Trustees

Board of Trustees

Our ultimate governing body is an elected Board of Trustees; a group of members who are nominated and elected. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is, therefore, governed by its membership.

The Board is responsible for ensuring that we carry out our charitable objectives in accordance with the relevant legislation. It sets the overall vision, mission, policy and goals - in line with the national strategies of The Wildlife Trusts. It must also ensure our financial stability and the effective management of our assets.

Jo Webb (Chair)

A profile picture of Jo Webb (Chair of the Board of Trustees)

Jo became the Chair of the Board of Trustees in December 2020. Over the last five years she has also worked as an organisational coach, with clients including Green Alliance, Climate Outreach and Greenpeace,

Previously, she has had many roles in local government including Regional Associate for the Local Government Association in which she supported leading councillors and senior managers across Yorkshire. She has also worked as an inspector for the Audit Commission.

Jo has enjoyed volunteering for Yorkshire Wildlife Trust over the last few years and as Chair of the of the Board of Trustees she brings expertise in strengthening governance and management. 

Martin Randle (Honorary Treasurer)

A profile photograph of our Trustee, Martin Randle.

Martin is a Chartered Accountant, now retired after a career in finance across a wide range of businesses and industries. Brought up in Yorkshire, he qualified in Bristol and then moved to Zimbabwe in the 1980s. Whilst in Zimbabwe, he was able to experience the amazing animal and bird life of the country but also saw the threats from growing populations and poaching. As a result he developed his conservation interests and became a supporter of the local ”Save the Rhino” group.

He has now lived in Sheffield for many years and finds both Yorkshire and the nearby Peak District inspiring places for all ages to enjoy the great outdoors. Since first becoming a Trustee in 2015, Martin has actively supported the Trust in a Board role and as a member of the Finance Group, as well as enjoying many visits to the amazing reserves. He was appointed Honorary Treasurer of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in April 2020 and hopes to contribute practical finance experience and common sense to assist in the running of the organisation.

Professor Alastair Fitter CBE

A profile photograph of our Trustee, Alastair Fitter.

Alastair has been a member of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust for nearly 50 years, and this is his third stint on the Board. He has had a long-standing engagement with Askham Bog, chairing its then Management Committee until 1985 and jointly writing 'A Wood in Ascam', an account of its natural history, with Clifford Smith, one of the founders of the (then) Yorkshire Naturalists’ Trust.

Alastair is a naturalist and ecologist, with plants and moths as his main taxonomic interests, and has written several natural history guides and books, some jointly with his father, Richard Fitter, who was a pioneer in this area until he died in 2005. Alastair's career was at the University of York, where he ended his time as Professor of Ecology, Head of the Biology Department and finally Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2005.

Alastair has been a council member of the Natural Environment Research Council and of the Science Advisory Committee of Natural England, and President of the British Ecological Society, among other things, but nowadays prefers to focus his activities in Yorkshire, where he currently chairs the Trustees of the Yorkshire Arboretum and acts as President of the River Foss Society.

Gurdev Singh

Gurdev has worked in the Direct Marketing industry for almost 30 years, and is passionate about data, multi-channel communications and integrated marketing.

He cut his direct mail teeth at Broadprint, spending seven years with them in the 80’s when data-driven direct mail was in its infancy. He has since built up a huge wealth of experience including Divisional Sales Director, and later Managing Director and Group Business Development Director at Waddingtons (now Communisis), with responsibility for teams of over 500 people and multimillion pound revenue. He has also acted  Group Board Director for Howitt Ltd/Lateral Group (now DST/Paragon).

Gurdev has completed consultancy work for KPMG and is part of marketing agency Bloom as a Non-Executive Director. He also owns a printing company - Northwolds Ltd. He is very well connected in the industry with long-term senior level relationships with well respected and nationally recognised institutions, as well as various industry bodies and service providers. Gurdev lives in Leeds,  is married to Dawn and has two grown up children.

Dr Mick Armitage

A profile photograph of our Trustee, Dr Mick Armitage.

My passion for wildlife began with visits to Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserves as a boy. I studied Marine Biology at university, where I was particularly interested in the ecology of our shorelines. I followed this up with a Zoology PhD studying the ecology of mountain streams in Wales. This combination has given me a good understanding of the natural environment and its complexities and challenges.

A change of direction led to a 30-year career working as a business consultant specialising in providing technology advice to global corporations, government departments and NGOs. I managed many large-scale projects delivering business and technology change.   Having recently retired I am able to bring skills that combine my scientific expertise with my extensive business experience to the board.

I have been a co-opted member of the YWT board since November 2020. I have played an active role in the Finance & Risk Committee for the trust. I have recently been representing the board on a group established by the UK Wildlife Trusts that is examining climate change, its impact on wildlife and how trusts can respond.

