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Our team
Our Chair, Vice-Chair and Directors are responsible for the formal oversight and governance of the Group’s work.
Kathy Willis CBE is Professor of Biodiversity in the department of Biology and the Principal of St Edmund Hall, University of Oxford. She is also a Crossbench Peer in the House of Lords. Previous roles include Director of Science at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and a member of the UK Government’s Natural Capital Committee. She has over 30 years of experience as a leading internationally recognised plant research scientist. Her areas of scientific expertise cover plant evolution, biodiversity conservation, natural resource management, natural capital assessments, agri-environment schemes, nature-based solutions, forestry, climate change, and the relationship between biodiversity and human health.
Alongside her own scientific research, she has spent her working life communicating, leading and producing strategy documents that set the way for the future of nature, including State of the World’s Plants (2016, 2017), State of the World’s Fungi (2018) and as a lead author on the 2019 Global Assessment of Biodiversity for the
Intergovernmental Panel on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Kathy has also published four books for a general audience: The Evolution of Plants; Roots to Riches, based on the BBC radio series of the same name; Botanicum, part of a successful series of books for children and Good Nature: the new science of how nature improves our health. This most recent book pulls together the newly emerging scientific evidence to demonstrate the physical and psychological changes that automatically occur in our bodies when our senses interact with different aspects of nature; changes that result in significant improvements in mental and physical health. Good Nature is published in translation in 18 languages.
Baroness Willis of Summertown,
Chair
Baroness Boycott,
Vice Chair and Director
Since co-founding Spare Rib Magazine over 50 years ago Rosie has had a career as a journalist, author, broadcaster, documentary maker, and more recently as a campaigner on environmental and food issues. She served as the editor of Esquire, the Independent and Independent on Sunday, and the Daily Express before going on to spend 10 years as Chair of the London Food Board, appointed by the then Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. She entered the House of Lords as a Crossbench Peer in 2018, where she is a member of the Environment and Climate Change Select Committee. Outside of Parliament she serves as Chair of Feeding Britain, and is a trustee of the Food Foundation, Sustain, the Woodland Saver, and the Hay Festival.
Lord Ravensdale, Vice Chair and Director
Daniel is a crossbench peer and took his seat in 2019 as the youngest member of the House of Lords. Outside of Parliament, Daniel is a project director working in the nuclear industry for a leading engineering consultancy firm; he has a strong technical background in nuclear reactor systems design and nuclear safety case development. Daniel is an advocate for environmental issues within Parliament. As well as his work with Peers for the Planet, Daniel is a board member of the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology and co-chair of the Midlands Engine all party parliamentary group, which he founded in 2020. Daniel has a masters in aerospace engineering from the University of Sheffield and is a chartered engineer with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.
Baroness Hayman,
Director
Helene is a Crossbench peer and former Lord Speaker of the House of Lords. She was MP for Welwyn and Hatfield in 1974. After losing her seat in 1979 Helene founded a charity, Maternity Alliance. She was involved in the NHS and a range of national and international organisations working on global health and development and chaired the Whittington Health NHS Trust for five years, from 1990-1996. In 1996, she entered the House of Lords and, following the 1997 General Election, held Ministerial posts in the Transport, Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and Health Departments, and was made a Privy Counsellor. In 2006 she was elected by members of the House of Lords to be the first ever Lord Speaker, serving a full term until 2011. Helene previously served as a trustee of the Disasters Emergency Committee and is a former Chair of Malaria No More UK.
Baroness Lane-Fox, Director
Martha is a businesswoman and public servant. She is currently President of the British Chambers of Commerce, Chancellor of the Open University and non executive director of a range of businesses. She is an advisor to government on technology and patron of a range of charities. In 1998 she co- founded lastminute.com and from 2009 to 2015 she was UK Digital Champion and set up the government digital service which created gov.uk.
Lord Randall of Uxbridge, Director
John served as MP for Uxbridge from 1997 to 2010 and for Uxbridge and South Ruislip until 2015. He joined the Privy Council in 2010, and was given a knighthood in 2013 and awarded a life peerage in 2018. He was Government Deputy Chief Whip between May 2010 and October 2013, as well as Environment Adviser to Prime Minister Theresa May from 2017 until July 2019. A lifelong conservationist and ornithologist, Lord Randall is a former Council Member of the RSPB as well as a Trustee of the UK Overseas Territories Conservation Forum and formerly of the Bat Conservation Trust. Currently he is Chair of Working with the Wild ( previously Thin Green Line), a charity devoted to the welfare of rangers worldwide and local people protecting nature. He is also Chair of the Human Trafficking Foundation and the Task Force Trust. In February 2016 he was appointed Special Envoy on modern slavery to the Mayor of London.
About Me
Created a Liberal Democrat life peer in 2015, Shas is Chair of the Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee. Formerly she was a member of the Lords’ Select Committee on Science and Technology. From 2016 to 2020 she was the Liberal Democrat Lords Spokesperson for International Development. In 2006, Shas was elected as a Councillor for Kew ward on Richmond Borough Council, where she served as an Assistant Cabinet Member for Climate Change, utilising her expertise in environmental technology to work towards a greener Richmond.
Baroness Sheehan
Director
About Me
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Ben is a member of the House of Lords and served in the Government from November 2023 until the 2024 General Election. Previously, Ben was Political Secretary to the Prime Minister before becoming Deputy Chief of Staff in Downing Street. In addition to a brief period in the private sector, Ben has also worked in the Foreign Office and London City Hall.
