About us
How we are funded
Our work is funded by our dedicated members and supporters, gifts in wills, grants, trusts and partners. Here we outline what we raised in the last financial period and breakdown where it came from.
Our trustees
We, like every other UK charity, are governed by a group of trustees who make up the Board. Trustees are required to retire every four years and may offer themselves for reappointment for a further period of four years.
Lord Tony Hall – Chair
Tony Hall is Chairman of the social work charity Frontline, the City Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and the film company Harder Than You Think Ltd. He is a Trustee of the National Trust, Natural History Museum, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. He is also former Chairman of the National Gallery and former President of the European Broadcasting Union, championing public service media across the world.
Tony is former Director-General of the BBC (2013–2020) overseeing all the BBC’s services across the UK and around the world, both public service and commercial. Tony first joined the BBC as a news trainee in 1973 and, as Director of News and Current Affairs, launched many of the BBC's most popular digital services, including BBC News Online, the rolling news channel, BBC Parliament and Radio 5 Live.
From 2001 to 2013, Tony was Chief Executive of the Royal Opera House, bringing financial stability, supporting new artists and developing new audiences. He introduced the first live cinema screenings around the UK, low-price ticket schemes and a thriving new production park in Thurrock.
Tony was a non-executive board member for Channel 4 Television and was later appointed Deputy Chair of Channel 4 in 2012. In 2004, Tony was appointed inaugural Chair of the industry-led Creative and Cultural skills, introducing the first formal creative apprenticeships as well as new online careers guidance for emerging talent. In 2009, he joined the London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games and was appointed Chair of the Cultural Olympiad Board.
Tony was awarded a CBE in 2006, the Pierre de Coubertin medal in 2023 for outstanding service to the Olympic Movement, and was made a life peer in 2010. Tony sits on the crossbenches in the House of Lords and is an honorary fellow of Keble College, Oxford.
Sally Benthall
Sally has worked for over 30 years in environmental conservation, first for WWF-UK and then for the Galapagos Conservation Trust, which she helped to establish. She is a founding trustee of LandWorks, an independent charity which provides a supported route back into employment and the community for those in prison or at risk of going to prison. She also manages a farm in Devon, with a focus on regenerative agriculture.
Sally joined the board in March 2017.
Andy Bryant
Andy is managing director of Red Bee Creative, a London-based, globally acclaimed creative agency specialising in media brand strategy, identity and promotion. He has over 30 years of experience in advertising, marketing, broadcasting and strategic consultancy, both in the UK and Australia and is an honorary professor in film and media at the University of Nottingham.
Andy has been involved in communications, advertising and design for brands including Discovery Networks, NBCUniversal, Netflix, the BBC, and Disney, as well as non-media brands like Barclays, Nissan and Hyundai and charities including BBC Children in Need, Comic Relief, Soccer Aid for Unicef and the National Deaf Children’s Society.
Andy joined the Board in September 2020.
Fay Cooke
Fay is the chief impact and financial officer at Yeo Valley Production Ltd where she leads the company’s finance, people, technology and quality teams. She has a PhD in zoology and is passionate about the environment, climate change and animal welfare. Her particular interests include sustainable food policy, regenerative organic farming and holistic decision making.
Fay joined the Board in December 2018.
Steve Horley
Steve has worked in technology for 20 years, growing a number of ‘Telecoms and the Internet of Things’ businesses from start-ups into well-known brands.
He is now an active investor in the renewable energy sector, chairman of EV fleet charging, adviser to Japan-based Energy & Environment Investments Inc; and non-executive director on the board of HomeServe Membership Ltd. Brought up in the Surrey Hills, Steve has a life-long love of trees and woodland.
Steve joined the Board in September 2020.
Julia Knights
A soil and climate scientist, Julia’s career spans over 20 years in biodiversity, conservation and climate change – including in the Senior Civil Service, where she led a team of climate scientists and played a role in the UK’s Net Zero by 2050 legislation. Julia also spent 12 years as a diplomat leading science teams in East China, Russia and South America – including oversight of a £150 million UK-Brazil research fund such as for identifying new plant species in the Amazon and Atlantic rainforests.
