Meet our board

I have always had a fundamental interest in plants and have been lucky enough to for much of my career to ‘indulge’ this interest.

A BSc in botany and a PhD in plant biotechnology from Liverpool University lead me to University of Nottingham primarily as a research fellow as part of the Rockefeller Foundation rice biotechnology programme. At this time I started to discover Derbyshire and its wildlife. In 1993 I took up a lectureship at the University of Derby and started focusing my research interests more around the utilisation of biotechnology to support plant conservation. I am now Head of the Department of Natural Sciences, whose academics have a wide range of environmental interests; it is also the ‘base’ for the University’s Environmental Sustainability Research Centre.

As a trustee of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust I aim to facilitate the collaboration between the University and the Trust to open up new opportunities for both organisations to enhance the understanding and awareness of our wildlife.

I have been working in an Environmental and Engineering consultancy based in Derbyshire since the early nineties. Since 2006 I have been the Managing Director of the company which specialises in advising on all environmental aspects of construction and engineering design in the infrastructure, power and energy, education, housing and public sectors.

I live on the edge of the Peak District and enjoy walking in the local countryside when I get the chance with my daughters and their dogs. My interest in wildlife originated in Somerset where I grew up with the diverse and wildlife-rich habitats of the beach, the Levels and Mendip within easy reach. Family holidays in Scotland eagle and osprey watching really fired my enthusiasm for native wildlife. I have gained some practical conservation experience volunteering with the BTCV and have been a lifelong member of the WWF.

In addition to wildlife I enjoy playing piano, quizzing and making and drinking wine from various garden fruits and produce.

I have always loved wildlife. As a child I watched birds with my grandparents in the Derbyshire countryside, and I have carried with me through my study. I graduated from the University of Oxford with a degree in Geography and joined Derbyshire Wildlife Trust as a student, finishing my master’s in environmental management. 

Since 2018, I have been working in environmental sustainability within the NHS. I started my career at Nottinghamshire Healthcare. There, the link between green spaces and the mental health care we provided was very clear.

I am now the Head of Sustainability at East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust. My remit involves managing environmental compliance, utilities at a diverse building portfolio and leading our journey to net zero carbon.

Outside of work, you might find me wild swimming in our cleaner stretches of rivers or lakes.

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is an excellent home to support all of my interests. My love of the outdoors, protecting our environment and the importance of tackling the climate and biodiversity emergencies, including for our health.

I was born in Derby and have lived in Derbyshire for over 50 years, returning after studying Modern Languages in Manchester and a subsequent period working in an accountancy practice in Bristol. Coming back to my roots in the county, I continued my career by taking a position as a Management Accountant in in manufacturing before moving to the University of Derby, where I spent the latter part of my career as Head of Business Accounting Services. During this time, I was also a member of the University Board of Governors.  

Taking early retirement has allowed me the time to reconnect with the Derbyshire countryside and wildlife. When the chance to join the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust as a Trustee arose, it felt like the perfect opportunity to combine my professional skill set with my passion for the county and a growing interest in ensuring that our local wildlife and environment is protected and accessible for future generations. The Trust’s ambitious, and innovative vision, particularly its focus on mobilising and engaging local communities in protecting nature, is both exciting and inspiring for me personally. 

In my working life I'm Regional Director for the North for Natural England heading up a team who support the organisation’s mission of thriving nature for people and planet and building partnerships for nature’s recovery. Before joining Natural England I was Area Director for the North for the National Lottery Heritage Fund, leading a team of grant giving and heritage professional to help invest in all forms of heritage, from the large £10m plus investments down to £3k small grants, covering the natural, built, cultural and intangible heritage.

Before joining The Heritage Fund I was Director of Conservation for the North York Moors National Park Authority with various roles in local government before that and a short spell in consultancy. This is my first trusteeship, but I've previously sat on a range of partnerships and boards, from landfill tax credit funding panels, the EU Funding Committee of the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership, to nature groups such as Local Nature Partnerships, Catchment Partnerships and others. I was also a member of the UK Biodiversity Strategy Programme Board representing local delivery and National Parks. I’m currently a board member of Nature North – a largescale pan-regional partnership with a vision to create ‘A thriving environment across Northern England, with nature acknowledged by policymakers, the public and businesses as key to the prosperity, wellbeing and resilience of communities in the North’.

I have a degree in Environmental Management and Masters Degrees in Restoration Ecology and Public Management.

