Testimonials from some colleagues who have worked closely with me over the years
Dr Richard Smith: Consultant in International development, sustainability & biodiversity programme management & evaluation, UK
I have worked with John in three capacities, first in 2009 when I hired John as a facilitator of a strategic planning workshop, second when I hired him as Regional Partnership Officer of a large, multi-country voluntary partnership network and, third and most recently, as a consultant colleague on monitoring and evaluation assignments. In each case I have been enormously impressed by his capabilities and his can-do attitude to new challenges.
John is highly skilled in facilitation, project management, people management, training, mentoring, writing and presentations. He brings clarity of thinking on any analytical, project design or evaluation task and an ability to rapidly and clearly synthesise and present information to inform management decisions / meet reporting requirements. Coupled to this, John is open and flexible, willingly allowing his and others’ ideas to be woven together in a process of co-creation.
In addition to his very evident technical abilities, John’s personal qualities make him stand out from the crowd. Adept at participatory approaches to working, he has the sensitivity, patience, listening and other communications skills needed to work comfortably and highly effectively with people of diverse skills and origins all around the world, both in person or virtually, whether as a facilitator, manager or co-worker.
John always demonstrates a very high level of commitment to his work, invariably driving himself
to deliver quality work within or ahead of deadlines, even in highly challenging circumstances such as when travelling on assignments alone with multiple responsibilities. Working with John in a small team, I was impressed by how rapidly and readily he accepted responsibility, for instance when travelling independently to diverse locations, and organising and leading training and strategy development workshops.
John’s enthusiasm for any task he takes on is highly infectious, making him a highly motivating colleague. I have learned much from John and would work with him again without hesitation.
I have worked with John in three capacities, first in 2009 when I hired John as a facilitator of a strategic planning workshop, second when I hired him as Regional Partnership Officer of a large, multi-country voluntary partnership network and, third and most recently, as a consultant colleague on monitoring and evaluation assignments. In each case I have been enormously impressed by his capabilities and his can-do attitude to new challenges.
John is highly skilled in facilitation, project management, people management, training, mentoring, writing and presentations. He brings clarity of thinking on any analytical, project design or evaluation task and an ability to rapidly and clearly synthesise and present information to inform management decisions / meet reporting requirements. Coupled to this, John is open and flexible, willingly allowing his and others’ ideas to be woven together in a process of co-creation.
In addition to his very evident technical abilities, John’s personal qualities make him stand out from the crowd. Adept at participatory approaches to working, he has the sensitivity, patience, listening and other communications skills needed to work comfortably and highly effectively with people of diverse skills and origins all around the world, both in person or virtually, whether as a facilitator, manager or co-worker.
John always demonstrates a very high level of commitment to his work, invariably driving himself
to deliver quality work within or ahead of deadlines, even in highly challenging circumstances such as when travelling on assignments alone with multiple responsibilities. Working with John in a small team, I was impressed by how rapidly and readily he accepted responsibility, for instance when travelling independently to diverse locations, and organising and leading training and strategy development workshops.
John’s enthusiasm for any task he takes on is highly infectious, making him a highly motivating colleague. I have learned much from John and would work with him again without hesitation.
Dr Malika Virah-Sawmy: Lecturer at Institute of Environmental Studies, University of New South Wales, Australia
I have known John for more than 15 years and can vouch for his utmost integrity and commitment to societal wellbeing. I have known John on both a professional and personal level. On a professional level, John was my previous manager at the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. He was an excellent, committed, positive and passionate manager who worked hard to meet programmes outcomes, set strategic visions, build the team and drive internal changes within the NGO to reach these goals. This was not an easy task as the NGO was rapidly expanding and had to go through some painful changes from the informal structures that characterise many passion-driven enterprises to a professional outfit with rigorous standards and processes in place to achieve set goals.
Prior to John’s leadership, the organisation lacked clear and transparent structures including planning, monitoring and evaluation frameworks. As a result, many of us had a rather fuzzy sense of direction and career progression. So it was very refreshing to have John as a leader in the organisation which helped to build clarity, credibility, professionalism and ultimately impact.
