Governance

Abby is Head of Sustainability at Openreach, leading on the strategy for climate, nature and the circular economy. She has previously built and managed award-winning sustainability strategies for Selfridges and the John Lewis Partnership. From 2014-2019 she was a director of Volunteer Engagement at Pride in London, responsible for recruitment, training, deployment and wellbeing for over 1000 volunteers - and winning the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2017. She lives in Guildford and enjoys hiking the North Downs Way with her wife and son.

Adam has worked in the Environment sector for nearly 30 years starting at Peterborough City Council then for a Wildlife Trust and the National Trust at Wicken Fen.  He became a FWAG adviser in Surrey and Hants in the 1990’s joining the Countryside Agency in 1999 to work on National Park designations and AONB policy.  Since Natural England vested in the 2006 he has worked in a number of roles including as a Strategy/Partnership Manager and Area Manager in the South East. His current role is as Natural Englands Planning for Places Principal Adviser.  He also leads the organisations work on the Oxford to Cambridge Arc.  Adam was a board member on the  Surrey Nature Partnership and  currently sits on both the Buckinghamshire Natural Environment Partnership and the Buckinghamshire Growth Board. He is the Natural England representative on the ADEPT Environment Board.

Amy is the Principal Consultant of Nature Strategy at Nature Metrics, working on nature disclosure frameworks, biodiversity loss-gain accounting, and landscape assessments. She previously worked at Deloitte and Bank of America, primarily modelling climate and nature risks. From 2021-2023, Amy was the Borough lead for Friends of the Earth Climate Action Group.

Amy holds a BSc in Mathematics, an MSc in Climate Science, a chartership in Green & Sustainable Finance, and is a certified Climate Risk Professional. In her spare time, she is a cyclist and a trail runner.

Angela retired in 2017 from Ernst & Young LLP, where she was a partner, a Chartered Accountant and a Licensed Insolvency Practitioner. She has significant financial and commercial experience working with businesses over a 28 year period.  Angela has an honours degree and a doctorate in Geology and has a lifelong passion for the outdoors, nature and wildlife.  She lives in Surrey and is a member of SWT.

Christine Howard is the President of the Surrey Hills Society – the charity she helped set up thirteen years ago to in 2008 to support Surrey’s Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. She is also Chairman of Visit Surrey, Surrey’s official Tourism Board and Vice Chairman of the Surrey Association of Local Councils. She is a serving parish and borough councillor. Previously she has worked as an officer in local government for both Waverley and Guildford boroughs.  

Having grown up on a farm in Australia, she is passionate about rural issues and the environment. In recent years she writes has written a rural column for Surrey Life magazine and is been a judge on the Surrey Life Food and Drink Awards, which champions championed local producers. In her spare time she leads walks in the countryside, is Chairman of Guildford Walkfest and sings Gilbert and Sullivan operas with Godalming Operatic Society.

Matt has over 20 years’ experience working in environmental consultancy and property/land management in the utilities sector. He has worked at National Grid since 2013 and currently heads up the Electricity Transmission Property team. He has experience in leading teams, managing and enhancing large land portfolios, de-risking contaminated land, and delivering land and property related capital projects. He has a Masters in Soil and Environment Pollution, and Environmental Economics. Is a Chartered Scientist (CIWEM) and a Specialist in Land Condition (SiLC).

Mark retired from full time work in 2014 following a successful career in commercial law, during which he was a partner and head of the technology group at a prominent international law firm. He then became a qualified executive coach and an Associate Fellow at the Oxford Saïd Business School from 2014 to 2021.  He has considerable experience of working with charitable organisations over two decades, as a trustee and also advising and coaching CEOs and chairs of trustees in the management and development of charitable organisations. Mark moved to rural Surrey many years ago and is a long standing member of several local and national countryside charities.

Nina is a senior business and people leader with over 25 years of international strategy, innovation and sustainable growth expertise. She was a Partner in global innovation consultancy, ?What If!, and a Managing Director at Accenture before moving to specialise in helping businesses create people and planet positive growth. She is passionate about regenerating our world and has a lifelong love of nature and the outdoors. She has lived in Surrey for 9 years and shares her home and garden with her family, one dog and an assortment of visiting hedgehogs and bats.

Pam has been a volunteer and advisor with our education team for many years, sharing her wealth of knowledge gained over 40 years of teaching biology. She has a passion for the benefits of outdoor learning and is enthusiastically involved in the endless opportunities that SWT provide for all ages. 

Pam is the Internal Verifier for the Forest School and Outdoor Learning qualifications that SWT deliver and is in the conservation volunteer team in Norbury Park.

Peter was born and lives in Surrey. His professional background is in marketing and commercial strategy - after a degree in animal and plant biology Peter joined the pharmaceutical industry, where he held a variety of marketing and commercial leadership roles. He later became a strategy consultant and has been providing support to the Trust in this capacity, assisting the Trust on a variety of topics including strategic direction. Peter has a strong and enduring interest in wildlife with a particular passion for wildlife gardening and birding- and can often be seen in local sites, binoculars in hand.

Peter has over 40 years experience working in environmental science. With a keen interest in plants, animals and ecology from an early age, he went on to study for a degree in Plant Sciences at Cambridge University. During his career he worked as a field trials biologist, multi-discipline project manager and global product development manager, environmental stewardship manager and as an ecological risk assessor. As part of his environmental stewardship role he was responsible for creating projects to enhance farmland landscapes and wildlife biodiversity. Peter is a keen gardener with a wild garden and was recently appointed to the Royal Horticultural Society science committee. 

Simon was born in Surrey and has been active in conserving its wildlife since 1974. He started volunteering for Surrey Wildlife Trust in 1982 to manage Dawcombe Nature Reserve on behalf of the Trust. In addition to his role in practical conservation, Simon has experience of the wide range of activities needed to promote and conserve wildlife in Surrey and the UK. He was awarded an MSc in Environmental Management in 2001.

Simon has been SWT’s Voluntary Reserve Manager at Dawcombe for over 30 years and also at the Trust’s Fraser Down Nature Reserve since 2007. In addition he manages several areas for wildlife for private landowners. Simon has worked professionally in conservation, for SWT managing various sites and conservation projects and for the National Trust as SE Regional Nature Conservation Adviser and as their representative on DEFRA’s Major Landowners’ Group. He is particularly keen to promote high standards and continuity in conservation management of SWT's land, and is a champion for the contribution volunteers can make to the work of the Trust.

Peter is an experienced finance professional and passionate conservationist. As an accountant he has held roles within various businesses, investment banks and more recently provided financial consultancy services to SME’s. His own sustainable property business is well established. More recently holding a Finance Director role within a local community group Peter has led many urban greening projects. He has recently set up his own charity to create and nurture connection to the natural environment within his local community. Peter also enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and 2 young daughters, mountain biking and is a keen cold-water swimmer.