Rili Djohani has worked for over 25 years to improve the management and financial sustainability of marine protected areas and reduce the use of unsustainable fishing practices in Southeast Asia. She is the co-founder and executive director of the Coral Triangle Center (CTC), an independent non-profit organization established in Bali in 2010. Rili works closely with local communities, private sector, governments, NGOs and other partners to shape lasting solutions for the protection of coral reef ecosystems, sustainable livelihoods, and food security across the Coral Triangle region, the epicenter of marine biodiversity in the world. She held several senior positions in The Nature Conservancy from 1995-2011. Rili was TNC’s Program Director for the Coral Triangle (2009-2011); TNC’s Country Director for Indonesia (2003-2008) and Marine Program Director from (1997-2002). Rili established the WWF marine conservation program in Indonesia from 1989-1993 and was involved in the planning and implementation of several long term national and long-term coastal and marine programs funded by USAID (NRM, GCP, CTSP, MPAG, SEA, CTI-CFF) and the World Bank (Maconar, Coremap, Komodo National Park, CTI-CFF).
Rili holds a Master of Science degree in tropical marine ecology from the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and a Master of Science in tropical coastal zone management from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in United Kingdom. She completed The Executive program (TEP) – strategic leadership at the top at Darden School of Business, University of Virginia (UVA) – USA in 2013.
Rili also has extensive diving experience in the Netherlands, Mediterranean, Caribbean and Asia Pacific.