"I'd describe myself as a skilled communicator, senior management executive and policy strategist with experience across two dozen charitable ventures. At age 18, my perspective is uniquely idealistic and I bring my values into everything I do. I'm a free spirit, a thought leader and storyteller aiming to reconnect the family tree of life."

"Ultimately, my path has been shaped by the animals around me. Age 10, I was stalked by a leopard in Botswana. The incident was reported, leading to the relocation or more likely shooting of the offending creature. The mixture of relief and guilt I felt from the incident continues to drive me forward. Likewise, I had a pet stick insect Ochre for a period of 18 months. I'd previously raised assassin bugs, fig tree leaf beetles and other critters, but Ochre connected with me more deeply. She taught me how thin the barriers between humans and other animals are. So now I've set about dismantling them piece by piece. That's my mission."