Our people

Senior Leadership Team

 

Jayne Manley

CEO

Dr Jayne Manley believes that future life on Earth requires people thriving and being intimately connected with the ecosystems that support us. She became CEO of Earth Trust in 2012, bringing with her a strong practical diverse background in whole ecosystem thinking, farming/land management, policy development, income generation, learning and engagement. Previously working in strategic roles for Plantlife International and English Nature, Jayne is currently Chair Oxfordshire Environment Board, member of the Oxfordshire Executive Officers Group of Future Oxfordshire Partnership, and past Chair of the OXLEP Environment and Sustainability Sub Committee. @jaynesvoice

Simon Atkinson​

Director of Green Infrastructure & Nature Recovery

​Simon joined us in July 2023, from the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country where he was the Head of Conservation for the last 12 years​. ​He has extensive experience of managing and improving green spaces in urban conurbations, delivering over 700 projects, over 10 years, in areas of public open space, at nature reserves and on farmland​.

Dave Lewis

Director of Operations

Dave joined Earth Trust in August 2022 and leads on projects and initiatives to strengthen the ways in which the Earth Trust works. This includes our visitor spaces, people, systems, internal processes, our commitment to volunteering as well as infrastructure and building projects. Dave has primarily worked in the voluntary sector and social enterprises in roles helping organisations improve their relationships and engagement with the people they serve. He has a MSc in Voluntary Sector Management and is a member of the Institute of Fundraising.

Stephen Huggett

Director of Finance

A Chartered Accountant, Stephen has over 30 years’ experience developing financial strategies within the manufacturing, hospitality, retail, leisure and services sectors. During this time Stephen has forged a reputation as a pioneer in change management.

Verity Warne

Director of Development & Movement Building

Verity joined Earth Trust in October 2021 and leads the communication and fundraising teams to drive development and movement building as we connect more communities to nature. Verity is focused on spreading our mission further through partnerships, community building, campaigns, and empowering people to champion green spaces where nature and society thrive in balance. Verity has over 20 years experience of working in strategic marketing and communication for organisations that contribute to a sustainable, inclusive and equitable society.

Lee Ann Norris

Head of Fundraising

Lee Ann joined us in September 2019. She plays a key role in our Fundraising Team, working to communicate why Earth Trust is such a great charity that needs your support, and inspiring everyone to become part of our story.

Colin Shone

Centre Operations Manager

Colin joined Earth Trust in March 2022. He was previously in a similar role at Cogges Manor Farm in Witney and prior to that worked for National Trust.

Anna Wilson

Head of Experience & Engagement

Anna joined Earth Trust in April 2022 as Head of Experience and Engagement. She has over 15 years’ experience delivering visitor experiences, interpretation, events and learning programmes as a consultant and whilst working for a variety of museum and heritage organisations.

Communications

Alex Toast
Senior Communications Manager
Sharon Squire
Communications Officer (Channels)
Suzi Kemp
Communications Officer (Content)

Fundraising

Kitty Cox
Major Appeals Manager
Caitlin Moore
Fundraising Co-ordinator
Lindsey Basset
Individual Giving Manager

Operations

Diane Fagan
HR Officer
Nicola Williams
Volunteer Officer
Matthew Corniskey
Sales & Events Executive
Matthew Beesley 
Centre & Office Administrator
Matthew Harman
Centre Maintenance Officer
Hugh Hedgecock
New to Nature Trainee

 

Experience & Engagement

Amy Rowland
Public Programming Manager
Stuart Ritchie
Education Manager
Fiona Bean
Education Tutor
Sarah Cherriman 
Education Tutor
Sophie Elliott
Sessional Engagement Tutor

 

Nick Carter
Sessional Engagement Tutor
Jennifer Doran
Sessional Engagement Tutor
David Herlihy
Sessional Engagement Tutor
Clare Sulston
Sessional Engagement Tutor
Susannah Bury
Sessional Engagement Tutor

Finance

Marianne Meering
Finance Manager
Heidi Fitch
Finance Assistant

Land Management

Tim Read
Forester Senior Ranger
Tristan Leslie
Acting Senior Ranger

Charley Scales
Ranger
Jake Wilkins 
Ranger

 

Executive Assistant

Marianne Hewett

Trustees

 

Sarah Hendry head shot

Sarah Hendy

Co-Chair of Trustees

Sarah joined the Earth Trust Board of Trustees as Co-Chair in 2024. A seasoned expert in national environmental policy, Sarah is Chair of the UK Water Partnership, and has been championing the rural economy and sustainability as Director General of Country Land and Business Association (CLA) since 2018.  Before joining the CLA, Sarah spent nearly 30 years as a UK government official working across national, EU and international policy, including 12 years as a director in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Her experience includes farming, environment, rural development, climate change, forestry, water and floods.

Frank Nigriello

Co-Chair of Trustees

Frank joined the Earth Trust Board of Trustees as Co-Chair in 2024. Frank has been well-known in Oxfordshire for representing Unipart Group in many local organisations and networks. He was chair of Oxfordshire Business First and was responsible for merging Oxfordshire Business First and the B4 business network to connect around 2,400 local businesspeople. He is a founder and non-executive director of the Ideas Network 2030, which examines long-term trends and their effects on our economy, politics, and society, and has been a visiting industrial fellow at Oxford Brookes University. He served as HRH the Prince of Wales’s Responsible Business Ambassador for the Southeast for four years, and has worked with blue chip companies in the I.T., financial services, logistics and manufacturing sectors.

