Oliver Coppard
Mayor of South Yorkshire
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Oliver Coppard
Mayor of South Yorkshire
Born and raised in the region, Oliver took office as Mayor in May 2022 on a platform of restoring the pride, purpose and prosperity of South Yorkshire. He was re-elected in May 2024 when the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner was brought under the remit of the South Yorkshire Mayor.
Since graduating from Leeds University, Oliver has worked for a range of organisations including Barnsley Council where he worked on low carbon regeneration projects, in Parliament and the US Congress, South Yorkshire’s Local Enterprise Partnership and the charity BookTrust. He was Chair of the Board at Sheffield Hallam Students’ Union and has worked on a number of high-profile political campaigns, both within the region and abroad.
As Mayor, Oliver is working on delivering his manifesto pledge to fight for a better deal for South Yorkshire. In line with another of his pledges, to improve transport in the region, Oliver has already brought the tram network back under public control.
Mike Innerdale
Chair, Nature North and Regional Director – North of England National Trust
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Mike Innerdale
Chair, Nature North and Regional Director – North of England National Trust
Mike Innerdale has worked for the National Trust for over 15 years. In his current role as Regional Director, he has overall responsibility for the operation, care and management of the trust’s places across the North of England, including over 1500 staff and 5000 volunteers, 96,000 hectares of countryside and 51 miles of coastline. 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.
Tony Juniper
Chair of Natural England
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Tony Juniper
Chair of Natural England
Tony Juniper is Chair of Natural England. Before taking up this role in April 2019 he was Executive Director for Advocacy and Campaigns at WWF-UK, a Fellow with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and President of the Wildlife Trusts. Until January 2018 he was an independent sustainability and environment advisor, including as Special Advisor with The Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit.
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.
Alan Lovell
Chair of the Environment Agency
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Alan Lovell
Chair of the Environment Agency
Alan Lovell has been Chair of the Environment Agency since September 2022 and he believes it is the best job in the country. He was Chair of the Consumer Council for Water from 2015 to 2019.
After qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, Alan spent most of his executive career in industry, mostly seeking to rescue and turn around construction companies in a bit of bother; that included spells as CFO and then CEO of Costain between 1992 and 1997 and of Interserve between 2019 and 2022. He has also been involved, variously as CEO and investor, in six different renewable energy technologies.
Alan was High Sheriff of Hampshire in 2009/10. He is Chairman of the Hampshire Cultural Trust and a Lay Canon of Winchester Cathedral. He was previously chair of the Mary Rose Trust and of the board of governors of Winchester University.
More locally he also sat on the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership’s European Funding Committee.
Peter Young
Chair of The Broadway Initiative
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Peter Young
Chair of The Broadway Initiative
Peter is a seasoned environmentalist, currently acting as an independent trustee, chair and advisor. Peter spent 35 years working in the private sector on environmental issues. He has sat on various Government and independent bodies concerned with environmental regulation, voluntary standards and investment in nature.
He co-founded two business-led campaigning organisations - the Aldersgate Group which he formerly chaired, and the Broadway Initiative which he currently chairs. At Broadway he also oversees the Nature Markets Dialogue process, whose nature markets governance proposals are currently out for consultation. He also sits on Esmee Fairbairn’s Our Natural World Advisory Panel, advises the Enrich the Earth campaign, and is a Trustee of Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
Helen Avery
Director of Nature Programmes (GFI Hive) within the Green Finance Institute
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Helen Avery
Director of Nature Programmes (GFI Hive) within the Green Finance Institute
Helen Avery is a Director of Nature Programmes (GFI Hive) within the Green Finance Institute. She leads the Institute’s work on supporting the mobilisation of private sector finance into nature restoration, and the transition to an economy that values and invests in the natural environment. The Institute also hosts the Secretariat for the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures and GFI Hive oversees the UK TNFD Consultation Group. Prior to joining GFI, Helen was a financial journalist for 20 years, most latterly Global Sustainable Finance Editor for Euromoney Magazine.
Fraser Hugill
Farmer and Director of the Shorthorn Cattle Society
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Fraser Hugill
Farmer and Director of the Shorthorn Cattle Society
Fraser runs his own 400 acre mixed farm with partner Rosy and daughter Amber in Howardian Hills National Landscape. Fraser’s passion is the herd of beef shorthorn cattle and he is a director for the Beef Shorthorn Cattle Society. Alongside the farm, Fraser runs his own environmental consultancy specialising in facilitating environmental knowledge transfer with the farming community.
Rachel Bice
Chief Executive, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
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Rachel Bice
Chief Executive, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
Rachael moved to Yorkshire in 2019 from Cornwall to lead the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust team. She has 20 years of experience across the public sector, mainly focussed on strategic change through partnership and policy development.
She has a deep passion for personal growth, our relationship with animals and the environment, and seeks out the wild whenever she can, now often in the Dales and North York Moors. These passions are reflected in her academic studies of Land Economy, Equine Science and Anthrozoology, and a desire to create mainstream ideas from eco-psychology and deep-ecology.
She is an RSA Fellow and a member of Homeward Bound, an international leadership network for women seeking to create a more sustainable world.
Thomas Viegas
Nature Strategy Lead, Aviva
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Thomas Viegas
Nature Strategy Lead, Aviva
Thomas is an experienced professional with deep expertise in environmental economics, finance, and policy making. He has worked for the Bank of England, HM Treasury, the Taskforce on Nature-Related Financial Disclosures (TNFD), and Aviva.
