Before joining Rare, Sean was the Manager of the Equator Initiative, a UNDP partnership program focused on supporting community initiatives that reduce poverty through the conservation and wise use of their biological resources.  Since 2002, Sean created and nurtured the partnership to encompass the Governments of Canada, Germany and Norway, Conservation International, the Convention on Biological Diversity; Fordham University, the International Development Research Center (IDRC), IUCN, the Nature Conservancy, the Television Trust for the Environment, Rare, and the United Nations Foundation.

At the grassroots level the Equator Initiative and its partners sponsor capacity development initiatives work to promote successful local initiatives that are helping conserve biodiversity while reducing poverty. Sharing these local initiatives and lessons learned with national, regional and global policy specialists, the Initiative works to create new policy regimes to promote local and community action.

Sean brings comprehensive experience with environmental governance issues, environmental management, biodiversity conservation and partnership building experience to his work.  He holds a Masters in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science. He has held positions as Development Worker with the Aga Khan Rural Support Programme in India; Economist and later Policy Advisor with the Ontario Ministry of Environment and Energy in Canada; Environment Programme Officer with UNDP in Malawi; Environmental Specialist with UNDP’s flagship sustainable development program – Capacity 21; and, Secretary General of ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.