Sarah Bar Lev

Trustee

Sarah works as a People and Change Management Consultant with PA Consulting one of the top consultancies in the world. She specialises in creating change functions and communications in the Defence and security sector. Sarah runs a networking group called Women in Change and organised the Ministry of Defences first Tedx event. She previously worked in the care and third sector. She is an active member of Maidenhead Synagogue and lives in Wantage, Oxfordshire with her husband Ben who is a civil servant, and their two dogs.

Liz Buckle

Trustee

Liz has recently retired from a long public service career, including working for the Environment Agency and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Liz is excited about using her skills and knowledge to lead and support Earth Trust as we emerge from the pandemic and continue responding to climate change.

Stephen Dance

Chair of Finance & Risk committee

Stephen is a chartered surveyor and spent 20 years in private practice before becoming a senior civil servant. Stephen now works within HM Treasury and Cabinet Office on the delivery of major government projects. He’s passionate about education and has served in a non-executive capacity on various school boards.

Stephen was brought up in rural north Derbyshire, often working on the local farm.

Clare Fairbrother

Clare Fairbrother

Trustee

Clare spent over a decade working at some of the UK’s pre-eminent heritage institutions, including Historic Royal Palaces, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and the Science Museum, before starting her own consultancy business in 2016. Specialising in trust and foundation income generation she works with a range of charities around the UK to develop fundraising strategies, undertake prospect research, submit grant applications and build strong stewardship practices. Growing up in rural Oxfordshire and regularly walking on Wittenham Clumps she now enjoys exploring green, open spaces with her two young children.

John Harwood

Trustee

John Harwood is retired senior civil servant and local government chief executive. Until 2008 he was Chief Executive of the UK’s Food Standards Agency. Previously he had served as the first chief executive of the national Learning and Skills Council and before that as Chief Executive of Oxfordshire County Council. In 2019 John retired as the Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Oxfordshire.

For a number of years John was a Trustee and Chair of the Northmoor Trust, which in 2010 became the Earth Trust; he rejoined the board in 2020. He is also a current Trustee of the Cogges Heritage Trust, Oxfordshire Victoria County History Trust, and Young Dementia UK Homes, and a Vice President of Oxfordshire Youth. He has served as the chair of the international education charity, CfBT Education Trust, and on both the Care Quality Commission and the Awards Council for the Queen’s Anniversary Prizes for Higher and Further Education.

Terry Hurley

Terry Hurley

Trustee

Terry has been involved with the Earth Trust as a volunteer since 2019, initially providing project planning expertise in the construction of Earth lab during the first phase of the Gateway programme. He is a member of the general maintenance team, is an Earth Trust tour guide for varied events and activities including the public tours of Earth Lab, and has contributed to reviews of Earth Trust strategy and planning for the next phase of the Gateway programme.

Following a career in senior leadership and board roles in both private industry and the public sector, Terry brings expertise in innovation, programme management and people development.

Robin Tucker

Trustee

Robin brings both business and environmental skills to the Trust. After developing his career at strategy consultants Oliver Wyman and in senior commercial roles at Vodafone, Robin was later an Executive Director of Natural England, responsible for land management and regulation. He now runs his own firm, Red Kite Management Consulting.

Robin is also a Trustee of Cycling UK, a member of the Oxfordshire Strategic Transport Forum and active in the space industry cluster at Harwell. Robin is keen to help Earth Trust make the most of connections between land and people as we continue to grow.

Patrons

 

Sir Martin & Lady Audrey Wood

Earth Trust was originally established as the Northmoor Trust for Countryside Conservation in 1967, with a generous endowment from our Patrons, Sir Martin and Lady Audrey Wood.

Sir Martin sadly passed away in 2021, but his contribution to the Oxfordshire community has been transformational. A physicist by training, Sir Martin was involved in developing some of the first superconducting magnets. Recognizing the commercial potential of this emerging technology, he and Lady Audrey founded Oxford Instruments in 1959. With superconducting magnets in high demand globally for MRI scanners, the company became highly successful. This enabled the couple to establish and fund several science and environmental organizations across Oxfordshire, starting with the Northmoor Trust. The name Northmoor was chosen due to the couple’s residence on Northmoor Road in Oxford, where J.R.R. Tolkien also lived for much of his life. We rebranded as Earth Trust in 2011.

Robin Buxton

Robin Buxton

Robin has been involved with the Earth Trust and the Wittenham Clumps since 1982 as Warden, Executive Director, Trustee, Chairman and now Patron and advisor. He read Applied Biology (Natural Science) at Cambridge University and DPhil at Oxford on The Ecology of Termites in Tsavo National Park, Kenya.

Robin’s involvement with Oxfordshire conservation includes chairing Oxfordshire Nature Conservation Forum from 1993 to 2015, helping set up the Oxfordshire Woodland Group and chairing his late sister Patsy Wood’s legacy charity. He is also a board member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).