Jim Leape
WWF International
Director General
Jim Leape graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Law School and began his career as an environmental lawyer – bringing environmental protection cases in the United States, advising the United Nations Environment Programme in Nairobi, Kenya, and co-authoring the leading American text on environmental law. Mr. Leape first joined WWF in the US in 1989, and for 10 years led their conservation programmes around the world, serving as Executive Vice President. In that role, he helped shape the global strategy of the WWF and represented WWF in many international fora. From 2001 to 2005, he directed the conservation and science initiatives of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, one of the largest philanthropies in the US.