Patrick Reybet-Degat

Chief Operating Officer

Cambridge, England, United Kingdom20 yrs 2 mos experience

Highly Stable

Key Highlights

Over 25 years of experience in operations and finance leadership.
Expertise in driving organizational performance in conservation and humanitarian sectors.
Recognized for values-driven leadership and building trusted partnerships.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in international conservation and humanitarian operations with a focus on finance and governance.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Operations ManagementLeadership ManagementManagementFinancial Management ExperienceFinancial Controlling

Other Skills

Business TransformationEnterprise Risk ManagementBudgetingFinancial OversightBusiness AnalysisGrants ManagementBusiness Process ImprovementForecastingStrategyProject ManagementPerformance DashboardsCross-functional Team LeadershipInternal AuditsBusiness AdministrationFinancial Budgeting

About

I am a senior operations and finance leader with over 25 years of experience driving organisational performance, governance, and transformation across international conservation and humanitarian organisations. I currently serve as Chief Operating Officer at TRAFFIC, the leading global NGO working to reduce illegal wildlife trade and promote sustainable, legal trade. My career spans senior leadership roles at IUCN, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Conservation International, and WWF, where I have led complex global operations, strengthened financial stewardship, and supported large, decentralised teams operating in challenging environments. I bring a strong track record in finance, risk and compliance, digital transformation, programme operations, and organisational change, combined with a deep commitment to mission‑driven impact. Alongside my executive roles, I have significant governance and board‑level experience, including audit and finance oversight, ethics, and risk management. Based in Cambridge, UK, I am recognised for values‑driven leadership, building trusted partnerships, and enabling teams to deliver results at scale in complex international settings.

Experience

20 yrs 2 mos

Total Experience

4 yrs 9 mos

Average Tenure

1 yr 2 mos

Current Experience

Traffic

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Mar 2025 – Present · 1 yr 2 mos · Cambridge, England, United Kingdom · On-site

TRAFFIC is driving action to reduce illegal trafficking and enhance benefits to people from legal and sustainable trade of wild species. As a global trusted advisor, we generate evidence, analysis, and solutions to strengthen global and national policy frameworks, and build responsible and fair supply chains.
Trade in wild species is one of the world's most pressing conservation and development challenges. Global supply chains for wild plants and animals provide livelihoods for hundreds of millions of the world’s poor. At the same time, illegal trade – one of the most profitable criminal activities worldwide – fuels environmental degradation and economic losses.

Business TransformationEnterprise Risk ManagementOperations ManagementLeadership ManagementFinancial Management Experience

Iucn

2 roles

Head Global Programme Operations

Promoted

Apr 2017 – Feb 2025 · 7 yrs 10 mos · On-site

▪ Leading the Global Programme Operations unit providing finance and administrative services to IUCN Programmatic Centres and Teams, corporate units, and Commissions: Programme Finance, Grant finance, Donors’ expertise, budgeting and reporting, projects audits, procurement processes, contracts processing, etc.
▪ Directly managing on site and remote diverse teams (15 to 20 staff) based in Switzerland, UK, and Spain: deliverables and priorities settings, performance monitoring, capacity building and training, team planning and growth, promotion cycles, etc.
▪ Strategic support to the Chief Finance Officer (CFO) related to building blocks of a more financially sustainable and future proof IUCN: Project Costing framework, set up of the workstation fee, overheads policy exemptions, etc.
▪ Project management or support of transversal IT systems: Time management system (TMS), electronic signature system (DocuSign), Award Vision module in NAV, Grant Portal, Travel Management system and member of steering committee for the Enterprise Document Management system (EDM).
▪ Appointed between 2018 and 2023 by the Director General as a member of the Ethics Committee: review of conflicts of interest declarations, advisory board and investigations, working with the Head of Oversight and CHRO.
▪ Appointed in June 2022 as board member of IUCN, European Union Representation Office in Brussels.

ManagementBudgetingFinancial Management ExperienceFinancial Oversight

Programme Officer - Finance & Administration

Jan 2016 – Mar 2017 · 1 yr 2 mos · On-site

▪ Coordinated throughout 2016 the institutional task force leading the work package analysis, proposal, transition set-up and stakeholders’ management for restructuring the finance services function at IUCN;
▪ Leading the provision of financial and administrative services to the Global Forest programme.

Financial Management ExperienceFinancial Oversight

Conservation international

Senior Director of Operations | Africa Madagascar

Jan 2012 – Jan 2015 · 3 yrs · Africa

Regional Senior Director leading the Operations and finance teams and processes of the Africa division of an international organization in the field of nature conservation and sustainable development. Reporting directly to the Senior Vice-President of the division, based in Cape Town South Africa with extensive travels throughout the Africa continent (Liberia, Kenya, DR Congo, Botswana, Equatorial Guinea, Madagascar, South Africa).

ManagementBudgeting

Médecins sans frontières (msf)

Headquarters Financial Controller | MSF Switzerland

Jan 2010 – Jan 2012 · 2 yrs · Geneva Area, Switzerland

Headquarters financial lead reporting directly to MSF Switzerland's Finance and Administration Director, part of the finance enlarged management team working with the senior management team and the board of directors. Budget processes, board reporting packages for the Finance Commission, business intelligence tool implementation, treasury, management accounting.

BudgetingFinancial Controlling

Wwf world wide fund for nature

Project Finance Manager | WWF International

Jan 2005 – Jan 2010 · 5 yrs · Geneva Area, Switzerland

Financial and administrative lead for government funded portfolio of projects and programmes in the field of nature conservation. Reported to the Head of Project Finance, worked on expenditure verification and government audits, build capacity on funding rules and regulations, international and cross-country portfolio of implemented projects.

BudgetingFinancial Controlling