Our Trustees

Lynn Dicks is a Professor of Ecology in the Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge. She leads the Agroecology Group, researching how to protect and manage biodiversity in agricultural landscapes, alongside sustainable, high-yielding food production. This includes current projects on landscape-scale restoration, global insect decline and biodiversity impacts of current transitions in farming systems, such as ecological intensification in South America, ‘Zero Budget Natural Farming’ in India and regenerative agriculture in the UK. She is a Board Member of the UK Government nature conservation agency, Natural England, and co-Chairs the Natural England Science Advisory Committee. She was a Co-ordinating Lead Author of the IPBES Thematic assessment of pollinators, pollination and food production from 2014-2016, and has worked on the Conservation Evidence project at the University of Cambridge since 2009.

Clare Matterson lives in Suffolk. She is Director General of the Royal Horticultural Society, the UK’s leading garden charity leading its five national gardens, flower shows including the internationally renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show, community and education work, horticultural training, and scientific research. 

Clare was previously Executive Director of Engagement at the Natural History Museum responsible for all public, education and commercial activities. She was at the Wellcome Trust for 17 years as Director of Strategy and Director of Culture and Society leading work on transformative initiatives including the creation of Wellcome Collection and the Your Planet Your Health programme. 

Clare is a Council member for the UK’s Natural Environment Research Council and is Chair of the First Light Festival in Suffolk. In 2017, Clare received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of York and was awarded the CBE for services to public engagement with science. 

Steve has a doctorate in Environmental Chemistry (Kings College/Imperial College London) in which he studied the effects of acid rain on soils, micronutrients and plant-soil relationships. The first half of his career was spent in environmental consultancy, leading high-performing teams in due-diligence, planning, permitting and environmental assessment across a wide range of sectors in the UK and overseas.  His consultancy work in the power sector included re-imagining the management of pulverised fuel ash produced at coal-fired power stations to meet operational requirements whilst also delivering for nature.  Steve’s last consultancy commission was to deliver EDF’s nominations for Hinkley Point C, Sizewell C, Bradwell, Heysham and Hartlepool into the Government’s Strategic Siting Assessment for new nuclear. This led to publication in 2011 of the National Policy Statement for New Nuclear Generation (EN-6) which paved the way for nuclear renaissance in this country, reversing 30 years of decline. Since joining EDF’s new nuclear business in 2010, he has been at the centre of design development and stakeholder engagement at Hinkley Point C , Bradwell B and Sizewell C to maximise sustainability. He has worked on Sizewell since 2012. An environmental project, he has championed the need for Sizewell C to be an "exemplar NSIP" - delivering globally in our fight against climate change whilst also delivering for nature locally in Suffolk.  

Heather has extensive experience of leading and delivering environmental and heritage schemes at regional, county and local level, working with wildlife and community partners to help protect and enhance our natural environment. For over ten years she has been a Committee Member of the Heritage Fund’s Midlands and East Committee, assessing and determining grant applications from charities, trusts, local authorities and community groups covering (among other areas) historic landscapes, nature, rural projects, historic environment, community archaeology, maritime and industrial history.

Heather has been a Trust member of various museums, a member of the Ethics Committee of the Museums Association and a specialist advisor to Historic England. 

Heather was awarded an MBE in 2024 for services to heritage in the Midlands and East Anglia and lives in Suffolk. 

Julian started his career as a woodland ecology surveyor, going on to work for The Woodland Trust as woodland officer, and ultimately their regional manager for Southern England. He became head of conservation for Suffolk Wildlife Trust in 1995 and its chief executive in 1999 - a role he held for 21 years. During his time as CEO Julian led a shift to invest in land acquisition by rewilding former arable land to create much larger nature reserves. In addition the Trust’s learning activities and farmland wildlife advice was expanded. Julian manages an ancient woodland and is tree warden for his parish in mid-Suffolk. When not in Suffolk he spends much of his time in nature in Estonia where he has been restoring an old farmhouse.

Zorzeta Bakaki is an Associate Professor in the Department of Government at the University of Essex. Previously, she worked as a Senior Researcher at the ETH Zürich's Center for Comparative and International Studies. Her research and teaching interests are International Relations, the quantitative and qualitative analysis of conflict management and resolution, international cooperation, and environmental politics. Some of her ongoing research is on emotional landscapes and environmental policy, climate misinformation, or environmental provisions in peace agreements. 

James cares deeply about nature and is a strategist, innovator and entrepreneur. He is a former Chair at Suffolk Wildlife Trust and a former Trustee for RSPB. He was awarded an MBE for voluntary services to the environment. In business he co-founded the disruptive unicorn Zopa and is currently a Director at Future Agenda, a foresight and strategy advisory.