I've been passionate about nature from a young age when my uncle and auntie took me on wildlife walks bird watching and to museums where I loved looking at the natural history collections. I'm married and have a young son - we love trips to the beach, walking in the hills and trying to identify the things we see - I'm an enthusiastic but very amateur "botanist". Our latest 'project' is a wildlife pond and bog garden we've installed and we love seeing what visits us.

I believe passionately that we need to engage everyone in nature so we all have a sense of ownership for it - we must win hearts and minds and work collaboratively so everyone joins our cause!

I have lived in Derbyshire for over 30 years, and worked as a solicitor for the Crown Prosecution Service covering the local magistrates' and Crown Courts.

On retiring early, I was given a bat detector and attended an introductory bat course run by Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. This is just one of the things that inspired me to become increasingly involved with the Trust. I now volunteer on a weekly basis with Derwentwise, as well as helping out with the badger vaccination programme, in the outdoor classrooms and at HQ.

I also work in the voluntary sector with survivors of domestic abuse, and with the Derby Nightshelter. I am passionate about giving vulnerable and disadvantaged people the opportunity to connect with nature.

As well as volunteering, I spend much of my spare time hillwalking, playing tennis, trying to garden for wildlife and practising yoga.

I’m a photographer & filmmaker by trade with a passion for rewilding & storytelling. With a BSc in Zoology with Conservation & an MSc in Biological Photography and Imaging, I combine skillsets in my work as a science communicator, a highlight of which for me was working as an aerial camera operator for David Attenborough’s Wild Isles on the BBC.

I grew up in Derbyshire and then moved to Scotland to work in ecotourism as a nature guide, and for Scottish rewilding charity, SCOTLAND: The Big Picture. At the beginning of 2023, I took a year out to travel across Europe with my young family, visiting rewilding landscapes and generally trying to soak up as much nature as possible.

Throughout the year, I teamed up with Rewilding Europe to host and produce "The Rewild Podcast”, telling stories from across the continent of the passionate people and inspiring organisations fighting back for nature.

It’s a great opportunity to become a Trustee for the ambitious Derbyshire Wildlife Trust and I hope to utilise my skills to help drive the county up to an even wilder place.

Jim is a biologist by training who has worked in conservation and public bodies for over 40 years.  

Today he has a portfolio of interests. In addition to the Trust he is a Trustee of the NAAONB.  He was the CEO of the Peak District National Park Authority for 11 years, and has been a member of several DEFRA advisory groups, including as a panel member of the Glover Review of Protected Landscapes.  

He has previously worked in advisory and non executive roles for Northumbrian Water, Visit Britain and the NHS. Jim’s executive career included roles with the RSPB, Defra and the statutory conservation agencies.  

Jim writes for The Times and is a dealer in antiquarian books and antiques.

I am formerly Professor of Environmental Management at Sheffield Hallam University and my academic qualifications include Botany, Ecological Management, and Town and Regional Planning.  My main research interests are in the field of environmental policy development, particularly access and landscape management. I am particularly interested in the contribution that nature can make to the quality of people's lives, and how we can encourage more people to enjoy the countryside and urban green spaces more often, whilst protecting the natural environment.

Prior to joining Sheffield Hallam University, I worked for the Countryside Commission, local authority countryside services, and the Campaign to Protect Rural England in Sheffield and the Peak District. I have also had extensive involvement in regional and national government organisations, having been a Member of the Peak District National Park Authority for ten years (where I chaired their Park Management Committee and the Moors for the Future Committee), and a Board Member of both English Nature and Natural England (I remain on Natural England's Science Advisory Committee). I have also been a trustee or committee member of the National Trust, the CPRE, Europarc Atlantic Isles, and am currently Vice Chair of the South Yorkshire Local Nature Partnership. I am an enthusiastic member of the RSPB and my local allotments society (and - of course - Derbyshire Wildlife Trust).

I have worked for Natural England, the Government’s adviser for the natural environment in England, since I joined in 2003 as a conservation adviser in the Peak District uplands. For the last 11 years I have been a national specialist in natural capital and the ecosystem approach, which is about the many benefits people get from healthy nature. My role involves working with others to develop science and evidence to support nature recovery projects and policy development. I am strongly committed to bringing nature’s contribution to people into decision making, for nature’s sake and for the wellbeing of individuals, communities and society.

I have lived and worked in Derbyshire for over 30 years. Before joining Natural England I studied biology with geography at the University of Derby and returned a couple of years later to teach geography and nature conservation. I joined Natural England because I wanted to make a practical difference to nature conservation. It is this that also makes me excited to support, as a Trustee, Derbyshire Wildlife Trust’s ambition for nature in Derbyshire and the difference it can make to local people’s lives. 

