WWF International announces Wolfson Scholar as new President

Dr Adil Najam has been named President of the World Wildlife Federation (WWF International), one of the largest and most respected environment and conservation organizations in the world. Active in nearly 100 countries, the WWF International works to sustain the natural world for the benefit of people and wildlife.  

Dr Najam is a leading scholar whose teaching, research and public engagement focuses on issues of global public policy, especially those related to conservation and environment, sustainable and human development, and climate change in the Global South. 

He replaces outgoing President ad interim Neville Isdell, who steps down at the beginning of July after serving 13 months while the search for a permanent candidate was undertaken. Dr Najam will begin his new role as President on 1 July 2023. 

On the announcement of his new role Dr Najam commented: “I am greatly humbled to be invited to become the next President of WWF at a time when its long-standing mission of working to heal and sustain the natural world and its life-supporting systems has become more urgent than ever. I am deeply honored to be able to work again with dedicated ‘pandas’ all across the world – members, partners, experts, and colleagues – whose dedication and commitment to creating a just, fair and sustainable planet for all its people and for nature has always been a source of great inspiration for me.” 

Dr Najam was the inaugural dean (2014-2022) of Boston University’s Pardee School of Global Studies and is now Dean Emeritus and Professor of International Relations and Earth and the Environment. 

Last year Dr Najam visited Wolfson to deliver our annual Sarfraz Pakistan Lecture entitled “Age of Adaptation: Climate Change as Viewed from Pakistan”. You can watch it on our YouTube Channel here.