Meet the team

CEO

James has twenty years’ experience in development and environmental work bridging community-led local action and international policy across multiple regions. He has had a number of high level roles in the third sector and is passionate about advancing social justice while addressing climate change.

Favourite tree – Common Oak

Africa Programmes Manager

Wycliffe has a BSc in Natural Resource Management and a Higher Diploma in Project Planning and Community Development. He has over 14 years’ experience of promoting sustainable development and community empowerment. Wycliffe draws inspiration from Professor Wangari Maathai in her quest for a sustainable, greener and peaceful world for all species.

Favourite tree – East African Olive

Corporate Engagement Officer

Dehaney has a BA in Events Management and has produced a variety of events with an emphasis on diversity and wellbeing. In addition to her environmental work, she has three years’ experience in the events business and values ethical business practices. Dehaney is particularly passionate about ITF’s work in protecting the habitats of wildlife and conserving biodiversity.

Favourite tree - Weeping Cherry Blossom

Kenya Programmes Manager

Mercy has 12 years’ experience in the environment and forestry sector where she worked in project management and community liaison. She is passionate about promoting sustainability of the environment and forest resources to mitigate the effects of climate change as well as gender equity and equality.

Favourite tree – African Cherry

Kenya Project Officer

Moses has a BSc in Integrated Forest Resources Management and is an experienced forest nursery technician. He supports local community-based organisations with tree nurseries, planting plans, monitoring and evaluation and capacity building. His favourite part of ITF’s work is promoting environmental stewardship among local communities.

Favourite tree – Southern Silky Oak

Africa Programmes Officer

Faith has over 10 years experience in environment conservation and community development. She has an MSc in Biology of Conservation and a BSc Degree in Environmental Conservation and Natural Resources Management. She is passionate about conserving the environment and sustainable community development.

Favourite tree - African pencil cedar

Africa GIS Officer

Edwin is a graduate of Forestry with integrated GIS and Remote Sensing. With his knowledge of ArcGIS and other ESRI products, Edwin is responsible for tracking all restoration activities across Africa as well as monitoring the landscape transformations that ITF’s tree planting projects make.

Favourite tree – Meru Oak

Western Uganda Project Officer

Samuel has over 5 years experience working with coffee communities and farmers across Uganda’s Ruwenzori Mountains region and beyond. He has a Bachelor degree in Arts and Social Sciences and a certificate in Project Planning and management. Samuel has one of the largest coffee model farms in the Ruwenzori region and enjoys training coffee farmers on good agronomic practices.

Favourite tree – Flat Top Acacia

Western Kenya Project Officer

Joshua has a BSc in Biological Resource Management and Conservation. He has over five years’ experience on community development programmes, project management, monitoring and evaluation. Joshua has previously been supporting ITF tree planting projects in the drylands. But is excited for his new role in supporting local community tree nurseries. He is passionate about building community resilience to climate change.

Favourite tree - Melia Volkensii

UK & Ireland Programme Manager

Sam read Music then gained an MSc in Marine Environmental Management. After that, he worked as a conservation and campaigning freelancer across the world, in topics such as coral reef restoration, illegal fishing and cetacean conservation. Sam is a qualified sailor, keen diver and daily narrowboater and loves the outdoor life.

Favourite tree – Scots Pine

UK Programme Development Lead

Lucy has an academic background in Biology and Public Health and over 20 years’ experience working on a variety of community health and environmental projects both abroad and in the UK. For the past 12 years she has been Oxfordshire based and in 2019 started the Burford Tree Initiative which has seen the planting of over 8,000 trees in West Oxfordshire. Her role in ITF is to support the UK programme, working with others to enable communities to realise their tree planting ambitions and to engage and inspire different groups around trees and woodlands and the benefits they can bring.

Favourite tree – Spindle

Finance Manager

Ian has over twenty years’ experience in finance and administration management across both UK and international charities. He has worked in housing, health and now environmental sectors. Ian has always had a love of trees inspired by a family member who planted many on the Black Isle in Scotland many years ago – inspiring his favourite tree!

Favourite tree – Scots Pine

Finance and Administrative Officer

Lorna has experience in all aspects of administration including finance, HR and office management. Lorna loves the impact trees can have on our wellbeing, their contribution towards the environment we live in and their natural beauty. She also volunteers for a breast cancer charity and runs her own part time business creating fine silver jewellery.

Favourite tree – Yew

Finance, HR and Administrative Officer

Kayte has a background working in financial services in the city as well as establishing a sales consultancy business more locally in The Cotswolds. She is fascinated by the social life of trees, how they communicate and nurture one another and even have memories. In her spare time she is currently working towards becoming an accredited life coach.

Favourite tree - Sequoia

Communication and Engagement Manager

Esther has 10 years’ experience of working across fundraising, marketing and communications in both social care and international aid charities. She has a BA in English Language and Creative Writing. Esther is particularly interested in ITF’s emphasis on the awe that trees bring and the way that nature is integral to our mental health.

Favourite tree – Blue Jacaranda

Media Lead

Camilla has over twenty years' experience in public relations, primarily in the creative industries with an increasing leaning towards the environmental sector. She is passionate about sustainability and deploying communications to influence nature-positive outcomes.

Favourite tree - Whitebeam

Programmes Management Officer

Michael is a part-time volunteer with ITF. He is an agricultural economist who has worked on rural development, agricultural and forestry issues in Latin America, Asia and Africa for about 45 years. His main focus over the last 20 years has been on forest policy, governance and trade issues; social impact assessment of forest carbon projects; community-based natural forest management; and evaluating national REDD+ programmes.