I enjoy spending time in our local countryside where nature never ceases to inspire me. I’m also particularly fond of beachcombing when I have opportunity to travel to the coast, and in my spare time make and exhibit art from the plastic and other materials I collect from walks on the beach.

I have had a passion for wildlife and wild places for as long as I can remember and have followed these interests with a career in conservation. The majority of my work has been focused on international conservation, including time with the RSPB working in Asia and the UK Overseas Territories and the Wildlife Conservation Society working in Papua New Guinea, but also involved a short spell working with Derbyshire Wildlife Trust where I oversaw work in the Trent Valley. My current role is the Director of Conservation with the World Land Trust and where I work to support partner organisations around the world in their efforts to bring land into conservation protection.

I completed an undergraduate degree in Zoology in the UK before undertaking a PhD in conservation in New Zealand and then commencing my career as a research biologist and conservation scientist, before moving into management roles overseeing the implementation of projects and programmes of conservation work and supporting local and national conservation organisations.

I have lived and had a home in Derbyshire for over 20 years, but with many spells living overseas and also 4 years living in Suffolk, before returning to Derbyshire in 2023. I have always been a member and supporter of the wildlife trusts and value the work that DWT and other trusts do in protecting important sites for wildlife but also in providing a crucial opportunity for many people to experience and connect with nature.

Outside work I love being outside, and am likely to be on my mountain bike or climbing, taking an excited spaniel for a walk, or digging and planting something in the garden.

Stephanie Gradwell is a passionate advocate for wildlife conservation with a deep connection to Derbyshire, where she grew up and now raises her two children. As a qualified accountant (ACMA, CGMA) and holding a Masters in AI from Oxford University, Stephanie has held Directorships roles across Accounting, Transformation and Commercial within Marks and Spencer. Currently serving as Director of Data, Analytics & AI at Halfords, Stephanie brings a wealth of strategic leadership, technical innovation and financial acumen to the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. Her love for nature and commitment to preserving the local environment drives her to support the Trust’s mission to protect wildlife and ensure future generations can enjoy Derbyshire’s natural beauty.

Currently working at RSK Wilding, Tim has spent over twenty years in the environmental sector, moving from research into nature conservation and restoration. Most recently Tim has been working on multi-disciplinary projects across restoration and landscape investment, especially based around Biodiversity Net Gain and new nature markets. Before this he spent time developing a team and leading analysis and critique of Government environment policy at the newly formed Office for Environmental Protection. By far the longest time was spent on nature conservation and landscape scale delivery, including partnerships and funding bids, at the Wildlife Trusts where Tim worked in senior leadership and was CEO of two Wildlife Trusts.

A love of innovative conservation, a drive to advance delivery at scale and with cadence, means that Tim was really motivated to apply to be involved and support Derbyshire Wildlife Trust as a Trustee. The Trusts values and ambition suit his interest in restoration, rewilding and urban ecology. A long-standing interest in nature finance, and a recent involvement in emerging markets and setting up the governance for delivery makes it a great time to support DWT.

From a very young age I wanted to both run a business and work with animals and I was also interested in anything relating to the natural world and conservation. As such I graduated from Cambridge in 1994 with a degree in Biological Anthropology and then as a Veterinary Surgeon in 1997. Subsequent to this I have worked as an equine vet in the Derbyshire region.

I am an experienced Partner and Director with experience in Veterinary, Property and Pharmacy industries. I was a senior partner in a large multisite, multi-disciplinary midlands veterinary hospital and Director in a Veterinary Group that worked collaboratively with over 50 independent veterinary businesses across the UK.

I gained an MBA at the university of Nottingham in 2017 and I have been an Entrepreneur in Residence at the University since in 2020 and work with Masters students and alumni in Business and Entrepreneurship providing teaching and mentorship as needed. In 2021 I completed a short course at Oxford Business School in Sustainability and Climate Emergency.

I have long been interested in wildlife and conservation and most of our trips and adventures outside of work have been based around nature and seeing the wonderful things we share our planet with. Outside of my business ventures one of the things that I wanted to do was to use some of the skills that I had acquired to help to protect our world for future generations to enjoy and live in. Working with the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust is an excellent opportunity to do this.

I am very much an outdoors person and love photography, hillwalking and running. Our Patterdale Terriers are also keen on these life choices. Whilst unlikely to be ever selected for any running team I have raised money for WWF running London Marathon and in 2020 raised funds for Twycross zoo and Save the Rhino running every day for a month dressed as rhino.