I have remained committed to wildlife throughout my life and am a regular visitor to our reserves. I am always happy to be visiting and photographing wild places. I have lived in Yorkshire for most of my life and am currently attempting to rewild land around my home in Nidderdale, where I live with my family.  

Nick Perks

A profile photograph of our Trustee, Nick Perks.

As an enthusiast for nature, and a resident of Yorkshire for 20 years, I was delighted to join the trustee team at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. In the current challenging context, the mission of protecting, enhancing and sharing Yorkshire’s living landscapes is more important than ever.

I have over twenty years of practical experience of charity management and leadership, most recently as Trust Secretary (CEO) of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, and a sound knowledge of charity governance and charity law. I also have excellent networks and understanding of environmental philanthropy. I am a former co-ordinator of the Environmental Funders Network, and in a freelance capacity I initiated, developed and launched the Funder Commitment on Climate Change which has been signed by many of the UK’s leading charitable trusts, and replicated internationally.

With prior experience as a charity trustee, I have a sound understanding of the responsibilities of the role and the factors that enable trustees and senior staff to work positively and effectively together. 
 

Dr Ceri Williams

A profile photograph of our Trustee, Ceri Williams.

Ceri has lived and worked in Yorkshire for the past 30 years and has held leadership roles in universities and in economic development. She is a biologist at heart and worked as an environmental engineer in academia and in partnership with companies. She has held leadership roles in research and innovation at the University of Leeds and is currently self-employed. She brings sound knowledge of strategic leadership, partnership working, governance and securing national and global funding to tackle complex research problems.

Ceri has been a member of the Trust for a number of years and brings her strategic leadership skills to help the Trust to achieve its goals of achieving wildlife-rich places and wildlife-rich lives in Yorkshire; and sharing her knowledge of research and innovation funding to support the Trust to continue to be informed by science.

Ceri is passionate about wildlife and the natural world. She lives in Ilkley and is enjoying rewilding the garden, watching local wildlife and spending time outside walking and cycling.

Dr Jane Smart OBE

A profile photograph of our Trustee, Dr Jane Smart OBE.

Dr. Jane Smart led IUCN’s newly established Centre for Science and Data, aiming to increase the uptake and impact of data products based on IUCN standards in support of IUCN’s Mission, including The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and working to define and measure “Nature-Positive”. Prior to that, she led IUCN’s Biodiversity Conservation Group (including the Species, Protected Areas and World Heritage Programmes) as well as IUCN’s work to influence the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework to be adopted at CBD COP15 in December 2022. 

Jane began her career carrying out research into the restoration of peatlands with the former Nature Conservancy Council at the University of Sheffield. She became the first Chief Executive of Plantlife International, following a period with the London Wildlife Trust and the Greater London Council. Before joining the IUCN Secretariat, Jane was Chair of the IUCN UK National Committee. In 2003, she was awarded the OBE for services to international conservation. 

Jane is based in Malham in the Yorkshire Dales where she enjoys walking and nature. 

Michael Graham

A profile photograph of our Trustee, Michael Graham

Michael has had a lifelong interest in the natural world, wildlife and the ‘outdoors’. He brings knowledge and experience gained throughout his 18 years farming in the Yorkshire Dales and Northumberland, followed by over 27 years working for the North York Moors National Park (latterly as Director of Recreation and Wellbeing). He wants to help Yorkshire Wildlife Trust continue its impressive record of creating conditions that enable nature to thrive and people to benefit.

Travel and walking, both in this country and abroad has impressed on him both how much nature is under threat, and how much benefit is to be gained where it is allowed to thrive.

Nabil Abbas

A profile photograph of our Trustee, Nabil Abas

Nabil has worked in nature conservation for over 20 years, the majority of this time in South and West Yorkshire and the Peak District. Having started his career as a Wildlife Trust trainee, he has been fortunate to work in a number of roles in three different Wildlife Trusts.

Nabil currently work as the Project Manager for the Skell Valley Project, delivering a landscape scale partnership project in North Yorkshire, co-led by Nidderdale AONB and the National Trust. 

In his spare time he enjoys walking, growing things and exploring Yorkshire’s wonderful wild places.
 

Peter Meadows

A profile photograph of our Trustee, Peter Meadows.

Peter is the Assistant Estate Manager for Escrick Park Estate and joined the Board of Trustees in October 2022. Growing up in Dorset, making the most of being able to explore the natural environment was a joy and drove Peter to want to do more to protect it. Coming from a farming background he could see that more could be done across the farmed and wider landscape to protect and enhance nature. 

After studying Agriculture at Aberystwyth University, Peter went onto business consultancy before settling on his current role. Bringing a view on land and property management with a keen interest on the financial performance of the Trust will be where he hopes to give something back. He is keen to encourage a diverse range of people to engage and work with the organisation especially giving opportunities to those who don’t have direct access to nature. 

Still being a newcomer to Yorkshire (even after 4 years) you will often see Peter out exploring the reserves and the wider environment on his bike or in his hiking boots!