Kristen Walker Painemilla is Senior Vice President of Inclusive Finance at Conservation International. She leads global strategies to scale direct access finance for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, advancing rights-based, community-led conservation. Kristen has over two decades of experience integrating human rights, governance, and finance into conservation, and serves as Chair of IUCN’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP). She is recognized for her leadership in shaping global conservation policy to uphold the rights and roles of Indigenous Peoples and strengthen equity across the conservation sector.