Lord Gascoigne,
Director
About Me
Barbara, Baroness Young of Old Scone, is a Member of the House of Lords with special interests, among others, in the environment, agriculture, land use, planning, natural resources and climate change. She is Chair of the Labour Climate and Environment Forum. She holds a range of voluntary positions including with the South Georgia Heritage Trust, Chartered Institute of Environmental Management, RSPB, Bird Life International and Flora and Fauna International. She has held a variety of environmental leadership roles, including Chief Executive of RSPB and the Environment Agency, and Chair of English Nature and the Woodland Trust. She is a Commissioner of the Commission on Food Farming and the Countryside.
Baroness Young of Old Scone,
Director
About Me
Larry spent his earlier career in the aviation industry and civil service. After a degree in Economics, he joined the Trade Union Movement at the TUC and then GMWU (now GMB). He became General Secretary of the Labour Party from 1984 to 1994, later acting as Tony Blair’s contact on European matters. A Labour peer since 1996, he served as Lords spokesperson in the Foreign Office after the 1997 General Election and was a Minister for Transport at DETR and then a Minister for Environment and Agriculture at Defra. After leaving Government in 2005, he became Chair of the National Consumer Council and Consumer Focus and Board Member of Ofwat and the Environment Agency. He has served as chair or trustee of several charities in the fields of environment; road safety; fuel poverty and energy efficiency; and on the Board of companies dealing with energy efficiency and water retail. He has also conducted a number of Inquiries into energy, consumers and housing. He was a member of the House of Lords EU Select Committee and Chair of its Sub Committee on the internal market, dealing intensively with Brexit and related matters until July 2019 and then a member of the Lords Select Committee on Environment and Climate Change until 2024. He is now a member of the Lord Select Committee on European Affairs.
Lord Whitty,
Director
Lynette Huntley,
Director
Lynette brings over 20 years experience in public policy, advocacy, business operations and governance. Prior to joining P4P, Lynette was Chief of Staff at Channel 4 Television, where she was also C4’s founding Executive Sponsor for the Environment. Lynette was previously Director for Government & Regulatory Affairs at Ofcom and has held a variety of roles in the public and private sectors, working in the UK and Brussels, including in consultancy, at the European Commission and the UNHCR. She started her working life at the UK Home Office.
The group benefits from the insight and expertise of a cross-party Advisory Panel, with Peers drawn from many walks of life: Baroness Boycott, Lord Taylor of Holbeach, Lord Knight of Weymouth, Lord Duncan of Springbank, Baroness Blackstone, Lord Teverson, Lord Chartres, Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle and Baroness Verma.
The Group is supported by the P4P Secretariat
Emma Crane,
Head of Policy and Legislation
Emma joined P4P in September 2020 from the Marine Conservation Society where she was Head of Public Affairs, oversaw MCS's legislative and public affairs programme and led the Greener UK fisheries pillar. Emma started out as a corporate lawyer and ran her own business before establishing a high profile advocacy project on HS2 working in coalition to seek better environmental outcomes and working as a parliamentary adviser.
Mark Engel,
Policy Communications Lead
Mark Engel, Policy and Communications Lead
Mark joined P4P in September 2022 from the energy regulator Ofgem where he was Head of the CEO and Chair’s Private Office, overseeing the private office team and wider network to provide strategic support, advice, and counsel to Ofgem’s senior leaders. Prior to this, Mark has worked in public affairs roles for an NHS regulator and a Westminster based public affairs agency. Mark has an MSC in Business Strategy and the Environment and is a Committee Member of a London Park.
Mark joined P4P in September 2022 from the energy regulator Ofgem where he was Head of the CEO and Chair’s Private Office, overseeing the private office team and wider network to provide strategic support, advice, and counsel to Ofgem’s senior leaders. Prior to this, Mark has worked in public affairs roles for an NHS regulator and as a consultant at Westminster based public affairs agency. Mark has a degree in Politics and International Relations and an MSC in Business Strategy and the Environment. He is a Trustee of a London Park.
About Me
Tom joined P4P in April 2024 from the British Red Cross where he led and advised the NGO’s engagement with Parliament and Government as public affairs manager, covering international development, climate-related disasters and emergencies and public health. Previously, Tom specialised in UK renewables and business policy, setting up and co-running ResPublica thinktank’s Industrial Strategy Unit. Prior to this, he handled accounts across tech, nature and energy at leading public affairs agency Portland. Tom holds an undergraduate and Master’s degree in International Security.
Tom Nguyen, Senior Manager - Policy, legislation, comms
Alasdair Johnston, Parliamentary Coordinator
Alasdair joined P4P in May 2020 from the House of Lords Committee Office where he worked on the Constitution Committee and coordinated the parliamentary scrutiny of international agreements on the European Union Committee. He has a degree in History and worked as a parliamentary tour guide before working in the Lords.
About Me
Rachel joined P4P in November 2024 from the responsible investment NGO ShareAction, where she served as Head of Fundraising. She previously held fundraising and programmes roles in the international development sector with ActionAid, Unicef UK, and Teach A Man To Fish, focusing on education, livelihoods and women’s rights. Rachel holds an MSc in International Development Management from the London School of Economics and an undergraduate degree in European Studies and Modern Languages.
Rachel Knight,
Fundraising Lead
Hannah Messer,
Operations & Finance Manager/Director
Hannah joined P4P in September 2021. She has many years experience of providing operational, communications and business management support for non-profit and public sector organisations, including the NHS and more recently a UK charity supporting the delivery of quality education in Rwanda.
David Farrar,
Advisor
David joined P4P in May 2022. Previously he worked on pensions and financial services policy, leading the Department for Work and Pensions’ legislative programme on climate change and sustainable investment. Alongside sustainable finance policy and his occasional advisory work for P4P, David leads on real economy decarbonisation policy and research with the electric vehicle thinktank New AutoMotive.
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