The Vitacress Conservation Trust

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Trustees of the Vitacress Conservation Trust

		LADY ALISON WAKEHAM MBE DL - PATRON

		PROFESSOR GAIL TAYLOR, BSc, Ph.D - CHAIR Gail Taylor is a Professor of Plant Biology and Head of the Plants and Environment Laboratory at the University of Southampton. She leads the ‘Environment at Southampton’ initiative at the University, bringing together a wide range of expertise in Environmental Science including researchers in fresh water, marine and terrestrial eco-systems, as well as engineering, computing and medical scientists. Her own research is focussed on the development of green plants as sources of renewable carbon-neutral energy. She is a member of the UK Energy Research Centre where her expertise on bio-energy has been used to help set the Government agenda on Bio-energy Research, working for example with the Government Office of Science and Innovation. She is the author of more than 60 original research papers and has supervised over 20 postgraduate students to doctoral status.


		TIM NEVARD, BSc (Hons), MSc, MLI, MPIA Tim has been applying his skills to sustainable business development and conservation for over 20 years. Having founded Europe’s largest independent environmental consultancy, the RPS Group Plc and established urban development studies at James Cook University, Tim is now a principal environmental scientist with consulting firm GHD and Senior Research Fellow at Charles Darwin University; as well as holding several directorships of other commercial companies and a number of charitable conservation and zoological trusts. He conceived the Mareeba Tropical Savanna and Wetland Reserve in 1995, recently becoming the President of a new regional conservation NGO coalition, the Wildlife Conservancy of Tropical Queensland. He has been awarded the Order of Australia and Prime Minister’s Centenary Medals for his services to nature conservation.


		GRAHAM ROBERTS Graham is Water for Wildlife Officer at The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust. He is an ecologist who originally specialised in mammals. For the last 18 years, Graham has led on “otter recovery” in Southern England and is a member of the National Biodiversity Action Plan for Otters panel. He also sits on a range of committees involved in the promotion of wetland biodiversity, as well as the National Chalk Rivers Steering Group. He has for many years been involved with DEFRA, The Environment Agency and Natural England in facilitating and promoting good practice.


		NICK STENNING Nick Stenning is the Chief Executive Officer of Vitacress Salads Ltd. Nick was born in Hampshire, has an MA in History from Oxford University and attended the AMP at Harvard University. Before joining Vitacress, Nick was the Chairman of Unilever in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Prior to that he was the Marketing Director for Brooke Bond Foods. He has also worked in India and Holland. Vitacress has attained ISO 14001 accreditation in recognition of its environmental standards and has won a number of environmental awards, including The Worshipful Company of Fruiterers environmental award on two occasions. Firstly, for the innovative engineering developments the company introduced to its discharge settlement systems and, more recently, the introduction of a new strategy to control weeds in its organic crops.


		DR STEVE ROTHWELL Dr Rothwell is the only scientist in the country with an Applied PhD in Nutritional & Environmental Physiology of Watercress, gained at The University of Bath in 1983. He then joined Hampshire Watercress Limited (later to become Vitacress Salads Ltd) as Head of Research and Development, progressing to the position he holds today of Group Production and Technical Director. Over the last 20 years Dr Rothwell has led the Group’s agronomic development and extensive research work. As Technical Director he is responsible for food safety and quality. In addition, he drives the Company’s environmental initiatives and heads its Environmental Management System Committee, which continually updates the Group’s environmental objectives in line with its Environment Policy. Dr Rothwell is Vice Chairman of the NFU Watercress Association and is a member of the Institute of Biology / Chartered Biologists and the Institute of Horticulture.

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