SUSSEX WILDLIFE TRUST - Key Persons
Alan is Reader in Ecology at the University of Sussex, where he has been teaching and doing ecological research since 1993.
He started bird watching aged eight and wonders why it took him until his late teens to discover his other interests in plants and insects. Locally, he researches ways to restore species-rich grassland habitats, especially for insects.
Alan is also involved in the conservation of glow worms, especially the extent that they may be affected by artificial lighting at night.
Job Titles:
- Secretary
- Trustee
- Litigation Solicitor
Andrew has lived and worked in Sussex for over 30 years. He is a keen photographer of wildlife, particularly the birds that he finds in his garden, in Hollingbury and Burstead Woods, on his morning walks and at nature reserves across the county and beyond.
Andrew has been a litigation solicitor for over 30 years and held a management role in a regional law firm for a number of years. He currently works for a national law firm with offices in Sussex and deals primarily with disputes about data protection and contentious probate.
Prior to becoming a trustee of Sussex Wildlife Trust, Andrew spent 9 years as a trustee of a charity which works to promote good mental health across Sussex. The benefits that spending time in green spaces has on people's mental and physical health and wellbeing, has led Andrew to try and ensure that he brings nature into his life on a daily basis. Andrew has been a member of Sussex Wildlife Trust since 2018.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director - Finance and Operations
Angela has lived with her family in Brighton & Hove for nearly 20 years and loves being by the sea and close to the South Downs.
She has devoted her working life to the charity sector and has worked for finance departments in local, national, and international organisations (including Friends of the Earth and Age UK West Sussex, Brighton & Hove City Council) who are trying to make a positive difference. Angela specialises in making financial information more transparent and accessible, providing excellent customer service and building an organisation's financial sustainability. As a qualified Company Secretary she is committed to good governance and improving business processes.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of Fundraising and Communications
Caroline has lived in Sussex all her life and is passionate about the diverse landscape, marine habitats and wildlife in this special county.
As the Trust's Director of Fundraising and Communications, Caroline is responsible for sharing the wonders of the natural environment in Sussex and encouraging people and organisations to get involved, by becoming members, taking part in the Trust's activities, funding projects or supporting appeals.
Caroline loves connecting people with the natural world and has seen how this transforms the environment for both nature and communities. In her spare time, Caroline enjoys exploring the local countryside with her family, tending her garden, listening to music and watching football.
Job Titles:
- Interim Chief Executive Officer
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
Chris is a passionate wildlife enthusiast who began his conservation career over thirty years ago as a volunteer on RSPB reserves. He spent 30 years with the RSPB culminating in a role as the Director for RSPB England, responsible for setting up a new England team as part of the organisation's response to devolution. He's protected nesting golden eagles in the Lake District, worked in conservation planning and policy (for both RSPB and Butterfly Conservation) and worked for the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) in Shetland and Orkney in the late 1980s. He has spent most of his career as a senior leader, most recently as Acting CEO for Birdwatch Ireland until May 2022. He has also recently been appointed as the President of the Sussex Ornithological Society (SOS)
Chris lives in Shoreham-by-Sea and is married with two grown up children.
Danny has spent her career working in international development across both Africa and South Asia. Amongst her many experiences are securing sustainable livelihoods for women, supporting communities to access, protect and manage their natural resources and promoting climate smart agriculture. Principles of equality and inclusion have always been central to her work.
Danny returned to the UK with her family at the end of 2019 and spent lockdown rediscovering her love of the British countryside through exploring the South Downs and surrounding areas and rowing on the Ouse and sea at Newhaven. She is passionate about conservation and nature and in particular, the role of people and communities in protecting and stewarding bio-diversity, wildlife and landscapes. Danny is currently the Executive Director of an international humanitarian charity and brings her experience in advocacy, fundraising, grants management, organisational development and strategy to the Board.
David Plummer, wildlife photographer, cameraman, filmmaker, best-selling author, wildlife guide, conservationist, tutor, mentor, and inspirational speaker is a man fuelled by an all-consuming, and lifelong passion for wildlife.
