About the Founder

Jere Hietala is a Finnish preparedness and security professional whose work combines international field experience, environmental awareness and public engagement.

His background includes work in preparedness, private security and demanding field environments, together with long-standing involvement in conservation-related projects, documentary storytelling and public discussion surrounding wildlife crime, environmental security and responsible preparedness.

Through APAF Finland, Hietala focuses on raising awareness about wildlife conservation, illegal wildlife trade and the broader environmental and societal challenges connected to wildlife crime. His work emphasizes education, responsible engagement and long-term conservation values supported through media, field experience and international cooperation.

In addition to conservation awareness, Hietala has contributed to public discussion in Finland regarding preparedness, resilience and environmental responsibility through media appearances, educational initiatives and collaborative projects.

APAF Finland was founded to help bridge conservation awareness, preparedness and field experience in a way that encourages informed discussion, responsible outdoor culture and long-term environmental responsibility for future generations.

Media

Advisor Board

Damien Mander

Environmentalist. Founder and CEO of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (Akashinga). 

40 year old Australian born and Zimbabwean based Damien is an Iraq war veteran who served as a Naval clearance diver and special operations sniper for the Australian Defense Force. In 2009 while travelling through Africa, he was inspired by the work of rangers and the plight of wildlife. Liquidating his life savings, the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF) was established to be the last line of defence for nature. Over the past decade the IAPF has scaled to train and support rangers which now help protect over 20 million acres of African wilderness. 

In 2017 Damien founded ‘Akashinga - Nature Protected by Women’, an IAPF program that has already grown to over 240 employees with 7 nature reserves in the portfolio. They are the only group of nature reserves in the world to be protected by women. Their goal is to employ 1000 women by 2025, protecting a network of 20 nature reserves, all managed by the IAPF. 

Damien is also the co-founder of LEAD Ranger, an innovative and prestigious training program in Kenya whose clients include some of the most renowned conservation organisations in southern and East Africa.

He is the winner of the 2019 Winsome Constance Kindness Gold Medal, a prestigious international recognition for services to animals and humanity. Past recipients include Sir David Attenborough and Dr Jane Goodall.

He was featured in the newly released documentary The Game Changers from 6-time Oscar winning Director James Cameron, and has now released another documentary with James Cameron and National Geographic about his work with the women of Akashinga – “The Brave One’s”.

His TEDx talk at the Sydney Oprah House has been seen over 7 million times and translated into 27 languages. He is a resident on the National Geographic Live Speakers Bureau, has spoken at the United Nations, Harvard University, featured in June 2019’s National Geographic Magazine, three times on 60 Minutes and recognised by the Dutch Government as a Gender Champion for 2019