On a personal level, John was very supportive when I decided to leave the organisation to continue my formal education. Thanks to John’s encouragement and support, I studied in Oxford and later I rose to lead another conservation organisation, WWF (Madagascar). John and I have remained friends and his own personal transformation as a widower and main carer of his two young children has been inspiring and moving.
I have the utmost confidence that John will do an excellent job in any assignment that he undertakes. Again, I would like to reiterate my confidence in his integrity and commitment to human wellbeing.
I have known John for more than 15 years and can vouch for his utmost integrity and commitment to societal wellbeing. I have known John on both a professional and personal level. On a professional level, John was my previous manager at the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. He was an excellent, committed, positive and passionate manager who worked hard to meet programmes outcomes, set strategic visions, build the team and drive internal changes within the NGO to reach these goals. This was not an easy task as the NGO was rapidly expanding and had to go through some painful changes from the informal structures that characterise many passion-driven enterprises to a professional outfit with rigorous standards and processes in place to achieve set goals.
Prior to John’s leadership, the organisation lacked clear and transparent structures including planning, monitoring and evaluation frameworks. As a result, many of us had a rather fuzzy sense of direction and career progression. So it was very refreshing to have John as a leader in the organisation which helped to build clarity, credibility, professionalism and ultimately impact.
On a personal level, John was very supportive when I decided to leave the organisation to continue my formal education. Thanks to John’s encouragement and support, I studied in Oxford and later I rose to lead another conservation organisation, WWF (Madagascar). John and I have remained friends and his own personal transformation as a widower and main carer of his two young children has been inspiring and moving.
I have the utmost confidence that John will do an excellent job in any assignment that he undertakes. Again, I would like to reiterate my confidence in his integrity and commitment to human wellbeing.
Dr Sarah Simons: Global Sector Co-ordinator (Agriculture), SNV, Kenya
John and I met ~15 years ago through our mutual work on addressing invasive species – an issue that we both feel passionate about. From the outset, I was struck by John’s detailed technical knowledge of the subject, his ability to work enthusiastically and effectively with people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, his humour and his pragmatism. It should come as no surprise that a few years after our first meeting; I had no hesitation in employing John at CABI Africa in Kenya, to lead the Project Development Phase of a GEF-funded project addressing invasive species in four African countries. Under John’s leadership, the pilot phase was successfully developed into a full-sized multimillion dollar, GEF project.
Professionally, I would describe John’s strengths as being project planning, monitoring and evaluation, with a strong emphasis on facilitating participatory approaches that encourage learning and adaptive management. John is an excellent facilitator - his love of facilitation is based on a strong teaching/training background and the belief that everybody has the potential to contribute if a supportive environment is provided. In the same vein, John is highly effective at mentoring younger/less experienced colleagues in order that they may reach their full potential. John is bright, tenacious, quality-conscious and a highly valued member of any team. With his incredibly positive attitude towards work, and life in general, I would welcome the opportunity of working with John again.
John and I met ~15 years ago through our mutual work on addressing invasive species – an issue that we both feel passionate about. From the outset, I was struck by John’s detailed technical knowledge of the subject, his ability to work enthusiastically and effectively with people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds, his humour and his pragmatism. It should come as no surprise that a few years after our first meeting; I had no hesitation in employing John at CABI Africa in Kenya, to lead the Project Development Phase of a GEF-funded project addressing invasive species in four African countries. Under John’s leadership, the pilot phase was successfully developed into a full-sized multimillion dollar, GEF project.
Professionally, I would describe John’s strengths as being project planning, monitoring and evaluation, with a strong emphasis on facilitating participatory approaches that encourage learning and adaptive management. John is an excellent facilitator - his love of facilitation is based on a strong teaching/training background and the belief that everybody has the potential to contribute if a supportive environment is provided. In the same vein, John is highly effective at mentoring younger/less experienced colleagues in order that they may reach their full potential. John is bright, tenacious, quality-conscious and a highly valued member of any team. With his incredibly positive attitude towards work, and life in general, I would welcome the opportunity of working with John again.