Thomas is currently Nature Strategy Lead at Aviva. He leads the setting of Aviva’s nature ambition, and oversees the prioritisation, development, and implementation of activities across investment, insurance, and operations areas of the business to deliver on such ambition. Thomas is also currently an independent member of both the UK's Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) College of Experts, and UK Statistics Authority National Statistician’s Committee for Advice on Standards for Economic Statistics (NSCASE).
Thomas was previously Head of Capacity Building and Regulatory Engagement for the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD). Prior to joining TNFD, he worked at the Bank of England, where he developed and led the Bank’s initial approach and strategy to nature-related financial risks, and co-authored a range of NGFS and UN SIF foundational publications related to nature-related financial risk. Thomas was also previously an Economic Advisor of the UK government’s The Economics of Biodiversity: The Dasgupta Review.
Roz Davies
CEO of The Green Estate Community Interest Company
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Roz Davies
CEO of The Green Estate Community Interest Company
Roz Davies, MBA. is the CEO of The Green Estate Community Interest Company, winner of British Chambers Green Innovation National Business of the Year 2024 and the inaugural 2023 King's Enterprise Award for Sustainable Development. She is also a Commissioner of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority Business Advisory Board.
Dr Maxwell A. Ayamba BEM
Founder/CEO, Sheffield Environmental Movement (SEM)
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Dr Maxwell A. Ayamba BEM
Founder/CEO, Sheffield Environmental Movement (SEM)
Dr Maxwell A. Ayamba BEM is Founder/CEO, Sheffield Environmental Movement (SEM). An academic/environmental journalist by profession, a former Associate Lecturer/Research Associate, Sheffield Hallam University. Co-Founder, 100 Black Men Walking which inspired production of the national play “Black Men Walking” in 2018 by Eclipse and Royal Theatre Production. First Black person to serve on the Board of the Ramblers Association UK. Named in 2021 as one of the 70 most remarkable people in the history of the Peak District National Park since its creation in 1951. Recipient of the National Lottery Award in the Heritage category in 2021. Awarded the University of Nottingham’s Vice-Chancellor’s Medal in 2022 and, recognised in the 2023 King’s New Year’s Honours with Order of the British Empire Medal (BEM) for services to the environment and South Yorkshire.
Dr. Saira Ali FLI
Landscape Architect and Team Leader of Bradford Council’s Landscape Design & Conservation Team
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Dr. Saira Ali FLI
Landscape Architect and Team Leader of Bradford Council’s Landscape Design & Conservation Team
Dr. Saira Ali FLI is an award-winning Landscape Architect and Team Leader of Bradford Council’s Landscape Design & Conservation Team, a multidisciplinary group of professionals committed to the transformative power of placemaking in shaping society and the environment.
With over 28 years of experience, Saira is a passionate advocate for creating greener, healthier, and more prosperous communities. Her leadership is rooted in co-design and collaboration, ensuring that projects reflect the needs and aspirations of diverse communities. She has made a lasting impact by delivering innovative public realm, climate resilience, heritage, and nature conservation projects that prioritise inclusivity and sustainability.
Saira’s work spans multiple disciplines, addressing key challenges such as biodiversity loss, climate change, and social inequality. She is dedicated to fostering partnerships across sectors, enabling communities to lead in environmental stewardship and cultural preservation.
A Fellow of the Landscape Institute and recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the LI President’s Award for Best Landscape Scheme, Saira continues to drive forward Bradford’s vision for a greener, more equitable future. Through her leadership, the district is embracing innovative solutions that enhance wellbeing, promote climate action, and inspire lasting change for generations to come.
Dr Colm Bowe
Development Manager, Nature North
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Dr Colm Bowe
Development Manager, Nature North
Colm is seconded to his role at Nature North. He is a Reader at Liverpool John Moores University and expert in embedding Natural Capital approach within policy and decision making. At Nature North he leads the work, alongside the team, partners and steering group to develop the Nature North Investable Propositions and an Investment Strategy for Nature in the north of England. Outside of Nature North he sits on a number of environmental policy groups and chairs the Liverpool City Region Natural Capital Working Group a subgroup of the Local Nature Partnership Nature Connected.
Emily Diamand
Advocacy Co-ordinator
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Emily Diamand
Advocacy Co-ordinator
Emily Diamand is the Advocacy Coordinator for Nature North. She is a researcher, writer, campaigner and facilitator with degrees in environmental science and sustainable agriculture. She has more than 20 years of experience working with environmental NGOs, from grassroots organising to national policy, and led the evaluation and advocacy for the award-winning Northern Heartlands Great Place Scheme. She is a published author and Royal Literary Fund Fellow, with posts including the Faculty of Environment at the University of Leeds. She has led projects for the UKRI Landscape Decisions Programme using creative engagement as a means of raising underheard voices, and a Royal Geographical Society funded project exploring creative writing as a field research tool.
Professor Sir John Lawton CBE FRS
Influential environmental scientist and President of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
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Professor Sir John Lawton CBE FRS
Influential environmental scientist and President of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust
John Lawton is an environmental scientist, educator and science administrator. He was Chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution (2005-2011), Chief Executive of the Natural Environment Research Council (1999-2005) and is a Past President of the British Ecological Society, a former Chairman of RSPB Council (and currently a Vice-president of RSPB), and currently President (and formerly Chairman) of the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. He chaired the influential report Making Space for Nature in 2010. He has been an obsessive birdwatcher, botanist and bug-hunter since childhood.
