Meet today's speakers - Nature North

Councillor Nick Kemp

Leader of Newcastle City Council

Councillor Nick Kemp was elected to Newcastle City Council in 2002 and has proudly represented the East End Ward of Byker ever since. He has held a series of council roles including Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods. He was elected Leader of Newcastle City Council in May 2022 and leads his Cabinet to address the city’s most important priorities, including tackling the cost-of-living crisis, eliminating poverty and achieving net zero carbon emissions. He has worked across sectors, holding diverse roles such as caseworker for a local MP and as business development manager for the Tyne and Wear Development Company. He currently runs a public affairs agency. Nick is a trustee of the National Centre for Children's Books. Mike has a personal passion for the natural environment and engaging people with our amazing landscapes of the North. His career has focused on land and visitor management in National Parks, with extensive experience of developing and working in partnerships to delivery bigger and better outcomes for people and nature. He started as a volunteer and then a series of Ranger and Woodland Management roles before becoming Northern Reserves Manager for the RSPB and then joining NT as General Manager for the Peaks and then in the Lake District.

Kerry ten Kate

Non-executive board member of Natural England and of Finance Earth

Kerry ten Kate is a non-executive board member of Natural England and of Finance Earth and a trustee of the RSPB, where she chairs the Conservation Committee. Kerry was on England’s Natural Capital Committee from 2012-2015. Between 2002-2006, Kerry was Director of Investor Responsibility at asset manager Insight Investment. Kerry is an independent consultant, advising governments, companies and civil society organisations on how best to integrate the natural environment into economic decision-making. She founded and for fifteen years led the Business and Biodiversity Offsets Programme (BBOP): 100 companies, banks, government agencies, NGOs and experts worldwide working for ‘Biodiversity Net Gain’ through avoidance and minimisation of impacts and finally biodiversity offsets. Kerry is a member of the Aldersgate Group, Conservation Fellow at the Zoological Society of London and a member of IUCN’s Commission on Ecosystems Management. Formerly a barrister, Kerry served on the Secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 (the 'Rio Earth Summit') and was policy adviser at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Carol Pyrah

Chief Executive of Urban Green Newcastle, Northern Trustee of the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Carol is an experienced heritage professional with a background in both charities and the public sector. Since July 2022 she has been Chief Executive of Urban Green Newcastle, an independent charity set up to manage the city’s 33 parks and 60 allotment sites and developing a sustainable model for park and green space management. Prior to this she was Executive Director of Historic Coventry Trust, finding innovative ways to sustain historic places and to inspire, involve and connect people with the city’s history. An archaeologist by training, Carol had a senior career at English Heritage and Historic England, where she was Assistant Director of Planning and a member of the Executive team. She has a track record in place-based regeneration projects and is passionate about the role of local places to foster civic pride and community cohesion. Carol has been a Commissioner of the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England and a Trustee for the Churches Conservation Trust. She has lived in the Yorkshire Dales for over 25 years. He speaks and writes widely on conservation and sustainability themes. He’s the author of many books, including the multi-award winning bestseller ‘What has nature ever done for us?’ published in 2013. The Ladybird guide to climate change, co-authored with HRH The Prince of Wales and Emily Shuckburgh, was published in January 2017. His latest book, ‘Rainforest‘, was published in April 2018. Tony began his career as an ornithologist, working with Birdlife International. From 1990 he worked at Friends of the Earth, initially leading the campaign for tropical rainforests, and from 2003 to 2008 was the organisation’s Executive Director. From 2000 to 2008 he was Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth International. He was the first recipient of the Charles and Miriam Rothschild medal (2009) and was awarded honorary Doctor of Science degrees from the Universities of Bristol and Plymouth (2013). In 2017 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

David Renwick

Regional Operations Director for the North Natural England

He was previously Director, North at National Lottery Heritage Fund. David is a trained ecologist with a BSc in Environmental Management and MScs in Restoration Ecology and Public Management. His previous roles include Director of Conservation at the North York Moors National Park ,Biodiversity Officer and Sustainable Development Manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, where he helped set up the Biodiversity Partnership and manage the funding and delivery of a complete ecological survey of the area. David previously sat on the UK Biodiversity Strategy Programme Board. More locally he also sat on the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership’s European Funding Committee. David is married with a five-year-old son and as a family they enjoy walking, wildlife watching and visiting galleries and museums.

Dr Colm Bowe

Development Manager, Nature North

Dr Colm Bowe, Development Manager Nature North: Colm leads the innovative collaboration Nature North, working to drive nature recovery at scale across the North of England. Colm is seconded to that role from Liverpool John Moores University where he is a Reader in Environmental Science and leads a research and knowledge exchange centre, the Natural Capital Hub. For almost 15 years Colm has worked with different stakeholders including government, business, infrastructure providers and NGO’s to embed nature and it benefits within policy and decision making. This has been with the aim of helping to build a green and resilient economy, improve wellbeing and enhance the natural environment.

