Julian Fennessy is the Director of Conservation and Co-Founder of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, as well as an Associate Adjunct Professor at University College Dublin, and he coordinates giraffe conservation efforts across all of the African continent. He has over 25 years of experience in species and habitat ecology, conservation, and land management throughout the African continent, as well as in Australia. His experience in giraffe conservation ranges from individual field projects, the supervision of students, and population- and country-wide assessments, to being an expert advisor on national and regional conservation strategies and action plans. He has conducted conservation expeditions across all regions of the African continent and worked with all giraffe species. He co-founded the IUCN SSC Giraffe & Okapi Specialist Group and was the Co-Chair for the first 12 years. He holds a PhD in Biological Science from the University of Sydney, Australia, based on his initial work in Namibia—the ecology of the desert-dwelling giraffe in Namibia’s northwest. His diverse skill base provides a solid science and conservation foundation from which GCF can grow.