Speakers

Tony Juniper is Chair of Natural England. Before taking up this role in April 2019 he was Executive Director for Advocacy and Campaigns at WWF-UK, a Fellow with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership and President of the Wildlife Trusts. Until January 2018 he was an independent sustainability and environment advisor, including as Special Advisor with The Prince of Wales’s International Sustainability Unit.

He speaks and writes widely on conservation and sustainability themes. He’s the author of many books, including the multi-award winning bestseller ‘What has nature ever done for us?’ published in 2013. The Ladybird guide to climate change, co-authored with HRH The Prince of Wales and Emily Shuckburgh, was published in January 2017. His latest book, ‘Rainforest‘, was published in April 2018.

Tony began his career as an ornithologist, working with Birdlife International. From 1990 he worked at Friends of the Earth, initially leading the campaign for tropical rainforests, and from 2003 to 2008 was the organisation’s Executive Director. From 2000 to 2008 he was Vice Chair of Friends of the Earth International.

He was the first recipient of the Charles and Miriam Rothschild medal (2009) and was awarded honorary Doctor of Science degrees from the Universities of Bristol and Plymouth (2013). In 2017 he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Colm is a Reader at Liverpool John Moores University and expert in embedding Natural Capital approach within policy and decision making. At Nature North he leads the work, alongside the team, partners and steering group to develop the Nature North Investable Propositions and an Investment Strategy for Nature in the north of England. Outside of Nature North he sits on a number of environmental policy groups and chairs the Liverpool City Region Natural Capital Working Group a subgroup of the Local Nature Partnership Nature Connected 

Throughout her 25-year career in arts and heritage, Helen has championed and advocated access to heritage, arts and culture for all.

An inclusive and dynamic leader with a people-centred approach she is passionate about the role that heritage plays in helping us make sense of the world around us.

Prior to joining the Heritage Fund in 2023, she was Deputy Director at Yorkshire Sculpture Park where she was responsible for business planning, income generation, and overseeing estates, finance, development, marketing, trading, visitor experience, administration and HR.

Helen was also CEO of Sheffield Industrial Museums, where she worked with the local community and developers to win the Academy of Urbanism Best British Neighbourhood Award for a heritage-led regeneration approach.

Helen has a MA in Cultural Policy and Management and a BA in History of Art and Design. She has also worked at Arts Council England and had several culture focused roles in local government where she was responsible for audience development, wellbeing and working with a range of diverse communities.

Helen also has extensive experience of trustee positions, for a range of arts organisations, most recently Trustee of Henry Moore Foundation, and up until joining the Heritage Fund was a Private Sector Board member of West Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership. She worked with Mayor Tracy Brabin as Vice Chair to establish an Arts, Heritage and Sport Committee to demonstrate the importance of culture in West Yorkshire.

Dee is the Lead Place Based Planning Manager at United Utilities; the North West’s water and wastewater service provider. Dee is responsible for developing the place based planning capability in the North West and delivering the approach within the water catchments of Lancashire. With over 10 years in the industry, including roles within Asset Management, Operations and Strategy, Dee is well placed to champion the approach which has led to the co-creation of an Integrated Water Management Plan for the Greater Manchester city region. This is a trailblazer approach for England and requires strong collaboration skills, strategic thinking and resilience to balance the needs of the water environment with nature and communities alongside partners.

Shanaz is known for her skillset as an artist and producer, and for her creative vision. With a commitment to the arts and to creating work that pushes the boundaries of cultural expression, Shanaz has emerged as a prominent leader in the UK cultural sector.

Her career spans film, visual arts, theatre, public art and media, and she has delivered ground-breaking projects nationally and internationally, most recently as a producer at Manchester International Festival.

Shanaz has several TV credits, most notably working with the BBC to present the documentary film ‘Hidden Histories: The Lost Portraits of Bradford’ and bringing a contemporary artist’s perspective to the Yorkshire landscape in ‘Yorkshire Walks’.

In her capacity as Creative Director at Bradford 2025, UK City of Culture, Shanaz is co-leading a transformative cultural renaissance, with initiatives that celebrate diversity, artistic innovation, and community engagement. Shanaz oversees the leadership and direction of Bradford 2025 alongside Executive Director, Dan Bates.

David Haley is an ecological artist, researcher and eco-pedagogue with specific interest in generating dialogues for ‘capable futures’ that question the nexus of Nature-Climate-Cultural Emergencies.

