About Salisha Chandra

Salisha works at the intersection of community-led conservation, organisational development and systems change, with over a decade of experience across Africa. She is Director of Strategic Initiatives at Maliasili, a Director at Lion Guardians, and Co-Founder of Kenyans United Against Poaching.

Born and raised in Kenya, her work is grounded in a deep commitment to both cultural and ecological conservation. Her journey into the sector has been anything but linear – beginning in finance on Wall Street, moving through strategy consulting and entrepreneurship across industries ranging from manufacturing to tourism, before finding her way into conservation. This diverse background continues to shape how she approaches complexity, problem-solving, and systems change.

She has worked closely with communities, civil society organisations, and conservation networks across East, West, and Central Africa, and brings a grounded understanding of how conservation unfolds in practice. She is particularly interested in how conservation can better reflect local knowledge, relationships, and values, while also pushing for more creative and systemic approaches to long-term impact.

Salisha is a member of the African Conservation Leadership Network and a Kinship Conservation Fellow. She holds an MBA from London Business School and an MPhil in Conservation Leadership from the University of Cambridge.