Vantara on Friday announced the full membership of its newly established Governing Council, which will oversee the organisation’s conservation, animal rescue, rehabilitation and compliance activities, while helping shape its vision for the next five years and beyond.
The five-member Council, along with one ex officio member, brings together expertise in wildlife policy, law, institutional governance, wildlife crime, human-wildlife conflict, zoo and aquarium standards, veterinary care, stakeholder engagement and community-based conservation.
John E. Scanlon AO, an environmentalist and former Secretary-General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), will serve as the independent Chair. His appointment was announced in August 2026.
The other members are Krishna Murari, former Judge of the Supreme Court of India and former Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Craig Hoover, Executive Vice President of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA); Subhash K. Malkhede, a senior Indian Forest Service officer and former Chief Wildlife Warden of Karnataka; and Greta F. Iori, a conservation expert with experience in wildlife crime, human-wildlife coexistence, women’s leadership and community-based conservation across Africa.
Hoover will begin his term in January 2027 after completing his tenure with AZA.
Kushal Konwar Sarma, an Indian wildlife veterinarian and elephant specialist, will serve as an ex officio, non-voting member. He previously served as Professor and Head of the Department of Surgery and Radiology at the College of Veterinary Science in Guwahati.
According to Vantara, all Council members will serve in an independent personal capacity, and Vantara employees will not be eligible to serve as voting members.
John Scanlon, Chair of the Governing Council, said the Council would play a central role in shaping Vantara’s future vision and ensuring that recently announced reforms are incorporated into its day-to-day operations.
He said the appointments bring together individuals with strong professional credentials, extensive experience and credibility in wildlife conservation, with expertise from India and across the world.
Vantara CEO Vivaan Karani welcomed the Council members and said the body would play a key role in setting the organisation’s future direction and ensuring that Vantara operates according to the highest standards of science-led conservation.
Karani said the Council’s independent authority would be central to implementing commitments made by Vantara in its recent letter to the Indian CITES Management Authority and ensuring that decisions are subject to rigorous and independent oversight.
The Governing Council will serve as Vantara’s highest governing body. It will supervise conservation, rescue and rehabilitation activities, compliance with Indian law, CITES requirements and other international agreements, while also helping establish the organisation’s long-term vision.
As part of its recently announced governance reforms, Vantara said it will not submit any application to import an animal before June 5, 2027. Thereafter, additional commitments restricting applications in certain circumstances will apply, and no application can be advanced without the Council’s prior written approval following an internal due diligence process.
Vantara said the creation of the Governing Council forms part of its voluntary efforts to strengthen transparency, comply with CITES requirements and prioritise conservation in India.
The Council will also review progress on the commitments outlined in Vantara’s August 19, 2026, letter to the Indian CITES Management Authority and monitor their implementation.
The Governing Council will be supported by a new CITES Due Diligence Committee, the Advisory Board, the Special Director and the Office of Compliance and Due Diligence.
