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Trustees of the Vitacress Conservation Trust |
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LADY ALISON WAKEHAM MBE DL - PATRON
Alison Wakeham has lived in Hampshire for 25 years, near Alresford, overlooking the watercress beds.
She is a Deputy Lieutenant of Hampshire, and is patron or trustee of a number of local and national charities and organisations.
She is a keen conservationist and gardener.
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PROFESSOR GAIL TAYLOR - CHAIR
Gail Taylor is Professor of Plant Biology at The University of Southampton and Visiting Professor since 2007, at Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. She has an international reputation for her research on plants, currently focussed on the development of dedicated bioenergy crops for heat, power and liquid transport fuel. Such crops are less in conflict with food crops since they can be grown on marginal land.
A second strand of research is on the improvement of baby leaf salad crops, including a novel breeding programme initiated in 2007 for watercress leaves with improved anti-cancer chemistry and lettuce leaves that use water more sustainably.
In the past four years she has given over thirty invited lectures on her research. She is the author of over 100 original research papers and has supervised 30 PhD students to doctoral status. |
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TIM NEVARD
Tim has been applying his skills to sustainable business development and conservation for over 20 years. One of the founders of Europe’s largest independent environmental consultancy, the RPS Group Plc, he also established urban development studies at James Cook University.
Tim holds directorships of several companies and is a trustee of a number of charitable conservation and zoological trusts.
He conceived the Mareeba Tropical Savanna and Wetland Reserve in 1995 (www.mareebawetlands.org),
becoming the founding President of the Wildlife Conservancy of Tropical Queensland (www.wildlifequeensland.com.au).
He was awarded the Order of Australia and Prime Minister’s Centenary Medals for his services to nature conservation. |
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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. |
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NICK STENNING
Nick Stenning is the Chief Executive Officer of Vitacress Ltd (www.vitacress.com). 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 SEEDA Sustainable Business - Environment Award 2008 and the British Chamber of Commerce Green Award 2008.
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DR STEVE ROTHWELL
Dr Rothwell has a PhD in the Nutritional & Environmental Physiology of Watercress, gained at the University of Bath in 1983, the year he joined Hampshire Watercress Ltd (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 and as Production Director for growing operations. In addition, he drives the Group’s Sustainability agenda and within that its Environmental and Conservation initiatives.
Dr Rothwell is Vice Chairman of the NFU Watercress Growers Association and is a member of the Institute of Biology, a Chartered Biologist and a member of the Institute of Horticulture.
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