James P. Leape
Director General, WWF International
James P. Leape joined WWF International as Director General in December 2005.
Mr Leape has worked in nature conservation for more than 25 years. He began his career as an environmental lawyer, working on environmental protection cases in the United States, advising the United Nations Environment Programme, (UNEP) and co-authoring a text on environmental law.
He joined WWF-US in 1989 and for ten years directed its worldwide conservation programmes, serving as Executive Vice President. From 2001-2005, Mr Leape directed the conservation and science initiatives of the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, one of the largest conservation funders in the world.