He has volunteered for the Trust for nearly 25 years providing imagery and film as well as guiding many events with a focus on badgers, owls and fieldcraft.
In 2009, David was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. For a highly active man, who spends his life outdoors and relies upon his physical strength and fitness, the diagnosis was potentially devastating. However, he has chosen to continue living life to the full and uses his work to raise awareness of the disease, and to mentor and inspire others living with Parkinson's and other challenging health conditions.
He regularly appears on mainstream media, both on television and radio and is an experienced and powerful public speaker.
Recent achievements include filming Tawny Owls for David Attenborough's Wild Isles series.
Job Titles:
- Trustee Responsible for Health and Safety
Sean grew up in Brighton and has spent his career looking after the environment following the completion of a PhD at the University of Exeter studying the ecology of the European eel.
He has worked as a manager at the Environment Agency and was Deputy Chief at Sussex Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority. Currently Sean is an environment strategy specialist at Southern Water.
Sean's involvement with the Sussex Wildlife Trust includes writing site management plans as a volunteer, working on numerous freshwater and marine partnership projects in his professional capacity and as a Trustee, being Chair of Trustees in 2019 and 2020.
Dr Tony Whitbread, who retired as Chief Executive of Sussex Wildlife Trust in March 2018, has returned to take a leading role in nature conservation as President of Sussex Wildlife Trust.
He joined the Sussex Wildlife Trust in 1991 as Head of Conservation before taking on the role of Chief Executive Officer in 2006. During his time, Dr Whitbread played a huge role as a conservation advocate, battling against road building, urban development, the potential expansion of Gatwick Airport and other countryside loss.
Dr Whitbread was at the forefront in promoting the need for the establishment of the South Downs National Park. He also played a leading role in establishing the Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre, which holds almost seven million species records - information used to inform planning decisions.
Helen is a retail professional, having spent the majority of her career working for contemporary brands in the UK and internationally. During this time she has gained significant experience in retail growth strategies and developing customer propositions within a number of high street businesses.
She is actively involved in local conservation work.
After a period of time in London, Helen returned to live in Fishbourne, West Sussex where she is actively involved in local conservation work within an area of Chichester Harbour close to where she lives. As a keen walker, she loves to explore locally as well as travel the world to learn about the indigenous wildlife.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director of Conservation
Henri is the Director of Conservation at the Sussex Wildlife Trust and has been focused on wildlife in Sussex for many years.
Henri leads the Trusts work in the Marine Environment and is Chair of the Sussex Kelp Recovery Project and is Deputy Chair of the Sussex Local Nature Partnership. Seeing a functional network for nature in Sussex is the ambition and Henri works with her team and with partners across Sussex to bring that to a reality.
Job Titles:
- Gatwick Greenspace Partnership Officer and Conservation Volunteering Click to
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Vice - Chair
Linda is a Chartered Accountant with over 30 years' experience in sectors as diverse as Professional Services, Telecommunications, Property and Financial Services in both New Zealand and the UK.
Since 2009 Linda has been acting as a part-time Finance Director for SME organisations and as a Trustee and Treasurer to selected charities.
Linda's upbringing on a New Zealand hill country sheep and beef farm instilled a love for nature and the outdoors from a very early age. When not working Linda will be found walking her two miniature schnauzers in either London or West Sussex, or holidaying with her partner (preferably in the sunshine!). She has been a member of Sussex Wildlife Trust since 2015.
Louise is a marketing professional with specialisms in Brand and Digital Strategy. Louise's other experience includes strategy development, change management and people development. Currently working in an industry undergoing a challenging transformation to meet net zero goals, as Trustee Louise hopes to use her experience to promote action to support wildlife and ecosystems in Sussex, mobilising human hope and resilience.
A member of the Trust since moving to Sussex four years ago, Louise fell in love with the county's incredible habitats walking at Woods Mill, on the Downs and spending time on the coast on her paddleboard. In her spare time Louise creates art which is often inspired by the wildlife and landscapes of Sussex.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director - Change Management
Maria grew up in Sweden but has called Sussex home for over half her life. She lives just outside Brighton with her teenage son.
