadership positions in Africa. He started his career as a ranger in Benin and worked in various capacities in research laboratories, Government, national and international NGOs throughout Africa. He combines that passion for conservation with professional experiences including the coordination of M&E, project management, engagement with key funders, coaching, mentoring, etc. He is an Obama Leadership Program fellow and holds recently an MBA in Conservation Leadership and a MSc in Project Management. Hugues has led and contributed to the implementation of more than 25 conservation programs and initiatives across the continent. He believes that nature is the basis of life and, his vision is to build a new generation of inspired African leaders who are innovatively shaping conservation in Africa. He joined the African Parks team in 2018 and led the institutional funding portfolio until 2021 before moving to the operations team as the General manager of the WAP complex and Country representative in Benin. Since May 2023, he was promoted to the role of Regional Operations Manager for the West Africa.