Dr Muaka Toko: Scientist specialised in Integrated Pest Management at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Benin
The first time I heard about John was when he was hired as Regional Partnership Officer, an important position that BioNET-The Global Taxonomy Initiative needed strongly to give an impulse to its activities. As Coordinator of WAFRINET (The West African Network for Taxonomy- a LOOP of BioNET), I was one, if not the most beneficiaries of John’s position. Soon after his hiring, John got in touch with me to find out how he could help WAFRINET which was facing a number of challenges.
As messages and calls were not enough to resolve the problems, John, in agreement with the BioNET Coordinator Dr Richard Smith, invited me to participate in an evaluation workshop that was organized by the sister LOOP EAFRINET and BioNET. It is during that workshop that I fully appreciated John’s excellent skills in Facilitation, Training and Communication and Project and Programme Planning.
During the workshop, he was instrumental in the contact made with the Chair of JRS Board. From the contact, John and Richard contributed in the development a concept note on Establishment of a Biodiversity Information Management System for Invertebrate collections in West Africa. Together, we convinced the Chair to do lobbying for us.
The above few words are not enough to express my impression on John’s skills.
The first time I heard about John was when he was hired as Regional Partnership Officer, an important position that BioNET-The Global Taxonomy Initiative needed strongly to give an impulse to its activities. As Coordinator of WAFRINET (The West African Network for Taxonomy- a LOOP of BioNET), I was one, if not the most beneficiaries of John’s position. Soon after his hiring, John got in touch with me to find out how he could help WAFRINET which was facing a number of challenges.
As messages and calls were not enough to resolve the problems, John, in agreement with the BioNET Coordinator Dr Richard Smith, invited me to participate in an evaluation workshop that was organized by the sister LOOP EAFRINET and BioNET. It is during that workshop that I fully appreciated John’s excellent skills in Facilitation, Training and Communication and Project and Programme Planning.
During the workshop, he was instrumental in the contact made with the Chair of JRS Board. From the contact, John and Richard contributed in the development a concept note on Establishment of a Biodiversity Information Management System for Invertebrate collections in West Africa. Together, we convinced the Chair to do lobbying for us.
The above few words are not enough to express my impression on John’s skills.
Ms Jennifer Ah-King: Research Assistant, Biomechanics Lab, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, USA
I have known John Mauremootoo on a professional and personal level. He was one of my instructors at the University of Mauritius, and then my manager when I worked at the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. John has been a great mentor to me all the way through. His excellent teaching and communication skills allowed him to pass on his great knowledge and enthusiasm for his work to his students and co-workers. Under John’s management, I was highly inspired by his dedication, diligence, and visionary approach that brought a lot of positive changes to the restoration and conservation of native forests in Mauritius. Working in Mauritius is very challenging, but John relentlessly pushed forward to achieve his goals, and to the present day his work in Mauritius is highly respected. As a friend, John has always been present whenever I needed support and advice. John has a great personality, and is an all-rounder. Working with him has been a pleasure, and I cannot recommend him highly enough.
I have known John Mauremootoo on a professional and personal level. He was one of my instructors at the University of Mauritius, and then my manager when I worked at the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. John has been a great mentor to me all the way through. His excellent teaching and communication skills allowed him to pass on his great knowledge and enthusiasm for his work to his students and co-workers. Under John’s management, I was highly inspired by his dedication, diligence, and visionary approach that brought a lot of positive changes to the restoration and conservation of native forests in Mauritius. Working in Mauritius is very challenging, but John relentlessly pushed forward to achieve his goals, and to the present day his work in Mauritius is highly respected. As a friend, John has always been present whenever I needed support and advice. John has a great personality, and is an all-rounder. Working with him has been a pleasure, and I cannot recommend him highly enough.
Dr David Mbah: Executive Secretary, Cameroon Academy of Sciences
John is an excellent team worker, very able, hard working, committed and conscientious.
