Members of the Council

Chairperson: Dr. Malan Lindeque

Dr. Lindeque serves as the Chairperson of the Council and was re-appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Tourism in 2015, having also served in that portfolio from 2003-2007. He had been the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Trade and Industry from 2007-2015. He previously worked as Chief of the Scientific Coordination Unit, Secretariat of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), United Nations Environment Programme, (1999 to 2003); Deputy Director for Specialist Support Services, Ministry of Environment and Tourism (1994-1999) and Chief Ecologist, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, and Head of the Etosha Ecological Institute, Etosha National Park (1988-1994). He has extensive working knowledge and experience in international trade, industrial development, domestic market development, investment facilitation, natural resource management, biodiversity conservation, wildlife trade and the sustainable use of wildlife resources and developing and managing protected areas, biological research and monitoring.

Deputy Chairperson: Ms. Martha Talamondjila Naanda

Ms. Naanda was elected as the Deputy Chairperson of the Council during its first meeting. She worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Namibia for more than 10 years, leading development activities in the fields of climate change adaptation; renewable energy; protected areas; sustainable land management; international and transboundary water management; and capacity development. Prior to UNDP, she had five years as a researcher with the University of Namibia. Ms. Naanda holds a Masters Degree from the University College London, United Kingdom, with specialisation in environment and sustainable development. She also has a BSc, majoring in Botany, Zoology, and Psychology. In 2014, she joined the Department of Environmental Sciences at the University of Basel, Switzerland, as a Research Fellow for 2014-2015, and is a PhD candidate at the same institution since August 2014.

Council Member: Dr. Chris Brown

Dr. Brown serves as the Executive Director of Sustainable Solutions Trust and is also a Director of the Gondwana Collection, Namibia. He has also previously served as the Executive Director of the Namibia Nature Foundation for 12 years and as the Director of Environmental Affairs for 6 years. With a PhD in Zoology and over 30 years experience in research and a wide variety of fields linked to environmental management in the SADC region, Dr. Brown is one of Namibia’s foremost experts on environmental issues.

Council Member: Ms. Annely Haiphene

Ms. Haiphene is currently the Deputy Chief National Development Advisor in the Department of Regional and Sectoral Planning and Policy Coordination at the National Planning Commission. She has worked for the previous 19 years with both the National Planning Commission and Ministry of Finance. In 2006, she completed her Masters Degree in Public Policy and Administration from the University of Namibia and the Netherlands Institute of Social Studies.

Council Member: Dr. Michael Humavindu

Dr. Humavindu is the Assistant Secretary of Research and Development at the Namibian Competition Commission. As former head of research at the Development Bank of Namibia, he established and managed the research department of the bank. His core areas of experience include environmental economics and natural resource economics; economic research and analysis; strategic planning; and policy development and implementation. Dr. Humavindu has a PhD in Economics, as well as a MSc in Finance and Investments and a MA in Economics.

Council Member: Mr. Sioni Iikela

Mr. Iikela has served as SWAPO Party Youth League Secretary for Health, Population and Environment since 2012, and is a member of the SWAPO Youth League National Executive Committee and Central Committee. Mr. Iikela is a Founding Director of Namibia Environmental Protection, which supports conservation, sustainable development and the wise utilization of natural resources. His professional experience also covers research in marine resources and the management of communal conservancies. Mr. Iikela possesses a Bachelor of Technology in Nature Conservation and is currently undertaking a Masters in Integrated Water Resources Management at the Polytechnic of Namibia.

Council Member: Ms. Sophie Kasheeta

Ms. Kasheeta was appointed as a member of the Council in July 2015. She is the Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry.

Council Member: Dr. Gabriele Schneider

Dr. Schneider joined the Geological Survey of Namibia in 1985, and served as the Director of Mines in 1995, before being appointed Director of the Geological Survey of Namibia in 1996. Her professional experience covers economic and exploration geology, mineralogy and geochemistry as well as management and administration. Dr. Schneider graduated in 1980 with a Master of Science in Economic Geology, and obtained her PhD in 1984.

Environmental Commissioner: Mr. Teofilus Nghitila

As the Environmental Commissioner, Mr. Nghitila is an ex-officio member of the Council. Mr. Nghitila served as the Director of Environmental Affairs from 2002-2012. His core areas of experience are natural resource management; environmental policy and legislation development; environmental assessments; strategic analysis and land use planning. He holds a MBA in Strategic Planning; Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Infrastructure; and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Geography.