She is passionate about organisational culture, creating effective teams and customer service. In her role as Director of Change Management, Maria is working with staff at all levels to make the Trust a better and more effective organisation to work for.
She also leads the team at the Rye Harbour Discovery Centre as it takes its place within the local and wider communities, delivering amazing opportunities for local people, schools, community groups and visitors from all over the UK and abroad to learn about the habitats and wildlife found at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve.
Mark is a Chartered Accountant who spent much of his early career in senior finance positions for utility companies in the UK.
Since 2011, he has worked in fund management where he has been responsible for helping to drive performance of infrastructure companies within various European funds. Having recently retired from full-time employment and as a Trustee of a social mobility charity, he continues to act as a non-executive director for a small number of companies.
Mark has lived on the Sussex coast just outside of Brighton all of his life. He is married with 3 children, is a keen walker and enjoys playing and watching live sport. He spends many happy hours walking on the South Downs and coastal path with his wife, children when they can be persuaded and their West Highland Terrier. He shares a passion for protecting and restoring nature in Sussex and our coastal waters.
Mark is a retired senior civil servant who worked in international development for almost 40 years, often overseas, gaining experience of leading multinational teams, project and financial management, international negotiations and working with UK government ministers and MPs. Since retiring in 2015, he has carried out a number of roles for the Sussex Ornithological Society, including as a Trustee.
Mark lives in Haywards Heath and is married with two grown-up children and two grandchildren. He spends many hours studying the scarcest breeding birds found in Sussex's wooded interior and has given many talks on these species; whilst at home he is a keen wildlife gardener.
Job Titles:
- Chairman of Nominations Committee and Trustee Responsible for Safeguarding
Martin has held several executive roles in large international development charities, leading the key functions of corporate strategy, people development, communications & campaigns and programme innovation & funding. He is currently the Chair of FitzRoy Support, a national charity supporting people with learning disabilities and autism.
From his early childhood Martin has always held a fervent interest in the natural world which influenced the choice of his first degree in Environmental Science. His love of nature has been his life-long hobby. Having lived in Sussex since 1993, he has a deep appreciation for its special beauty and is passionate to be actively involved in the preservation and restoration of its natural history. He has been a member of the Sussex Wildlife Trust since 2015.
Job Titles:
- Communities & Wildlife Officer
Job Titles:
- Chartered Accountant
- Chairman of Council
Nick is a chartered accountant who spent much of his professional career in an international accounting firm where he gained significant experience in strategy formulation, business management and people development.
Since retiring Nick has worked with a number of charities and social enterprises as a coach and as a Chair or Trustee.
Nick has in lived in West Sussex for the past 11 years, initially in Midhurst and more recently in Chichester. He is an enthusiastic walker and appreciates the importance of the natural environment to our health and wellbeing. Nick is married with 3 children, a granddaughter and a dog.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Leadership Team
- Director - Communities
Nikki leads the Communities Team to deliver a wide-ranging programme of engagement and work with communities to connect people in Sussex with nature and inspire them to take action for wildlife.
She has worked in environmental education and community engagement throughout her career, managing a variety of projects. She is passionate about sharing her love of nature and the benefits of spending time in blue and greenspaces.
Nikki enjoys spending time at the coast, swimming, paddleboarding and scuba diving
Job Titles:
- Trustee Responsible for HR
Sarah grew up in Brighton and lives in mid Sussex. She has worked in HR for over 20 years across varied sectors and currently works for an international NGO. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development and has a Masters Degree in Human Resources. She is also qualified and experienced in mediation, occupational health, Mental Health First Aid, Insights and marketing and experienced in operational leadership and management development.
Sarah is passionate about the benefits of nature supporting positive mental health and wellbeing and is an advocate for all conservation, but particularly for helping people to understand nature in their local environment, gardens or ‘on their doorstep'. Sarah is also an artist, taking much inspiration from the natural world, spends much time hiking around Sussex and has a special interest in moths and fungi. She has been a member of Sussex Wildlife Trust since 2018.
Job Titles:
- Gatwick Greenspace Partnership Officer, Education and Events
- People & Wildlife Officer