Kev Marriott comes to XPRIZE with over 10 years of conservation technology experience, having worked in some of the world’s most remote and challenging environments. As the Technical Lead for the Rainforest XPRIZE, Kev supports the technical operations and execution of the competition.

Prior to joining XPRIZE, Kev co-founded and served as the technical director for the Forgotten Parks Foundation, a wildlife conservation NGO with operations throughout Africa and Latin America. Kev was responsible for the organization’s technical activities and providing technical capability development for partner NGOs and national government wildlife and conservation authorities.  

Kev is a military veteran, having served 14 years in the British Army, including 8 years in the UK Special Forces as a Special Forces Communicator. Kev trained as a telecommunications engineer, specializing in tactical and strategic radio communications and technical surveillance systems. In his later years of service, between operations, he worked with the defense industry as a subject matter expert and military liaison on the development of leading-edge technologies, providing unique end-user requirements, testing, and trialing emerging technologies in operational environments.  

After leaving the military, he co-founded a UK limited company where he continued to work with technology, utilizing his skills on UK government counter-terrorism programs in the Middle East and Africa. It was during his time in Africa that Kev transitioned to working with conservation NGOs. He assisted with wildlife protection and law enforcement operations, developing technical capabilities such as secure radio networks and IT systems, airborne and ground surveillance solutions, and wildlife telemetry systems in some of Africa’s most high-risk protected areas.  

Kev holds a master's degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation from Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland and is an authorized gopher tortoise agent of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission.