Simone Haysom
Director of Environmental Crime, Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime
Director of the Center for Security and Sustainability and Assistant Professor of Globalization Studies and Humanitarian Action, University of Groningen
Timothy is a scientist and environmentalist with a professional background in intelligence, risk management and compliance, and targeting illicit networks. He is currently director of the Center for Security and Sustainability, and Assistant Professor of Globalization Studies and Humanitarian Action at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He also serves as the Chief Analyst for the United for Wildlife International Taskforce on the Transportation of Illegal Wildlife Products. Prior to this, his career has spanned both research and practice. Until 2016, he was based in Africa heading up counter wildlife trafficking initiatives for the Wildlife Conservation Society, and previously worked in the field for the US Defense Department on African / Indian Ocean region security and threat finance issues. As an expert practitioner, Timothy has worked extensively with leaders of global companies and major public sector and civil society organizations to create cost-effective knowledge-driven solutions to complex challenges, in particular relating to:
As an academic and scientist, he has previously held research and academic faculty appointments at Johns Hopkins University (Applied Physics Laboratory), the George C. Marshall Center, US National Defense University, the University of Amsterdam, and the University of St Andrews. His academic research focuses on documenting the key historical and socio-political drivers of some of today’s most important and complicated transnational questions, including transnational organized crime, illicit trade and finance, and the exact role public and private sector professionals can play in protecting the environment.