Anne Reece

Chair of the Reece Foundation

Anne Reece is the Chair of the Reece Foundation. The Foundation was established in 2007 by the Reece Family with the aim of increasing the long term and sustainable prosperity of the North East of England . In particular, focusing on the improvement of education in engineering and related scientific and mathematical subjects, training in engineering skills and the development of employment opportunities. Recently the Foundation has become involved in several major rewilding initiatives in the North East. Annes personal philanthropy has centred on conservation, wildlife and environmental charities particularly in the Himalayas and development and disability charities. In 2023 she bought a farm in Northumberland for nature restoration and rewilding. Anne has been a Non-Exec Director and shareholder of Reece Group for the past 10 years. Previously she was Finance Director of SMD and Bywell Holdings Group for 15 years. She also sat on the Investment Committee of One North East RDA for 4 years. Having moved to Aberdeen Scotland in 2006 she has also been involved in several organisations there, most notably CAB. Sam became Interim CEO for the new Westmorland and Furness Council in May 2022 and took up the new permanent position at the turn of the year. The new Council comes into being on 1 April 2023. Outside of work Sam has two daughters, a husband and two dogs. Having always loved the outdoors, Sam recently moved to the beautiful Walney Island and spends her free time walking, swimming and cycling. Sam has a strong track record in strategic planning, community and partnership working and has driven a major transformational journey for Barrow Borough and its residents in the last few years, including securing over £50m investment in the last two years to deliver a range of innovative programmes. As one of three Senior Responsible Officers on the overall programme she has also played a leading role in the Local Government Reorganisation planning for Cumbria, which will see the biggest change to Cumbria’s council structures since 1974, with two new ‘unitary’ councils being formed to replace the existing set-up of six district councils and Cumbria County Council. Sam will be leading the new Westmorland and Furness Council, which is the new unitary authority for the geographical area currently covered by Barrow Borough, Eden District and South Lakeland District council boundaries. When not working, Sam can be found enjoying hobbies including open water swimming at favourite spots around Cumbria and spending time with her family.

Dr Rachel Palfrey

Senior Advisor – Natural England

Rachel leads on the Bradford and South Pennines Nature Recovery Project. This project looks to work with partner organisations to deliver nature recovery on the ground as well as improve people’s access and connection to nature. She is currently leading on the declaration of the first national nature reserve within West Yorkshire. Rachel has a PhD in Conservation Science. Her PhD assessed the environmental and social outcomes of privately protected areas. Rachel is married with 3 young boys and together as a family, they enjoy going on adventures throughout Yorkshire and beyond.

Keith Davie

Senior Advisor, Catchment Funding, Environment Agency

Keith is a chartered environmentalist and works for the Environment Agency. With nearly twenty years’ experience in landscape and environmental restoration, Keith believes strongly that environmental improvements should have a strong positive impact for nature, people and the economy. His involvement with the Aire Resilience Company is bringing the business and environmental sectors together to make Leeds a safer city. Growing up in Durban, Keith developed a love for the natural world mucking about in his local mangrove swamps, spending plenty of time in water and sailing and boating. He holds a master’s degree in environmental decision-making from the Open University.

Sarah Johnson

Head of Peatland Nature Recovery, The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside

Sarah has a background in conservation science, and particular interest in sustainable land management, focussing now on peatlands. She has worked on various peatland projects in the North West and currently leads LWT’s peatland programme work to improve and restore the peat landscape, and to explore innovative land management practises on agricultural peat soils. These include a field scale ‘carbon farm’ pilot and pioneering wetter farming trials looking at conventional and niche food crops. Sarah has sat on Defra's Lowland Peatland Taskforce NW sub-group, is a lead author of the IUCN UK Peatland Programme’s Commission of Inquiry report on Productive Lowland Peatland, and a co-author of Natural England's England Peat Strategy: Greater Manchester Peat Pilot Report for Defra. She also coordinates the Northern Lowland Peatland Coalition.

Dr Helen Paterson

Chief Executive of Northumberland County Council

Helen is the Chief Executive at Northumberland County Council. After initially teaching in Yorkshire, she successfully led three Primary schools in Hampshire. From 2003 she was a Director in Solihull and Executive Director of Children’s Services in Sunderland 2005-10. From 2010, in Sunderland, as Strategic Director for Transformation, she led the Council’s business transformation, efficiency and improvement work. She was Chief Executive at Wrexham Borough Council from 2011-17 and at Walsall Metropolitan Borough Council from 2017-2023. Her priorities are growing resilient communities through reframing the Council's relationship with the public and the local economy. She seeks to harness the opportunities, time, and energy within communities to enable them to develop themselves into strong local providers of services. With the economy her focus is on investing in skills and securing investment for jobs. She believes these foci increase economic and social wellbeing and ultimately tackle inequality and poverty in our communities. Helen has been influential in shaping innovative practice nationally in England and Wales particularly within business transformation; digital enabling; governance arrangements; regeneration; alternative delivery models; social care; health and education. Helen is a JP; keen daily swimmer and small-scale keeper of chickens.

Tony Gates

Chief Executive of Northumberland National Park Authority

Tony Gates is the Chief Executive of Northumberland National Park Authority; a post he has held since November 2005. Tony has worked as a chief executive in landscape and heritage management for over 30 years and has a deep interest in nature, the historic environment, urban and rural communities and in particular engaging more and different people with the natural world. A chartered town planner, Tony has previously worked in urban regeneration and rural development roles in the UK and overseas. An experienced non-executive Director, Tony is currently a Committee Member on the Heritage Fund Committee for England, North. Until September 2023 Tony was Chair of Your Homes Newcastle a position held since January 2020. Previously, Tony was a non-executive director of Northumberland Tourism Ltd, Active Northumberland, Kielder Water and Forest Park Development Trust and the Ouseburn Trust, which helps support the regeneration of this historic cultural area of Newcastle. In 2023 Tony was awarded the Freedom of the County of Northumberland in recognition for his work with Northumberland National Park.

Nature North Conference 2024

Meet the speakers