Favourite tree - Walnut

Communications Volunteer

Helen has a BSc and PhD in Chemistry and has worked in food science, environmental consultancy, and IT. She worked on web-based projects until redundancy forced a change of direction and she started copy-editing science books. Retirement has allowed her to develop her lifelong interest in the environment and to work in the charitable sector.

Favourite tree – Cedar of Lebanon

Chair of Trustees

Stephen is an assessment consultant and management trainer, serving as a Transnational Education Expert for UK-NARIC. He has a Politics BA, International Economics MA and a PhD in Fisheries Policy. After teaching and a spell as NGO representative to the Third UN Conference on the Law of the Sea, Stephen moved into the field of educational qualifications at Oxford and Cambridge and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. Stephen has served as Chief Executive of the National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health, the British Accreditation Council, and the VTCT.

Favourite tree – Olive

Trustee

Kate is a professor in Environment and Development and is Head of the Geography Department at King’s College London. She has 30 years experience in research, policy and fieldwork. She has a BSc in Botany, MSc in Forestry and a PhD in Geography. Kate previously worked for the German Sahelian Programme, UNESCO’s Man and Biosphere Programme, World Forestry Institute in Hamburg and Overseas Development Institute. She was Director of the UK’s Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) programme.

Favourite tree – Apple

Trustee

Tom is a Chartered Accountant by profession, with more than 30 years’ financial and investment management experience in a range of impact investing, consulting, and managerial roles, working mainly in East and Southern Africa. He has also served as non-executive Chairman and/or Director of more than 15 businesses.

Favourite tree - Rowan

Trustee

Jon is an author and Hon. Professor in Birmingham University’s Institute of Forest Research. His career has been in public understanding of science, first as a documentary director and executive producer with the BBC, then on the boards of various science and technology institutions. He has been a Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Cambridge University Botanic Garden; The Eden Project and Cambridge Science Centre, as well as the Raspberry Pi Foundation – a computer literacy project with links to East Africa.

Favourite tree - Cedar of Lebanon

Trustee

An economist by training, Christine served as a diplomat for nearly 30 years at home and overseas in Embassies and International organisations. She spent 10 years as Director of Corporate Affairs and Communications for a Swiss company providing technology to governments worldwide to combat fraud. Inter alia she led business CSR initiatives, including policies to achieve net zero. Christine is a Chartered Member of the Institute for Personal Development and a yoga teacher.

Favourite tree – Horse Chestnut

Trustee

Rachel is the Managing Director of Solidaridad Eastern and Central Africa. She is a climate policy enthusiast and sustainable development professional with a strong background implementing development projects across sub-Saharan Africa. Rachel has an LLB and an MSc in Public Policy and Human Development and is a qualified lawyer in Kenya and the UK. Rachel is interested in positive change for local communities, promoting sustainable livelihoods and advocating for multi-stakeholder engagements.

Favourite tree – Acacia

Trustee

Josiah is an experienced IT professional, specializing in Data Management with consultancy experience in the Public and Private sectors. Voluntary contribution includes School Governor (6 years), Education capacity building program in Kenya and Communication Non-Executive Director at Ivybridge Link. Previously Josiah served the British Armed Forces for 7 years. His love for the environment started as a young child in rural and urban Kenya.

Favourite tree – Mugumo Fig

Trustee

Miriam is a consultant in financial services specialising in financial crime management and financial inclusion initiatives. She has over 20 years’ experience in Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) and has held global roles across Europe, America and Africa. Miriam holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, is a fellow of the International Compliance Association and studied Management of Information Systems and Business Administration. Miriam grew up in the Kenyan highlands, where her interest in trees began. She holds an advisory role for the water management and conservation project in her home county.

Favourite tree – Nandi Flame

Trustee

Stephen is a communications expert and former investment manager with an MA in Mathematics and Philosophy from St John’s College, Oxford. During his 26 years at the Geneva partnership, Pictet, he developed their sustainability policies and launched the world-leading photography prize, the Prix Pictet, which has the subject of sustainability. He has worked and lived in Japan and currently serves on several Japan-related foundations. As a child he wanted to be a forest ranger and will go anywhere to visit an ancient tree. At home he has created his own (small) arboretum.

Favourite tree - Dawn Redwood

Trustee

Ben has worked in Human Resources for over twenty years at large businesses including Sainsbury’s, Sky, Amazon and Sony Music. He also has vast experience across retail, telecoms, TV, media and advertising. Ben has lived and worked in both the UK and the US, and today partners an international business in over thirty countries across Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East. He holds a BSc in Biology and is passionate about both the environment and people development.

Favourite tree - Baobab

Trustee

Andrea has 25 years experience as a recruiter and has helped companies build and hone the talent pipeline necessary to meet business objectives within highly regulated environments including boards. She holds a degree in Economics and started her career in Asset Management and Investment Banking. Andrea has Brazilian roots and was brought up surrounded by tropical rainforest and parrots in Rio. She has also lived and worked in the US, UK, France and Spain.

Favourite tree - Brazilwood

Trustee

Julius is a Nature Resources Manager, environmental diplomat and climate change expert with over 21 years of experience in strategic leadership of influencing policy and actions in the conservation world. He holds a M.A in Environmental Planning and Management, B.SC Degree in Forestry, Diploma in International Environmental Law-making and Diplomacy. Currently, Julius is the Managing Director, ESGREEN Management Consulting Company.

Favourite tree - Wamburgia Ugandensis