Natural England - Natural England Board

Mr Poul Christensen C.B.E. - Chair

Date appointed: 3 December 2009 - Appointed until: 31 December 2012

Poul was appointed Chair of Natural England on 3 December 2009. He was Deputy Chair of Natural England from 2006 and served as Acting Chair following the death of Sir Martin Doughty in March 2009.

He is senior partner of a successful family dairy farming business at Kingston Hill Farm, in Oxfordshire. He has a long track record of integrating conservation with the demands of modern farming.

Throughout his career Poul has taken a prominent role leading the farming sector through changing and challenging times. He is the joint founder of the Tenant Farmers’ Association, established in 1981 to provide a voice for tenant farmers. He was previously Chairman of Milk Marque in the late 1990s, steering the dairy sector through a period of significant change, Chair of the Rural Development Service until 2006, overseeing the launch of modern Environmental Stewardship schemes, and a member of the Defra Management Board before taking up the appointment of Chair at Natural England.

He is currently a Director of Agricultural Central Trading Limited, a farmer supply cooperative; and a Board member of the UK’s Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Poul received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the Queen's Birthday Honours List in 1991 for services to agriculture and the commercial development of the Agricultural Development Advisory Service (ADAS).

Dr Helen Phillips - Chief Executive

Ex-officio Board member

Helen was appointed Natural England’s first Chief Executive in February 2006 by the Secretary of State. She is also a member of Natural England’s Board and is the Accounting Officer of both Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

In leading the Executive Board, Helen has overall responsibility for the performance of Natural England. Helen was appointed for her track record in leading organisational change, to create a high performing organisation where pursuit of efficiency programmes will deliver increased investment in the natural environment.

Natural England aspires to be the environmental commentator of choice, Helen’s trenchant advocacy in her role as Chief Executive will be key to achieving this.

A post doctoral graduate of University College Dublin in zoology, Helen’s career spans biology in academia to leadership roles in the National Rivers Authority and the Environment Agency.

She is a member of the Royal Society of Arts and a member of the Association of Chief Executives. Before taking up her current appointment, she was the Director of Environment Agency, Wales.

Mr Peter Allen - Farmer

Appointed: 2 May 2006 - Until: 30 September 2011

Responsibilities include: North West region (except Mersey belt) and Lake District National Park.

Peter is a 17th generation Lakeland tenant hill farmer. He is also Chairman for the North West Regional Management Board of the National Farmers Union, Responsible use of Medicines Alliance and the EU Sheep Advisory Committee.

He also holds membership of the Moorland Access Advisory Group, NOAH Code of Practice Committee, North West REPAC and Standing Conference for Country Sports.

Professor Lynn Crowe - Environmental Management

Appointed: 2 May 2006 - Until: 30 September 2010

Responsibilities include: Yorkshire and the Humber region, Peak District National Park and Natural England’s Science Advisory Committee.

Lynn is Professor of Environmental Management at Sheffield Hallam University and responsible for the management of the Countryside Recreation Network. She also sits on the Forestry Commission's Public Forest Estate Study Working Group, and the Access to Nature Grants Panel (part of the Big Lottery Fund).

Lynn was a member of the Peak District National Park Authority from 1996-2006 and a Council member for English Nature from 2005-2006, before taking up the appointment of Board member for Natural England.

Ordinary membership is held in the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England and the International Council of Monuments and Sites.

Catherine Graham-Harrison OBE

Appointed: 1 January 2009 - Until: 30 December 2011

Responsibilities include: South East Region, Broads Authority, South Downs National Park and Natural England’s Audit and Risk Committee

Since 1994 Catherine has worked as a consultant, mainly in the not for profit sector. Prior to that she was a Vice President of Citibank and then Chief Executive of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation. She is currently a trustee of the Foundling Museum and a Governor of Coram, and has held a large number of other non executive positions over the past 20 years including being on the Board of the Heritage Lottery Fund and a trustee of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Mr Tony Hams OBE - Sustainable Development, Planning and Protected Areas

Appointed: 2 June 2006 - Until: 30 September 2011

Responsibilities include: Lead Board member for All “Protected Landscapes” and The Board member for the New Forest and North York Moors National Parks.

Tony was formerly the Chair of the UK Association of National Park Authorities, the Peak District National Park Authority and the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for the East Midlands. He is the Chair of Derbyshire Wildlife Trust, Chair of the East Midlands Biodiversity Partnership and a member of the East Midlands Regional Sports Board.
Tony has also been appointed as a Board member of the National Forest Company from April 2010.

Until 2006 he was a trustee and chair of the Green Alliance. He has a professional background in planning, conservation, recreation and sustainable development. Tony was a Countryside Agency Board Member member from 2000-2006, leading on protected areas, planning and energy issues before joining the Natural England Board. He is the lead Board member for National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. He was awarded an OBE in 2000 for services to sustainable development.

