Board of Trustees
In 2008, we were created by a group of passionate, like-minded people who believed more needed to be done to conserve wildlife in the region surrounding Victoria Falls. Our Board of Trustees are based all across the world, and each member volunteers their time to ensure that The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust achieves what we set out to do.

Bruno DeLeo
Chairman of the BoardBruno De Leo has been a Trustee of the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust since it was formed and currently serves as Chairman of the Board. Bruno was brought up in Zambia and schooled in Johannesburg, South Africa. After completing his Business Management diploma, Bruno moved to Chobe, Botswana where he started his career in the tourism industry and eventually moved to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Bruno has a genuine passion for wildlife and the environment and is totally committed to supporting the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust achieve it’s objectives and play an integral role in the conservation of wildlife in the region.

Barbara Murasiranwa
TreasurerBarbara Murasiranwa is a local Zimbabwean lady who is an accomplished Chartered accountant. She holds various accounting and other qualifications and her experience in these fields spans for over 30 years. Barbara is currently the Business Development and Corporate Affairs Director for Wild Horizons – A leading Tour Operating and Ground Handling Company in Victoria Falls and the Region. As an active member of the Victoria Falls community, Barbara kindly volunteers her time with Rotary International where she has held various strategic posts and received numerous and significant awards in her roles in assisting humanity. Barbara has been involved in tourism in the region for the past 22 years where she has held positions like Financial Director and Managing Director for 16 years during highly turbulent and harsh economic conditions. She owns and runs her own Company- Vimbiso Safaris and Tours. In addition to Rotary, Barbara kindly volunteers her time as a Board member with Victoria Falls Primary School (currently the Board Treasurer), and the Zimbabwe Council for Tourism (now Tourism Business Council of Zimbabwe) as a regional representative and Spokesperson. Barbara is a passionate minister of religion and a very active conservationist, supporting various anti-poaching initiatives. She has held positions and has been instrumental in the following organizations before: – Chairperson of Victoria Falls Women in Business; – Counselor and advisor of the Zimbabwe Parents of the Handicapped Children Association VF; – Sat on the Victoria Falls Mayor’s advisory Board; – Chairperson and Treasurer for Zimbabwe Women in Tourism; – Local Organising Committee for the 2013 UNWTO.

Shane White
Shane was born in Zimbabwe in 1968, and was raised in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Having been brought up by parents that were involved in the safari industry Shane always had a love for nature and it was a natural progression for him to join the family safari business when leaving school.
Shane immediately enrolled as an apprentice guide under the tutelage of Professional Guide Gavin Best. Shane passed his Full guides license in 1991, being one of the youngest qualified guides on the circuit at the time.
Shane worked as a manager and professional guide at Imbabala safari lodge for 3 years before taking over the company’s mobile safari operation. Shane managed this for 6 years leading mobile camping and walking safaris in the Hwange and Kazuma National Parks.
Soon after the arrival of his second child Shane took up the role of Marketing Director at Wild Horizons, allowing him more time at home to spend with the family. He has held this position for the last 15 years. Over this time Wild Horizons has grown from a relatively small family run safari business to one of the leading tourism business in Zimbabwe.

Craig White
Craig Ward White was born in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe in 1963, and attended Baobab Primary School in Victoria Falls. He then went on to Gifford High School in Bulawayo for secondary education, after which he attended the Zimbabwe Polytech College, studying Civil Engineering. Craig qualified as a Civil Engineering Technician in 1982 and went on to work for the Zimbabwe Government in the department of Water Development, designing & building dams in Zimbabwe’s rural areas. In 1984 Craig moved to Botswana to work for a safari company in the Okavango Delta as a Safari Guide, fulfilling a life-long ambition of a career in Wildlife.
In 1987 Craig moved back to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, to start a safari company known as Wild Horizons, with his father, Ron White. Together they built their first Safari Camp known as Imbabala which opened its doors in 1989. Craig qualified as a Professional Safari Guide 4 years later, and together with his brother Shane and brother-in-law Gavin, started overland safaris throughout north-western Zimbabwe. In 1991 Craig together with his father Ron, built Jijima Safari Camp near Hwange National Park, and shortly thereafter went on to build The Elephant Camp in Victoria Falls. The latest addition to the Wild Horizons portfolio of lodges has been The Old Drift Lodge, built in 2018, within the Zambezi National Park at Victoria Falls.
Throughout the years involved in the Safari industry in Zimbabwe, Craig’s passion for wildlife and wild places has remained, with conservation and sustainability at the forefront. His engineering background has enabled the company to remain at the pinnacle of lodge design and management, whilst still maintaining the ethos of sustainable and eco-friendly tourism

Simon Rowlands
Simon is a founding partner of Cinven, one of Europe’s largest private equity firms, with offices in London, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan and Hong Kong. Prior to joining Cinven, Simon worked with an international consulting firm on multi-disciplinary engineering projects in the UK and Southern Africa. Simon lived in Zimbabwe for 2.5 years and whilst doing so observed the pressures and challenges that exist at the interface of wildlife and ever growing human populous. Simon has an MBA, a BSc in Engineering and is a chartered engineer.

