Zaan Olivier

Zaan has always been a ‘thalassophile’—someone who is deeply drawn to and loves the ocean. She spent a large part of her childhood alongside the ocean in South Africa. Collecting plastics and cleaning up the beach always seemed like a natural thing to do. Later, while completing her master’s thesis on coastal resource management by fishing communities in the Philippines, Zaan learned more about the intricate balance between coastal communities and the marine resources on which they depend—and how easily this balance can be disturbed if people change their behaviour. On a small island in the Philippines, Zaan volunteered to educate children on the importance of taking care of the coral reef and worked with fishers on developing models for sustainable tourist activities.  

Zaan worked for several years as programme and regional manager for an international NGO that specialises in building strong and resilient local economies and innovative green finance mechanisms.   

Since September 2022, she has worked for IFAW. She first worked on the re:solve project—putting her energy into piloting new methods for safeguarding the ocean’s biodiversity and ecosystems. In April 2024, Zaan became Programme Manager for IFAW in the Netherlands. She is responsible for the implementation of IFAW’s global programmatic strategies, with a focus on marine conservation and combatting wildlife crime. Zaan enjoys finding mutually beneficial solutions through negotiation and mediation. She focuses on collaborative approaches to help different stakeholders reach win-win agreements. On the weekends, Zaan goes to the sea, looking for beautiful waves to surf—come sunshine, rain, or storm.