I came to know John through consultancies to mount the Cameroon Biosecurity Project (Development and Institution of a National Monitoring and Control System (Framework) for Living Modified Organisms and Invasive Alien Species) since about 4 years ago. John, as a member of a team of 4 - 6 national and international experts, was very resourceful, active, understanding and expeditious in the delivery of required outputs of high quality. He subsequently became one of three International Technical Advisors to the Project.
His expertise has extended far out of invasive species to include pest/LMO risk analysis, training/facilitation, communication and project monitoring and evaluation as well as sustainability building. We have since been working together in providing technical guidance to the project (particularly in prioritizing activities, drawing up scopes of work, and recruitment of consultants and filling gaps in desired expertise).
John is an excellent team worker, very able, hard working, committed and conscientious.
I came to know John through consultancies to mount the Cameroon Biosecurity Project (Development and Institution of a National Monitoring and Control System (Framework) for Living Modified Organisms and Invasive Alien Species) since about 4 years ago. John, as a member of a team of 4 - 6 national and international experts, was very resourceful, active, understanding and expeditious in the delivery of required outputs of high quality. He subsequently became one of three International Technical Advisors to the Project.
His expertise has extended far out of invasive species to include pest/LMO risk analysis, training/facilitation, communication and project monitoring and evaluation as well as sustainability building. We have since been working together in providing technical guidance to the project (particularly in prioritizing activities, drawing up scopes of work, and recruitment of consultants and filling gaps in desired expertise).
Professor Mohamed Elyes Kchouk: Regional Specialist Africa, UNEP-GEF BCH Projects, Tunisia
The first time I met with John he was facilitating an evaluation workshop for BioNET-International and I appreciated the quality of the process as this is a crucial step for any International Organization and the conclusions and recommendations reached were appreciable and efficient. Later on I invited John to facilitate a workshop for NAFRINET, the North African Network of Taxonomy, and received another batch of talent on the networking process as well as network development, and monitoring and evaluation proposed by John. These were the first opportunities I had to know about John’s capacities. More I discovered each time I invited him - and I came to know about his scientific and technical experience on invasive species. I still have contacts with John about some issues related to Project Development for North African Biodiversity stakeholders.
The first time I met with John he was facilitating an evaluation workshop for BioNET-International and I appreciated the quality of the process as this is a crucial step for any International Organization and the conclusions and recommendations reached were appreciable and efficient. Later on I invited John to facilitate a workshop for NAFRINET, the North African Network of Taxonomy, and received another batch of talent on the networking process as well as network development, and monitoring and evaluation proposed by John. These were the first opportunities I had to know about John’s capacities. More I discovered each time I invited him - and I came to know about his scientific and technical experience on invasive species. I still have contacts with John about some issues related to Project Development for North African Biodiversity stakeholders.
Mr Scott Benton: Forestry Consultant at U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), USA
I had the pleasure of working with John in Cape Verde, West Africa where as a consultant he produced a management strategy for invasive plants for the national network of protected areas. His technical knowledge of invasive species biology and management was thorough and I personally learned a great deal from him. He was able to clearly communicate complex ideas in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual setting, and was consistently open to the opinions of all team members. John’s final management plan was well-written, timely, and thorough, and is now a great practical resource to Cape Verde’s protected areas staff. John’s positive attitude is infectious, and his technical capabilities would be a welcome addition to any task. I would happily work with John again in the future without hesitation
I had the pleasure of working with John in Cape Verde, West Africa where as a consultant he produced a management strategy for invasive plants for the national network of protected areas. His technical knowledge of invasive species biology and management was thorough and I personally learned a great deal from him. He was able to clearly communicate complex ideas in a multi-cultural, multi-lingual setting, and was consistently open to the opinions of all team members. John’s final management plan was well-written, timely, and thorough, and is now a great practical resource to Cape Verde’s protected areas staff. John’s positive attitude is infectious, and his technical capabilities would be a welcome addition to any task. I would happily work with John again in the future without hesitation
Mr Vishnu Bachraz: Deputy Director, National Parks and Conservation Service, Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security, Mauritius
I worked very closely with John when he was with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation and again when he led the development of the Mauritius National Invasive Alien Species Strategy and Action Plan. John is a very hard worker who believes in collaboration as the best way to define and achieve common objectives. As a consultant, we know that we can rely on John to produce outputs of the required quality to set deadlines. In addition he will continue to provide advice as needed once the contract has ended. John is an all-rounder. He understands the science of conservation but he also has other vital skills such as project planning, project coordination, monitoring and evaluation and good people skills. I recommend John without hesitation.
