Martina Pluda
Martina Pluda, Director Humane Society International Italy
Martina is a professional animal advocate with a media and legal background. Before her current role as first ever Director of Humane Society International Italy, she worked for several years as Head of Programmes at FOUR PAWS in Vienna. Martina has been successfully running political, corporate, and awareness campaigns to improve the legal protection of farm, companion, and wild animals, influence company policies and practices, change the public perception around pressing animal protection issues, and encourage plant-based and cruelty-free options. By exposing hidden animal suffering and offering concrete solutions, Martina strives to achieve meaningful, long-term structural and societal change. Her work includes campaigning against cruel farming practices, fur fashion, puppy trade, private keeping of wild animals, and more. Martina holds both a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and a Juris Doctor (JD) from the University of Salzburg, as well as a Master’s in Animal Law (LLM) from the Autonomous University of Barcelona. She is currently a PhD candidate in Animal Law. Martina has been working for over fifteen years as a free-lance journalist and is the author of Animal Law in the Third Reich (Servei de Publicacions de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 2019). She is also a frequent lecturer and regular media commentator on animal protection issues and her work has been featured in numerous news outlets. Martina lives with her two dogs, Bubu and Yogi, and her cat Tati in Italy.