Bronwyn Young
Bronwyn is a commercial attorney and moved from South Africa to Zimbabwe to join her husband in a new career venture. Bronwyn has a deep love for Africa, its wildlife and the conservation thereof and is committed to using her skills and experience as an attorney, to assist in the furtherance of the objectives and vision of not only the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust but conservation in general in sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr. Russell Taylor
Dr Russell Taylor has over 40 years African conservation experience in Government, NGO and Private sectors, including applied research, management and fundraising. In previous years he focused on the development of conservation programmes and implementation of community based natural resource management projects, including their strategic planning and development. One year was spent developing models for linking philanthropic investments to deserving social, economic and environmental projects.
Dr Taylor worked regionally as the Conservation Director for WWF Southern Africa Regional Programme Office 2001-2008 and more recently as WWF’s KAZA TFCA Senior Conservation Planning Advisor 2011-2022. He has held senior positions in leadership, management and administration and has undertaken a wide range of wildlife management and conservation-related consultancies. He has sat on numerous boards, trusts and committees.
A farmer’s son raised in the Zimbabwean bush, Russell has striven to forge links between conservation and conventional agriculture, inspired by what wildlife-based land use can contribute to development processes.

Skinner (Vodla Wezinanga) Ndlovu
Born on September 17, 1970, in Sizinda Village, Hwange District, Skinner Ndlovu’s early fascination with wildlife began when he caught a nearly 2-meter black mamba at the age of four. This passion led him to become an expert in handling problem snakes in his community. He completed his education at Chidobe Primary and Ndlovu Secondary School, and furthered his studies in Salesmanship and Bookkeeping at Speciss College in Bulawayo. Additionally, he is a qualified Ambulance Crew Person and Swift Water Technician.
Skinner started his career as a rafting guide with Mosi-oa-tunya, quickly rising to Operations Manager at Safari Par Excellence, and later becoming Activities Manager at Wild Horizons from 2006 to 2020. He became the first person to raft the entire gorge of the Kafue River in Zambia and represented Zimbabwe in international rafting competitions. His leadership as Chairman of the Rafting Association ensured high safety standards in the industry, and he led rescue missions during crises, such as the cyclone in Chipinge.
In 2020, Skinner retired from Wild Horizons to become Headman of Chidobe Ward 2, a role passed down through his family. Married with four children, he remains dedicated to community service and resolving local issues. Known for his incredible wildlife encounters, including surviving an Egyptian cobra bite, deterring a bull elephant, and escaping a python’s grip, Skinner’s remarkable experiences have made him a respected figure in his community and beyond.
UK Board of Trustees
The role of the UK Board of Trustees, as well as seeking donations, is to collaborate with the Zimbabwe Board to oversee the financial governance of funds donated from the UK. Their focus is on providing oversight of transparency, accountability, and compliance with regulations, ensuring effective financial management of donations.
Comprised of dedicated individuals with diverse expertise and a deep understanding of Zimbabwe, they work closely with the Zimbabwe Board to implement the Trust’s mission, programs, and initiatives at the local level.
While not responsible for overall strategy development, their valuable insights and expertise contribute to shaping the organization’s initiatives, which reflect the unique wonders of Victoria Falls and the surrounding KAZA region.

Andrew Weir
ChairpersonAndrew Weir started his career over 30 years ago at Saatchi & Saatchi in London then, following a short three year posting in Hong Kong in 2001, he returned to the London HQ of the Publicis Media – a global communications consulting and investment agency. He currently has a leadership role at Publicis working with blue chip global clients; on strategy, creativity and new ways of working a new communications world driven by changes in technology, digital and data.

Val Swanson
SecretaryRetired from a long and varied career working with charities and running small businesses, Val is now a voluntary teaching assistant and Governor at a primary school in Gloucestershire. She is passionate about conservation , joined the Board of Trustees in 2016 and visits Victoria Falls several times a year keeping in touch with the team on the ground.

Graeme Dacomb
TreasurerGraeme was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and grew up in the South East Lowveld on a sugar farm – spending frequent holidays in Gonarezhou National Park where he developed his love of wildlife. After completing a degree in Accountancy at the University of Cape Town, he joined Ernst & Young, spending 4 years with them in Cape Town before moving to Los Angeles for 2 years. Graeme moved to EY in London in 1988 and retired in 2018. He has an interest in two boutique hotels in Victoria Falls and visits Zimbabwe frequently. He joined the UK Board of the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust in 2017 and currently serves as the Finance Trustee.

Barry Hemans
Barry Hemans was born and brought up in Zimbabwe, before going to university in South Africa, where he graduated as a Chemical Engineer. Barry worked for 37 years in the chemical industry, starting off in South Africa and then in the UK for most of his career, apart from a 5-year assignment in China. Barry travelled extensively on business, mostly in commercial roles – sales, marketing, product management, business management, and strategy. He retired in 2021 with a view to getting involved in conservation and humanitarian causes in his homeland.

James Murray
James Murray has over twenty years’ experience supporting international conservation and development projects across sub-saharan Africa and Southern Asia. His career started as a Chimpanzee Research Assistant working for Jane Goodall in Gombe National Park, Tanzania and his international experience is mainly focused on fragile states and during complex emergencies. He now works as an advisor supporting development programme design and funding.

Helen Buckworth
Our Team
Our team of dedicated staff work full-time at our operational base in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.