Mike Innerdale has worked for the National Trust for over 15 years. In his current role as Regional Director, he has overall responsibility for the operation, care and management of the trust’s places across the North of England, including over 1500 staff and 5000 volunteers, 96,000 hectares of countryside and 51 miles of coastline. Mike has a personal passion for the natural environment and engaging people with our amazing landscapes of the North. His career has focused on land and visitor management in National Parks, with extensive experience of developing and working in partnerships to delivery bigger and better outcomes for people and nature. He started as a volunteer and then a series of Ranger and Woodland Management roles before becoming Northern Reserves Manager for the RSPB and then joining NT as General Manager for the Peaks and then in the Lake District. 

Angela is the Director of Thriving Places at Westmorland & Furness Council , a new unitary Council which was formed on 1st April 2023. Angela has over 25 years experience in Local Government, working in a mixture of unitary and county councils, across the North West and Wales and has senior leadership experience across place-based services including Economic Development, Highways and Transport, Climate and Nature, Flood Risk Management, Planning, Waste and Community Services. Angela is 1^st Vice President of ADEPT and Chair of ADEPT North Board.

Dr Vera Jones is Technical Director and Global Technical Authority for Water Quality at AtkinsRéalis. She holds a PhD in aquatic biogeochemistry, is a Chartered Marine Scientist and Fellow of the Institution of Environmental Sciences. Vera leads a global team of  technical experts working on all different aspects of water quality  – including bathing waters, catchment management, antimicrobial resistance in the environment and water quality modelling. She is also an AtkinsRéalis Technical Fellow, and a guest lecturer in water quality at Teesside University. She was awarded an AtkinsRéalis President’s award for a standout contribution (2023), was a finalist for the WISE Outstanding Woman in Science award (2024) and Highly Commended in the CIWEM Spotlight awards (2024).

Kerenza took on the new role of Arts Development Programme Manager at the National Landscapes Association in 2024 to oversee and deliver the ambitious national programme of new commissions called Nature Calling, which will take place in National Landscapes from May-October 2025.

Kerenza has an extensive background in delivering large-scale art public art projects with partners such as Liverpool Capital of Culture, Channel 4 and more recently with Manchester International Festival. Kerenza has spent much of her career working within what is often referred to as socially engaged practice, developing projects in collaboration with artists and communities often in outdoor or site-specific locations. Kerenza has a background in permaculture and organic growing and has an interest in medicinal herbs and plants for everyday health and skincare. She currently lives in Manchester.

David was previously Director, North at National Lottery Heritage Fund. David is a trained ecologist with a BSc in Environmental Management and MScs in Restoration Ecology and Public Management. His previous roles include Director of Conservation at the North York Moors National Park ,Biodiversity Officer and Sustainable Development Manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, where he helped set up the Biodiversity Partnership and manage the funding and delivery of a complete ecological survey of the area. David previously sat on the UK Biodiversity Strategy Programme Board. More locally he also sat on the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership’s European Funding Committee.  

Sheona is the Director of GC Destination Insight and has first-hand experience of developing successful destinations having led one of the UK’s most successful DMOs as well as expertise as a consultant advising and working with cities and regions across the UK. As Managing Director of Marketing Manchester, Sheona promoted Greater Manchester nationally and internationally targeting businesses conferences, major sporting events, inward investors, visitors and students.

Duncan Wilson joined Historic England as the organisation’s first Chief Executive on 1 April 2015.

Historic England is a public body which improves people’s lives by protecting and championing the historic environment.

Previously, Duncan was Chief Executive of the Alexandra Park and Palace Trust, developing a major regeneration and conservation scheme to restore the Victorian theatre and television studios. He has also been Chief Executive at the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College, maintaining one of Europe’s finest groups of baroque buildings, and the Somerset House Trust, opening the site to the public.

Duncan’s first job as a chartered accountant in 1987 was as Senior Management Accountant

at English Heritage. Before accountancy he worked as a professional archaeologist in Oxford and Herefordshire, following post graduate research in European Archaeology.

He is a Trustee of Chatham Historic Dockyard Trust and the Greenwich Foundation.

He was awarded the CBE for services to heritage in 2023

Timothy David Crawshaw MIED MRTPI FRSA is a highly experienced built environment professional and advocate for planning as a key part of the solution to the challenges of our time. With over 20 years’ experience in a UK and international contexts Timothy is an expert in nature-based solutions, healthy placemaking, culture and economic development. An adjunct professor of planning and urban design at Newcastle University he is an acclaimed and inspiring public speaker and facilitator with a passion for great places and community involvement. Timothy is currently the Director of Planning and Placemaking for Surrey County Council, Chair of the Tees Valley Nature Partnership, and a former President of the RTPI and Immediate Past Chair of the RTPI NE.