Julia is Deputy Director of the Science Museum and leads on sustainability across the five museums in the group. Passionate about trees, Julia is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, sits on the Advisory Board of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Bees and Pollinators, and also sits on the Public Engagement Committee of The Royal Society.
Julia joined the board in June 2023
Briony Nesbitt
Briony’s deeply rooted connection with nature led her to the Woodland Trust. After growing up amongst stunning Cornish landscapes, Briony pursued a BSc in Biology and an MSc in Marine and Fresh Water Ecology, which took her from Cape Verde to South Africa’s Kruger National Park. Briony is also an advocate for the incredible wildlife on our doorstep, as well as the importance of working with communities and young people to engage them in the protection and preservation of the UK’s wildlife.
Believing that everyone should have the opportunity to connect with and explore nature, Briony is a firm advocate for inclusive access to woodlands, and as a trustee, hopes to bring a unique blend of experience in conservation, community development and youth empowerment to the Woodland Trust - ensuring that woods remain accessible to all, protected and cherished.
Briony joined the board in June 2023
James Ogilvie
A chartered forester, James’ forestry career spans forty years – most recently leading social policy in Forestry Commission Scotland (including communities, access, recreation and health).
A director of Borders Forest Trust and a Tree Aid business ambassador, James is fortunate to manage a small, award-winning woodland in Northumberland. His books include Heritage Trees of Scotland, and A Brief History of the Forestry Commission.
James joined the Board in September 2018.
Mark Preston
Mark is the executive trustee (since 2017) and chief executive (since 2008) of Grosvenor, with overall responsibility for the Grosvenor family’s business interests.
He is a member of the (University of) Cambridge Land Economy Advisory Board; an honorary vice president of the Cambridge University Land Society; and a trustee of the Urban Land Institute (ULI).
Mark joined the Board in September 2019.
David Saddington
David is the deputy head of the UK Government International Forest Unit and led the nature campaign for COP26, which resulted in 145 world leaders committing to halt and reverse forest loss by 2030, pledging over $12 billion in finance, and committing to tackling the largest drivers of deforestation such as commodity production and trade. He now works to ensure these ambitions are delivered.
This role continues David’s decade-long work leading efforts within governments and businesses to establish and deliver Net Zero ambitions. As a teenage campaigner, he persuaded the Prime Minister to put climate change on the UK school curriculum and has since led global efforts to engage the public via TED talks, innovative events and media campaigns.
David is also a trustee for Nile Rodgers’ We Are Family Foundation, supporting game-changing youth innovators to amplify their impact, and is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
David joined the board in June 2023
Julia Smithies
Julia is a chartered accountant and retired from PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) after 33 years, where she led various parts of the tax practice and held senior strategic and governance roles. She is also a member of the advisory board for the International Opera Awards.
Throughout her life, from "planting a tree in '73" as a young girl, to learning to build dry-stone walls in preparation for retirement, Julia has taken an active interest in plants, trees, the British countryside and the wildlife it supports. Julia is passionate about the natural legacy we leave to future generations.
Julia joined the Board in March 2017.
Amber Thiara
Amber started out as a Mechanical Engineer for Rolls-Royce before her love of sports spurred her to become a journalist at BBC Sport. Her passion for entertainment and creating content for younger audiences led her to manage social media for The One Show and go on to become the Deputy Head of Social for BBC Three. She has now returned to the world of live sports as Senior Producer for Sky Sports Social Media.
Amber has always had a huge appreciation for the outdoors and valued the importance of trees and nature, especially their links to mental health and wellbeing. She is passionate about giving a voice to the young and underrepresented and empowering them to help change the world around them.
Amber joined the board in June 2023
Chris Zissis
Chris is a chief information officer and chief technology officer with extensive experience across technology, data, digital and transformation. He has a solid track record of global to local delivery at scale in professional services, financial services, capital markets and real estate services across the globe, and takes a keen interest in sustainability – particularly the role that technology can help play in achieving this.
Chris currently holds the position of global head of technology and chief technology officer at Nuveen Real Estate and Real Assets.
Chris joined the board in June 2020.
