Dr Hanneline Smit-Robinson serves as the Head of Conservation at BirdLife South Africa, where she oversees the organisation’s diverse Conservation Division. Her leadership spans critical programmes focused on seabird, landbird, and habitat conservation, along with policy and advocacy work, regional collaboration with BirdLife partners across Africa, and initiatives in community conservation and avitourism. Hanneline holds a PhD in Molecular Zoology from Stellenbosch University and completed postdoctoral research at the University of California, Berkeley. In 2008, she was honoured as the African laureate of the prestigious L’Oréal UNESCO For Women in Science Award. In addition to her role at BirdLife South Africa, she currently chairs the IUCN South Africa National Committee, further contributing to conservation policy and action at a national level.