Bruce has responsibility for developing the Network and ensuring delivery of its activities. The focus of Bruce’s work for the past 14 years has been to bring different organisations and professions together to tackle environment-related challenges. Linking the condition of the environment with ‘big issues’ in society, such as health and economic development, has been an important part of this. He led the development the Ecosystems Knowledge Network (launched in 2012) and set it up as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2015. Bruce has the experience of work in local authority, in consultancy, in academia, and in the non-profit sector. Bruce originally trained as a landscape architect.

Francesca’s work is all about enabling more connections to be made between people and the natural environment. Her PhD at the University of Sheffield focused on tailoring opportunities for engagement with urban nature for the wellbeing of university students. She has experience working in student support services at universities, as a social scientist at Forest Research and, most recently, in running her own enterprise in communication training and management.

Francesca is currently working on two projects with the EKN team, the creation of the Habitat And Land Observation Hub with Space4Nature and the digital innovation project ‘From Hut to Palace: An augmented reality exploration of building wisdom in the landscape’. She is based near Sheffield.

Erika joined the Network in January 2022, with previous experience in technical and non-technical administration in the construction sector, extractive industries and manufacturing. She has a degree in Environmental Biology from Oxford Brookes University and maintains a strong personal interest in the natural world. Erika’s work at the Ecosystems Knowledge Network includes supporting the smooth running of our training courses, conferences, and other events.

Chris became chair in 2023. He first joined the board in 2021.

Chris is an established business leader drawing on experience spanning renewable energy, transport, the natural environment, flood management, regeneration, construction and government policy.  In 2019 he co-founded strategy and sustainability consultancy Accelar Limited to help accelerate the clean growth transition.  He has a strong interest in eco-innovation and investment, for example as an advisor to the Green Finance Institute’s Coalition for the Energy Efficiency of Buildings (CEEB), as a member of the EIC’s Sustainable Smart Cities Taskforce and as a member of the Clean Growth Forum for the Enterprise M3 Local Enterprise Partnership.

Chris is a Chartered Director and Fellow of the Institute of Directors.  His previous roles include leadership positions with Ramboll UK, Temple Group, AEA Technology and the Transport Research Laboratory.

David is director of Terra Further, a sustainable innovation consultancy and co-founder of Wild Natured, a nature regeneration company.  His role is shaping long term futures for organisations, specialising in creating strategies which deliver for people, planet and profit.

As a graduate of the Cambridge University Institute for Sustainable Leadership he’s able to advise on the knotty environmental and social sustainability questions of our time. As a futurist he identifies trends and emerging needs to create propositions and change strategies. As a qualified Design Thinker and facilitator, he’s able to lead all stakeholders from the c-suite to the front-line through the innovation adventure.

Recent work successes includes a Silver Lion at Cannes for electric racing series, Formula E’s race innovation ‘Attack mode’, developing the UK National Lottery’s most successful new game driving close to £300m incremental revenue in the first year and contributing to the £50m per week generated for good causes. Previous roles have included executive leadership at Iris Worldwide and a trustee The Anti Trafficking Alliance. He also volunteers his time as the owner of the Sustainable Business Guide website

Sue is an ecologist who has worked within the environmental NGO sector in Northern Ireland for over 30 years, including 6 years as Director of the Ulster Wildlife Trust and over 20 years as CEO of Northern Ireland Environment Link. Sue was the lead author of the Northern Ireland chapter of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment. Now retired, she works in a voluntary capacity with a wide range of local charities and groups, including Keep NI Beautiful, the Belfast Food Network and the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside.

Liliana is a highly navigated inclusion professional passionate about social and environmental justice, climate action, nature restoration and environmental sustainability.

She has worked at international and UK level, both in the public and private sector. Liliana is also Trustee of rewilding charity Scotland: The Big Picture and member of the Equality Advisory Panel of the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

She brings to EKN a wealth of experience in strategic approaches and best practice on people and organisational development, accessibility and equal opportunities, governance, policy development and project management, stakeholder engagement, and research and communications.

Dr Lyndsey Dodds is Head of Marine Policy at WWF-UK, with whom she has worked since 2007. This includes management of the EU LIFE PISCES Project and its successor the Celtic Seas Partnership. Both initiatives have been commended for the way that they are putting the ecosystem approach into practice in marine management.  Lyndsey has also worked with the UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and has a PhD in marine ecology.

Ric is a freelance environmental consultant, a Member of the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) College of Experts and was appointed a Visiting Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Strathclyde in 2019.

He was the founder and Managing Director of Collingwood Environmental Planning (CEP) from 1995 to 2021 and has more than 30 years’ experience of environmental, sustainability and planning consultancy.

Ric has particular technical expertise in environmental assessment, policy and programme evaluation and other decision support tools, and the broader consideration of environmental and sustainability issues within UK and EU legislation, policy and practice.

Jonathan Porter has eighteen years’ experience of using spatial data to support landscape ecology and planning. He is a founding partner of Countryscape, a transdisciplinary company, combining the creative skills of a communications agency with the scientific knowledge of an environmental consultancy. He has worked on many projects with stakeholders in protected landscapes and other area-based projects including landscape strategy; green infrastructure strategy; ecosystem assessment; monitoring; and knowledge exchange. His work is informed by a solid understanding of the technology underpinning Geographical Information Systems and of the opportunities and limitations of different datasets to support landscape planning. Jonathan is President of the UK Region of the International Association for Landscape Ecology.

Jonathan Porter was part of the Management and Delivery Group for the Ecosystems Knowledge Network between 2011 and 2014. He now serves as a trustee.

Lawrence holds a 17-year career in Business Support, Public Relations, and Strategic Communications within the research and development industry in Qatar. His passion for sustainability has taken him on a global journey, having travelled to 68 countries in search of sustainable best practices.

Lawrence holds a Masters in Sustainable Development from Queens University Belfast. In 2022, he worked as the Project Lead for the Natural Capital Approach with Northern Ireland Environment Link funded by NI Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

Currently, Lawrence serves as the Sustainable Manager for Linen Quarter BID, where he is instrumental in driving a bold vision to transform the district into the first sustainable district in Northern Ireland. His academic background, coupled with his extensive international exposure, positions him as a thought leader in the sustainable development arena.