Our Team
Tech 4 Conservation is built on transparent governance and the collective expertise of our diverse team which is united behind our mission to protect wildlife through innovative technology. Our collaborative approach fosters trust, ensures ethical conduct, and drives meaningful conservation impact through the combined strengths of our dedicated community.
Leadership
Maureen Reilly
President & Director
As co-founder of T4C, Maureen’s deep expertise and experience in technology delivery programs is invaluable. Throughout her extensive career as an IT leader, primarily in the international commercial real estate industry, she has been responsible for a wide range of initiatives centered on business and technology transformation, implementation of new business applications, and applied innovation projects.
She has always had a knack for connecting practical, effective technology solutions to real world challenges. A graduate of McGill University, Maureen is passionate about “everything wild”.
Paul Kalil
Director
As co-founder of T4C, Paul brings focussed problem-solving to real world challenges through the effective sourcing and implementation of technology solutions.
A graduate of the University of Cape Town and Wits, Paul has served in a number of industry leadership roles including as Vice President Capital Projects with a wood pellet producer; Chief Operating Officer of an industrial automation company; and as President of a company engaged in the design and manufacture of aircraft structures for Boeing, Cessna, BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, Bombardier, and Honda Aircraft. Paul has also chaired the Aerospace Industry Association of Canada and has served as a board member of a number of companies, public and private.
A native of South Africa and resident of Vancouver, British Columbia, Paul is committed to the protection and conservation of the world’s endangered and threatened species.
Technology Team
Our technology partners are highly skilled professionals who bring specialized technical expertise to our projects, implementing innovative technologies that create real value for the conservation community.
Greg Newman
Greg Newman is the highly accomplished CEO of Bytefuse.ai, a company focused on AI research and development. With extensive experience in artificial intelligence and a deep passion for the African bush, Greg brings technical expertise and conservation commitment to our program.
His innovative approach is enabling us to modernize ArgusWild, making it more cost-effective while driving practical, repeatable AI implementations.
Greg provides strategic guidance on our machine learning and computer vision technologies, ensuring our solutions remain responsible and sustainable while fulfilling his personal mission to leverage cutting-edge technology for meaningful wildlife conservation.
Thomas Kuehn
Thomas is an enterprise technology leader bringing expertise in cloud architecture, cybersecurity, data analytics, and system integration to T4C. His technical versatility and strategic insight enhance our operational capabilities through effective business solutions.
With a proven track record in implementing, scaling, and optimizing technological solutions, Thomas ensures our conservation technology operates with increasing reliability and efficiency. His dedicated volunteer support helps build the robust technological foundation powering T4C's expanding wildlife protection initiatives.
Petr Mcallister
Petr brings comprehensive IT infrastructure expertise to T4C as a solutions architect with extensive global experience in network and security systems. His diverse background spans roles at major vendors and startups where he has led large-scale technology projects. Petr leverages his specialization in container platforms, cloud environments (AWS, Azure, GCP), and Service Mesh technologies to strengthen our platform and enhance system scalability.
When not architecting resilient technology solutions for wildlife monitoring, Petr enjoys Vancouver's outdoors with his family, finding personal connection between his technical work and the natural environments T4C strives to preserve.
Fedor (Ted) Zolotarev
Ted brings exceptional expertise in computer vision and machine learning to Tech 4 Conservation as a Senior Computer Vision Engineer. With a PhD in Computer Science and extensive research experience at LUT University in Finland, Ted works on our most technically challenging AI initiatives, focusing on species with limited identification features as well as species with extremely limited datasets, where traditional identification methods struggle.
Ted's innovative approach brings valuable technical depth to our conservation platform while advancing our mission to protect the world's most vulnerable wildlife through cutting-edge technology.
Zuhayr Parkar
Zuhayr brings specialized computer vision expertise to Tech 4 Conservation as a junior engineer, having just completed his MSc in Electrical Engineering at the University of Cape Town. His research on estimating cheetah movement dynamics demonstrates his technical skills in machine learning and deep commitment to African carnivore conservation.
