VANTARA APPOINTS FORMER CITES SECRETARY-GENERAL JOHN E SCANLON AO AS INDEPENDENT CHAIR OF GOVERNING COUNCIL

 Mr Scanlon has been appointed as independent Chair of Vantara's newly established Governing Council, its peak governing body

 

Jamnagar (Gujarat), 20^th August 2026: Vantara is pleased to announce that John E. Scanlon AO has accepted its invitation to serve as the inaugural Chair of its newly established five-member Governing Council. The Council has overall responsibility for overseeing Vantara's conservation, care and rehabilitation, and compliance activities, including final authority over every decision to acquire an animal.

 

“Vantara has sought, obtained, and acted upon external advice as it takes bold steps to reset its operations. In making this reset, it has decided to voluntarily strengthen its internal due diligence governance, expertise and processes, and to pivot from ex situ rescue towards providing in situ support to countries, including in India,” said Mr. Scanlon.

 

“As Vantara grows and embeds these changes into its daily operations, it will have an ever-increasing global influence on advancing animal welfare, wildlife conservation and harmonious co-existence. I look forward to helping Vantara deliver on its reset and to making a lasting, transformative impact,” added Mr. Scanlon.

 

Mr Scanlon brings vast experience and expertise to Vantara, having worked across every continent and sector in the fields of environment protection, nature conservation and sustainable development. A lawyer by training, he has held senior leadership positions across the private sector, government, the United Nations, international institutions, and not-for-profit organisations, and is globally recognised for his strategic foresight and ability to deliver transformative, real-world action.

 

Mr. Scanlon was first approached by Vantara in April of this year, when he was asked if he would provide an independent report upon Vantara, together with a set of recommendations. He was engaged upon terms that ensured his complete independence from Vantara and, following several extensive visits, he submitted an independent report and recommendations. Vantara undertook to implement his recommendations in full, and he was thereafter requested to take on further roles, in an independent capacity, to assist Vantara with the implementation of these recommendations and to provide guidance and support more generally.

 

Mr. Scanlon has been engaged as an independent advisor to fulfil his responsibilities as Chair of the Governing Council.

 

In 2019, Mr. Scanlon was awarded the prestigious Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to wildlife conservation and protection through roles with international organizations. He has also been awarded the Adelaide University Distinguished Alumni Award, the esteemed Chinese Government Friendship Award, the Financial Crime Fighter of the Year Award, and the UNEP Baobab Award for Innovation.

 

Mr Scanlon’s past and present roles include: Secretary General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Geneva); Principal Policy Advisor, UN Environment Programme (Nairobi); Director, Environmental Law Centre, International Union for the Conservation of Nature-IUCN (Bonn); Trustee, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew (London); Chair, Global Initiative to End Wildlife Crime (Hong Kong); Chair, UK Government Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund Advisory Group (London); Executive President, International Council of Environmental Law (Madrid); Strategic Advisor, World Commission on Dams (Cape Town); CEO, Department for Environment, Heritage and Aboriginal Affairs (Adelaide); Chair, Environment Protection Authority (Sydney); Commissioner, Murray Darling Basin Commission (Canberra); and Member, Steering Committee, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law.   

 

For more on Mr Scanlon see his LinkedIn profile here: https://ch.linkedin.com/in/johnescanlonao

 

About Vantara:

Vantara, founded by Shri Anant Ambani, Executive Director of Reliance Industries Limited, is an animal welfare and conservation organisation.

 

Its ex situ programmes (care provided outside the natural habitat) include rescue, rehabilitation, treatment and long-term animal care (where required), supported by advanced veterinary medicine, species-specific nutrition, specialised infrastructure and multidisciplinary teams. Conservation breeding programmes are also undertaken to support the future restoration of viable populations in suitable natural habitats through rewilding.

 

Its in situ conservation work (conservation in animals’ natural habitats) supports native species restoration, habitat restoration and human-wildlife conflict mitigation efforts led by government authorities, conservation institutions and other partners in India and internationally.