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Natural England register of board members' interests 2024

Updated 12 December 2024

Applies to England

This register lists current interests held by Natural England board members. It includes:

• directorships, board memberships or other positions
• employment
• company shareholdings
• significant landholdings
• political activity
• membership of professional societies and associations
• lay memberships

Dr Tony Juniper CBE

Remunerated interests

• Director and employee of TonyJuniper.com Limited

Unremunerated interests

• Board of Trustees – Cool Earth
• Member of Council of Trustees - Flora and Fauna International
• Member - Friends of the Earth
• Member - Greenpeace
• Member - RSPB
• Member - Wildlife Trusts
• Member - National Trust
• Member – Butterfly Conservation

Marian Spain (ex officio Board member)

Remunerated interests

• Chief Executive, Natural England

Unremunerated interests

• Plantlife International
• Campaign for National Parks
• National Trust

Cynthia Alers

Remunerated interests

• Head of Investor Relations - Marshall of Cambridge (Holdings) Ltd

Unremunerated interests

• Treasurer to the Board of Charitable Trustees at Buckden Recreation Ground and Village Hall Trust (voluntary role)
• Investor Relations Society (professional membership)

Professor Mel Austen

Remunerated interests

• Professor of Ocean and Society, University of Plymouth

Unremunerated interests

• Director - Carew Wharf Management Company Limited
• Chair - Partnership of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in North Devon
• Board Member – Joint Nature Conservation Committee
• Royal Society of Biology
• British Ecological Society
• Marine Biological Association
• Member - National Trust
• Member - Royal National Lifeboat Institute

Professor Lynn Dicks

Remunerated interests

• Professor of Ecology, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge

Unremunerated interests

• Trustee, Royal Entomological Society
• Royal Entomological Society
• Cool Farm Alliance (member of Science Advisory Committee)
• British Ecological Society
• Society for Conservation Biology
• Member - Bumblebee Conservation Trust
• Member - Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants
• Member - Bees, Wasps and Ants Recording Society

Professor Clare Fitzsimmons

Remunerated interests

• Marine scientist, Senior Lecturer and Postgraduate Degree Programme Director at the School of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Newcastle University

Unremunerated interests

• Board Member - Joint Nature Conservation Committee

Dr Alastair Leake

Remunerated interests

• Policy Director, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust
• Director, Game & Wildlife Scottish Demonstration Farm
• Director, Allerton Research & Educational Trust

Unremunerated interests

• Rutland Agricultural Society, Trustee Director since 15 May 2018
• Farming & Wildlife Advisory Group (Administration) Ltd. Director
• The Earthworm Society
• Historic Commercial Vehicle Society
• Linking Environment & Farming (LEAF)
• Fellow of the Council of the Royal Agricultural Societies
• Fellow of the Institute of Agricultural Management
• Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society of England
• Honorary Fellow of the National Institute of Agricultural Botany
• Member of the BASIS Professional Register
• Chartered Environmentalist, Society for the Environment
• Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, Environment and Land-use Group
• Wildlife Estates European Scientific Committee
• Voluntary Initiative National Steering Group
• Bracken Control Group
• SG Rodenticide Monitoring Group
• Policy Strategy Group

Political activity

• Coordinator for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Game & Wildlife Conservation

James Scott

Remunerated interests

• Project Board member, Manydown Project
• Partnership Board member, Wintringham Project
• Senior Adviser, Dorrington PLC
• Group Director of Strategy and Planning for Urban&Civic Estates Limited

Unremunerated interests

• Victoria and Albert Museum
• Royal Academy of Art
• Hurlingham Club
• Carlton Club
• The Law Society, Solicitor and Member

Kim Shillinglaw

Remunerated interests

• Board member - The Natural Environment Research Council
• Member - Ofcom Content Board
• Board member - Axis Studios Group
• Non-executive Independent Board Member at BEIS
• External Director - Britain’s Mechanical-Copyright Protection Society (MCPS)
• Chair – Wellcome Trust Project

Unremunerated interests

• Board member - Raspberry Pi Foundation

Dame Caroline Spelman

Unremunerated interests

• Non Executive Director, Commonwealth Games England Board
• Trustee of Church of England and Chair of Diocese Commission
• Member of the Conservative Party
• Trustee of British Horse Society
• National Trust
• Royal Society for Protection of Birds
• Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

Mark Tufnell

Remunerated interests

• Upper Coln Farm & Stud Limited (and main shareholder)
• Calmsden Limited
• Cotswold Conservative bare trustee
• Calmsden Farms

Unremunerated interests

• National Trust
• Country Land and Business Association
• National Farmers Union
• Royal Society for Protection of Birds
• Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust
• British Association for Shooting and Conservation
• SongBird Survival & Countryside Alliance
• President of Glos Root Fruit & Grain Society
• Vice President for Glos and Council member of Three Counties Agricultural Society
• Trustee of The Carlie Tufnell Charitable Trust
• Chair of North Cerney Parish Council
• Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales
• Chartered Institute of Taxation

Significant landholdings

• Land and property at Calmsden Farms and land owned by Upper Coln Farm & Stud Limited (as main shareholder)
• Minority shareholder in Fellbarn Limited

Political activity

• Eldest son (Henry) is a Parliamentary member for Labour Party for mid and south Pembrokeshire constituency
• Resigned membership of the Conservative Party in April 2024

Peter Unwin

Unremunerated interests

• Director – Yester Park Maintenance Ltd
• Chair of Chislehurst Golf Club Ltd
• Aldersgate Group
• Royal Society for Protection of Birds
• National Trust