Leveraging his strong background in mechatronics, embedded systems, and programming, Zuhayr develops new species identification models and is enhancing existing algorithms to strengthen ArgusWild's AI capabilities. He has a meticulous approach and applies his technical talents with quiet determination to protect the species that inspire his research.
eSketchers
eSketchers has been a dedicated full-stack development partner for Tech 4 Conservation since 2022. They provide comprehensive technology support, encompassing everything from building and maintaining our web applications to setting up and managing our crucial infrastructure.
Beyond development, eSketchers contributes valuable technical guidance, helping improve our technologies with their expertise. Their team also offers effective project management services, ensuring smooth execution of our tech-related initiatives. This long-standing partnership highlights their commitment to our mission through reliable, versatile technical expertise that consistently strengthens our conservation platform.
Interns and Students
T4C empowers the next generation of conservationists through hands-on learning opportunities in ecology and technology. We prioritize developing local talent in regions where our platforms operate, creating pathways for students to contribute to conservation in their own communities.
Tom Morris
Tom is a biology student at the University of York specializing in Carnivore Ecology, Evolution, Genetics, and Zoology, who brings his passion for wildlife to his role as an intern at Tech 4 Conservation. Tom works with data collected through T4C's citizen science platform, the African Carnivore Wildbook, and utilizes the ArgusWild system’s AI technology to identify known and unknown individuals across multiple species. His responsibilities include curating image data from across the African continent and preparing datasets for new species integration into the ArgusWild AI platform, including giant anteaters and lions.
Tom's contributions accelerate the development of new species AI models while enhancing the quality and quantity of vital data available to the conservation community.
Jeanette Fouché
Jeanette Fouché is a PhD student at Tshwane University of Technology studying wild dog and cheetah populations in South Africa. Born and raised in Pretoria, Jeanette has conducted fieldwork with cheetahs in Kruger National Park, spotted hyenas in Namibia, and leopards in South Africa's Waterberg region. During her time with T4C, she meticulously curated a substantial cheetah image dataset contributed through citizen science efforts, demonstrating exceptional attention to detail.
Now serving as an ambassador for the ArgusWild AI platform, Jeanette champions innovative, non-invasive research techniques that combine citizen science with artificial intelligence to monitor threatened and endangered species, reflecting her lifelong passion for wildlife conservation and her pioneering spirit in applying new technologies to protect Africa's large carnivores.
Board of Directors
Jennifer Arnold
Director
With extensive experience in anti-money laundering remediation and transformation, Jennifer Arnold is CEO and Co-Founder of MinervaAI, a leading force in AI-enabled financial crime detection.
Formerly Senior Director of AML (Anti Money Laundering) Transformation Strategy at CIBC, and VP of Governance and Programs at Wells Fargo Canada, Jennifer is an alumna of NEXTAI, Acceleprise Accelerator, and the Creative Destruction Lab. Named to the Risky Women: Women to Watch list in 2021, and she’s a frequent guest speaker and panelist at fintech-focused events.
She’s excited to combine her tremendous professional experience with her love of African carnivores -especially cheetahs - to help T4C provide next-generation technology to wildlife conservation and protection organizations.
Matthew Kalil
Director
A combat veteran with more than 15 years of experience in the Canadian Armed Forces, Sergeant Matt Kalil brings a unique perspective to T4C.
Following his service with the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry (PPCLI), where he participated in and led troops in a variety of missions from Afghanistan to domestic security and disaster relief, Matt became a Signals Intelligence Specialist, working in both operational and training fields. Currently employed at the national school for his trade as a specialist in Signals Analysis and Satellite Communications, Matt collaborates with national and international partners to improve interoperability and effectiveness.
Concerned with the breakneck pace of climate change and its unsustainability, Matt keeps abreast of the marriage of technology and nature, and he views T4C as a powerful pairing of these two forces in the quest to improve what we know of the natural world.