Professor David Hill - Ecologist

Appointed: 2 May 2006 - Until: 30 September 2012

Responsibilities include: North East region, Northumberland National Park, Joint Nature Conservation Committee, Natural England’s Science Advisory Committee and Audit and Risk Committee. He is also the Natural England Board Sustainability Champion.

David has significant experience in consultancy, nature conservation and company business strategy. He runs an ecological consultancy company, is Chairman of The Environment Bank Ltd and was previously Chief Scientific Adviser to RPS Group plc.

David is a Fellow and past President of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. He has published extensively on ecological issues and currently he is a Director of the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust.

David is a member of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee’s Board and their Audit and Risk Management Committee as Natural England’s representative. David is a member of the RSPB and a life member of the National Trust.

Dr Joe Horwood - Marine

Appointed: 1 October 2009 - Until: 30 September 2012

Responsibilities include: Lead Board member for marine, Natural England Science Advisory Committee and Marine Protected Areas sub-group on the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

Joe Horwood has a background in mathematics and zoology applied in marine ecology and resource management. He is currently Chief Science Advisor, and a non-executive Board member, at the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). He has been a member of the Board of the International Council for Exploration of the Sea (ICES) since 1998 and was President of ICES from 2006 to 2009. He was also on the Board of the Marine Biological Association from 1998 to 2001.

He has served on the science advisory committees of the International Whaling Commission, ICES and the EC. He is a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, and of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and a member of the British Ecological Society, the Challenger Society and the Suffolk Wildlife Trust. He has published on a variety of marine issues including whales, fisheries and marine protected areas.

Mr Doug Hulyer - Communications, Learning and Ecotourism

Appointed: 2 May 2006 - Until: 30 September 2010

Responsibilities include: South West region and Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks.

Doug is an independent advisor on People and Nature programmes and projects. He was previously the Director of Conservation Programmes for the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.

Doug is a committed environmentalist, environmental educator and conservationist with over 30 years professional experience. He is a Trustee of the National Heritage Memorial Fund/Heritage Lottery Fund and a member of HLF’s South West Committee.

Doug is currently Vice-President of the Surrey Wildlife Trust, a member of the Learnings Panel of the National Trust and Chair of the Education and Public Understanding Group for England Biodiversity Strategy and of The Great Fen Project Foundation.

He also holds memberships in Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust, English Heritage, Wildfowl & Wetland Trust, Freshwater Biological Association, Institute of Biology, Institute of Directors, The Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management and the National Trust.

Doug was a Council member for English Nature between 2002-2006, before taking up the appointment of Board member for Natural England.

Professor David Macdonald - Mammal Biologist

Appointed: 2 May 2006 - Until: 30 September 2011

Responsibilities include: Chair of Natural England’s Science Advisory Committee.

David is the Professor of Wildlife Conservation and the Director (and founder) of the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University. He is also Chairman of the Darwin Advisory Committee, Defra.

David was awarded the 2004 Dawkins Prize for contributions to wildlife conservation. In 2006 he was awarded the Merriam Medal for outstanding contributions to mammalian research by the American Society of Mammalogists and in 2007 he was awarded the equivalent medal of Britain’s Mammal Society. In 2008, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Other relevant interests are Non Executive Director for The Nature Bureau, and Director of the Oxford Stress Diagnostics. He is also Senior Research Fellow of Lady Margaret Hall, a Board Member of the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, and the World Wildlife Fund.

David was a Council member for English Nature from 2003-2006, before taking up the appointment of Board member for Natural England and is Chairman of Natural England’s Science Advisory Committee.

Mr Christopher Pennell - Formerly Regional Director, National Trust

Appointed: 2 May 2006 - Until: 30 September 2010

Responsibilities include: East Midlands region and Chair of Natural England’s Audit and Risk Committee.

Christopher has spent 27 years in the coal industry, ten as the National Trust's East Midlands Director, thirteen as a Parish Councillor and three as a trustee of CPRE in the Peak District and South Yorkshire. He was a founder member of the East Midlands Heritage Forum and a member of the East Midlands Rural Affairs Forum.

He is currently a Secretary of State nominated member of the Peak District National Park Authority and Vice-Chair of its Services Committee and the Chairman of the Countryside Awards Panel of CPRE (Peak District and South Yorkshire).

He is Chair of the East Midlands Committee of the Heritage Lottery Fund and holds ordinary membership of The Friends of the Peak District; CPRE; National Trust; English Heritage; Sheffield Wildlife Trust and the Liberal Democrat Party.

Christopher was a Council member for English Nature from 2005-2006 before taking up the appointment of Board member for Natural England.

Andy Wilson

Appointed: 1 January 2009 - Until: 31 December 2011

Responsibilities include: West Midlands Region

Andy Wilson has been Chief Executive of the North York Moors National Park Authority since March 2000 during which time the Authority has won a series of awards for customer service, training and work on climate change. Prior to that, he worked for seven years at the Northumberland National Park. Earlier in his career he worked for the Campaign for the Protection of Rural England (CPRE) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Andy is a member of the RSPB, Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and was a member of the Yorkshire and Humber Assembly Sustainable Development Board until April 2009.