I worked very closely with John when he was with the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation and again when he led the development of the Mauritius National Invasive Alien Species Strategy and Action Plan. John is a very hard worker who believes in collaboration as the best way to define and achieve common objectives. As a consultant, we know that we can rely on John to produce outputs of the required quality to set deadlines. In addition he will continue to provide advice as needed once the contract has ended. John is an all-rounder. He understands the science of conservation but he also has other vital skills such as project planning, project coordination, monitoring and evaluation and good people skills. I recommend John without hesitation.
Professor José Clavijo, MIZA, Venezuela
I have known John since 2009 when I had the opportunity to attend events in which he acted as a consultant to BioNET-INTERNATIONAL AndinoNET in particular, the Andean Network of Taxonomy, of which I am coordinator. John was coordinating collaboration throughout the network. John has always shown an immense capacity for work, great experience, knowledge and human qualities which have earned him the respect and appreciation of all those who have worked with him. He can quickly and successfully deal with a wide variety of project-related issues from project development, to planning, to communication strategies, to monitoring and evaluation. Given his experience and professional qualities I have no hesitation in recommending him.
I have known John since 2009 when I had the opportunity to attend events in which he acted as a consultant to BioNET-INTERNATIONAL AndinoNET in particular, the Andean Network of Taxonomy, of which I am coordinator. John was coordinating collaboration throughout the network. John has always shown an immense capacity for work, great experience, knowledge and human qualities which have earned him the respect and appreciation of all those who have worked with him. He can quickly and successfully deal with a wide variety of project-related issues from project development, to planning, to communication strategies, to monitoring and evaluation. Given his experience and professional qualities I have no hesitation in recommending him.
Professor Linton Winder, Unitec Institute of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
I have known John for over twenty years and have worked with him professionally on international capacity building projects (Darwin Initiative), and as an educator (Bournemouth University and Exeter University). He is inspirational, with a deep, lifelong commitment to conservation of the natural environment and sustainable development. Having worked and lived in both UK and overseas (Kenya, Mauritius), John's Project Management and leadership skills are outstanding. Supportive, collegiate, knowledgeable and committed - John has the knowledge and skills-set to significantly contribute to sustainable land management, project management and the development of high performing teams.
I have known John for over twenty years and have worked with him professionally on international capacity building projects (Darwin Initiative), and as an educator (Bournemouth University and Exeter University). He is inspirational, with a deep, lifelong commitment to conservation of the natural environment and sustainable development. Having worked and lived in both UK and overseas (Kenya, Mauritius), John's Project Management and leadership skills are outstanding. Supportive, collegiate, knowledgeable and committed - John has the knowledge and skills-set to significantly contribute to sustainable land management, project management and the development of high performing teams.
Dr Rachel Atkinson: Principal consultant at The Biodiversity Consultancy, Chile
I have worked with John in two capacities; he was my boss at Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, and I have worked with him in his consultancy. John is an excellent professional, visionary yet pragmatic, an excellent writer, project manager and strategic thinker, committed to capacity building at all levels in his work. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
I have worked with John in two capacities; he was my boss at Mauritius Wildlife Foundation, and I have worked with him in his consultancy. John is an excellent professional, visionary yet pragmatic, an excellent writer, project manager and strategic thinker, committed to capacity building at all levels in his work. I cannot recommend him highly enough.
