Trustees

Formerly Vice President and Director, Global Journal Content Management, John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

I have retired from academic publishing after 40 years in the industry. I was previously responsible for the operational management of approximately 1600 learned journals across all the major academic disciplines. As a Trustee, I contribute my knowledge of the corporate business environment and experience of running large, global teams. In my spare time, I also make handmade books which have been exhibited widely and are held in collections in the UK, US, Pakistan and Germany. I am a member of the Letter Exchange.

I am a Wellcome Trust Clore Fellow with 15 years’ experience of developing new programmes and strategy across culture, education, science, industry and charity. My work has included a residency at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, designing a STEM to STEAM policy for the Cultural Learning Alliance, developing the first sustainability strategy for Arts Council England, and leading climate change expeditions in the Arctic and Andes.

I love to applying creative problem solving techniques to address complex challenges. I work within a rich network of cultural leaders to bring the right people and ideas together to imagine new and better solutions.

I am Co-Director of Bird & Gorton, a consultancy specialising in cultural strategy and programme development, leadership experience design, and user research. Bird & Gorton works with cities, arts organisations, museums, universities, funders and creative businesses including Southbank Centre, National Theatre, The Space, University of the Arts London and Royal Opera House.

I was born in London in 1932 and educated at Sherborne School for Girls and Somerville College, Oxford, where I read Classics. In 1955 I married Neil Wates, and we went on to have five children (of whom Edward is the eldest). I've worked in several voluntary organisations, and as a Juvenile Court magistrate in inner London, setting up projects such as a Family Day Care programme in Brixton. As a result of this work I became concerned about the powerlessness and waste of talent of ‘ordinary’ people, and Neil and I were also convinced that the exploitation of natural resources, unfair world trade and the materialism of our culture would lead to an environmental disaster unless our whole attitude changed. This led to the setting up of Commonwork at Bore Place and we also became Quakers. After Neil died, I acted as director of Commonwork for a short period, and also took a second degree, in Public Policy Studies at Bristol University. I have been a Trustee since 1978 and have taken on the role of Trustee Emeritus since February 2017.

Former Director of Environment and Waste, Kent County Council (retired 2012)

My early career was lecturing and teaching biology and ecology in higher education, returning to rural Norfolk where I was brought up. Moving to Kent in the late seventies, I then found a role at Commonwork bringing organisational skills as well as technical expertise to the farmed landscape. Anxious to bring my passion for the natural environment to bear on local decision making, I soon made the move into local government in Kent starting as County Ecologist. My career there spanned 23 years, with 10 years as Director of Environment and Waste, a role requiring strong influencing skills and diplomacy, strategic leadership and corporate nous, financial as well as political and people management. The lessons I have learned and my environmental background are relevant to the Board. I have life-long passions for hockey (now a junior coach), wildlife and landscape, walking, and at last can indulge in mixed media art classes…and have several other voluntary roles.

As well as being a local resident with a passion for the natural world, my background is in the financial as well as charity sector, and so I’m keen to offer my skills and experience to support the development of the Commonwork Trust. I am the CEO and co-founder of Funding for All, an independent charity that mentors small to medium charities, voluntary and community groups and social enterprises across Kent (and Medway) in all aspects of funding generation. I’m very interested in the natural world, as well as music, theatre and the arts.

The first part of my career was in structured finance where I was the Business Development Director for Lloyds Banking Group’s Structured Finance business, as well as the Managing Director of the Group’s transportation finance businesses. I was the Group’s first Sustainable Development Director after developing the business case for establishing a sustainable development function supporting corporate customers to seize the business opportunities and manage the risks of the changing world. I then took on an expanded role where I was responsible for Group-wide initiatives including business ethics, vulnerable customers, ‘green economy’, third sector partnerships and social entrepreneurship. This meant working closely with the Bank’s Board, investors, the Government, key suppliers as well as corporate clients.

I decided to take early retirement in late 2016. I am currently a Trustee of Oasis International and the Oasis Foundation (Oasis is a global organisation with a vision for community where everyone is included), a Senior Associate and Academic Tutor at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and I’m now also on the Board of Trustees at Bore Place. Formerly, I was the Deputy Chairman of the London Sustainable Development Commission, an elected member of the steering group of the UN Environment Programme’s Finance Initiative and the interim CEO of the UK’s largest corporate foundation, as well as holding a number of charity Board positions. I am a graduate of the Harvard Business School Advanced Management Program.

I spent my early career in direct farm management both with the private farmers and also with the Co-operative Wholesale Society.

Since 1992 I have worked as a farm advisor and for the last 18 as an independent consultant. I specialise in providing advice to organic dairy and arable farming businesses, helping clients to develop their organic farms to remain profitable but deliver the wider benefits of organic farming in the form of high quality food, enhancing bio diversity and reducing the harmful effects of agriculture.

I have been involved at Bore Place as a technical advisor to the farm for over 10 years. More recently this has also included providing more strategic advice to the Farm Manager and Director.

I became a Trustee at Bore Place in 2017, and in addition to my professional role I am keen to see greater engagement between farmers and the general public, helping farmers to communicate the benefits of organic farming.

Away from work I am a keen walker and cyclist and have a passion for the natural environment and conservation of our landscape.