Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's governing Board of Trustees is a group of members who are nominated and elected. Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is, therefore, governed by its membership.
The Board is responsible for ensuring Yorkshire Wildlife Trust carries out its 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 financial stability and the effective management of the Trust's assets.
Nick Perks (Chair)
Nick joined as a trustee in 2020, previously serving as Honorary Secretary and Vice Chair.
He has lived in Yorkshire for more than 20 years, and brings a wealth of experience in charity management and philanthropy, including as a former Trust Secretary (CEO) of the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and former co-ordinator of the Environmental Funders Network. Since 2019, Nick has worked as a freelance charity consultant. He is an accredited Carbon Literacy Trainer and he 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.
Dr Mick Armitage (Honorary Treasurer)
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.
Dr Anna Dimitropoulou (co-opted)
Dr Anna Dimitropoulou has 10 years of experience in environmental law and conservation policy. She studied law at the University of Athens in Greece, followed by an LLM in Environmental Law at Queen Mary University of London and a PhD at the University of York. Her doctoral research explored the ability of nature conservation law and policy in England to support adaptive decision-making in response to evolving ecological conditions and competing interests.
Over the last five years, Anna has worked at the Environment Agency, currently serving as a Water Industry Planning Advisor. Prior to this, she helped to develop the Environmental Land Management Schemes, providing valuable insights on land use and conservation.
Passionate about Yorkshire’s natural heritage, Anna is committed to advancing the Trust’s mission to protect and restore Yorkshire’s wildlife and wild places. Having lived in York for over a decade, she is dedicated to fostering connections between people and nature, ensuring that future generations can experience Yorkshire’s vibrant biodiversity.
Dr Ceri Williams
Dr Ceri Williams 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.
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 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
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
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.
Neil Bramley (co-opted)
With a background in economics and financial services, Neil gained more than 15 years experience in a variety of senior banking roles before moving into the charity and conservation sector. He is passionate about leading organisations and teams to improve their focus on customers and members, embrace new technologies and transform operations to ensure they deliver real value and impact.
Having grown up exploring Yorkshire’s countryside, and having moved back to the county in 2011, he is passionate about ensuring our incredible wild places and nature are restored and protected for future generations
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!
Suzannah Rockett (co-opted)
Suzannah currently works for the RSPB, managing the Curlew LIFE project. Whilst she has a life-long passion for nature, her career has only recently moved into conservation. She has been a history academic, worked a signal box on the Sheffield-Manchester railway, provided face-to-face advice on housing and benefits with Citizens Advice, and latterly held senior leadership roles as Head of Implementation ad Head of Sustainability with GB Railfreight.
She brings experience in partnership working, facilitation and mentoring to the Trustee role, as well as an understanding of TCFD, TNFD and Biodiversity Net Gain from a business perspective. Through Curlew LIFE she has gained experience and understanding working with farmers and statutory agencies, and a great appreciation for the complexities of conservation in working landscapes.
Suzannah lives in the post-industrial landscape of South Yorkshire and feels particularly connected to the Ings and wetlands of the region, finding hope in places where nature has been able to reassert itself, with a little help from the likes of the YWT. She’s an avid walker and amateur birder.
