Padu Franco

Padu Franco is the Senior Program Manager for the Tropical Andes at the Bezos Earth Fund. In this capacity, Padu steers the Bezos Earth Fund’s investments in the 30x30 initiative across the countries of the Tropical Andes region, including Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia. He oversees diverse investments, fosters collaboration, and forges connections across a wide spectrum of stakeholders from Indigenous communities to governmental bodies.

Prior to his work at the Bezos Earth Fund and Re:Wild, Padu spent 15 years at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), including positions as the Country Director for Colombia and the Regional Director for the Andes, Amazon, and Orinoco regions. At WCS, Padu led an array of biodiversity research and conservation programs while fostering public-private collaborations in the pursuit of conservation.

He lives in Cali, Colombia and finds inspiration as a nature photographer.