Prof Alastair Driver is one of the UK’s best-known conservationists. He is a leading proponent of rewilding and an expert naturalist and ecologist with 45 years’ professional experience.

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He became the first Conservation Officer for the Thames catchment in 1984 and went on to become the National Head of Conservation for the Environment Agency for England and Wales from 2002 – 2016.

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Since 2016, he has been the Director of Rewilding Britain and plays a key role in influencing government environmental policy and advising on large rewilding projects across England and Wales.

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Alastair also holds several pro bono roles, including Hon Prof at University of Exeter, Specialist Advisor for the National Trust and River Action UK and Ambassador for the International River Foundation.

Derek Gow is a farmer, nature conservationist and the author of Bringing Back the Beaver and Birds, Beasts and Bedlam.

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Born in Dundee, he left school when he was 17 and worked in agriculture for five years. Inspired by the writing of Gerald Durrell, he jumped at the chance to manage a European wildlife park in central Scotland in the late 1990s before moving on to develop two nature centres in England. He now lives with his children, Maysie and Kyle, on a 300-acre farm on the Devon/Cornwall border, which he is in the process of rewilding.

Derek has played a significant role in the reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver, the water vole and the white stork in England. He is currently working on a reintroduction project for the wildcat.

Geoff Carss is the founder and CEO of Wilder Sensing - a nature tech company that uses audio and AI to quantify changes to biodiversity.

Geoff was originally a Geologist then a software engineer, completed an MBA and worked for major management consultancies around the world. During lockdown the idea for Wilder Sensing was formed - how can we better measure how biodiversity is changing - so we can understand the impact we are having.

Jan Stannard is the Co-founder and Chair of Trustees of Heal Rewilding.

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Jan moved into the charity sector after 40 years’ experience in business, having served on company boards in the strategic communications and digital marketing sectors.

She first became active in campaigning for wildlife in 2015 when she set up a local swift group, which has since organised the installation of hundreds of swift boxes. She also oversaw the largest ever amphibian ladder project in England in 2018, helping to stop migrating toads from drowning in road drains.

She has a BA in Geography and a first-class honours degree in Psychology, and while studying for the latter, qualified as an executive coach and trained as a resilience specialist.

More info coming soon.

Alicia Gibson is a Director at Finance Earth, who work with leading environmental organisations to finance nature recovery globally. She has been helping to build a new market for high impact investment in nature protection and enhancement since 2017. She has designed and implemented a range of financing mechanisms to support climate and nature, including the UK Nature Accelerator, the Big Nature Impact Fund, the Greater Manchester Environment Fund and the Wildlife Trust habitat banking investment model. Alicia is a key member of initiatives supporting high integrity nature markets, including the Wilder Carbon Standard, the UK Saltmarsh Code, and the Nature Finance Certification Alliance. Alicia previously qualified as a Chartered Accountant at Deloitte. She is a passionate about rewilding and contributed to Isabella Tree’s 'The Book of Wilding' on funding approaches for rewilding.

Ella is a tech-focussed and data-driven rewilder dedicated to accelerating and scaling nature recovery by leveraging innovative solutions and cutting-edge technologies.

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With an academic background in zoology, specialising in biologging technology, Ella has now been an integral part of Ecosulis's innovation team for three years.  During this time, she has been at the forefront of testing and implementing technologies that monitor and manage landscape-scale nature recovery. From Virtual fencing, eDNA, bioacoustics, remote sensing and AI, to maps, apps and dashboards, Ella's expertise spans across the technological spectrum. 

Beyond her tech focus, Ella is committed to fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing which is paramount to the growth of the rewilding sector.

Harry Grocott is the CEO & Co-Founder at Treeconomy, a carbon removal & Nature restoration business that builds precision remote sensing & AI systems to quantify impact.

Harry has an MSc in Climate Change, Management & Finance from Imperial College Business School with a report on Natural Capital investment structuring & opportunities, and previously worked at Trove Research.

As the Honeygar Wilding Officer for the Somerset Wildlife Trust, Joe Hampson is dedicated to showcasing innovative approaches to conservation that demonstrate nature recovery, evidence SWT's wilding approach and enable Honeygar to act as a flagship site and a catalyst for change.

Through partnerships with academic institutions, volunteers and commercial companies such as Wilder Sensing, Joe Hampson highlights the synergy between nature-led recovery and technological innovation.

Additionally, SWT and Honeygar as trusted deliverers for the emerging Wilder Carbon scheme, are helping to test and trial pioneering green finance solutions that put nature first.

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Amy Coulthard is motivated by the belief that resilient ecological networks, access to nature, wellbeing and economic prosperity are intrinsically linked, she believes in the potential for nature centred businesses to thrive.

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As EnTrade’s Director of Operations, Amy leads the frontline delivery of the EnTrade business to create high-integrity environmental markets that can be delivered at scale across the UK. In this role she helps shape the policy settings needed to unlock investment in nature.

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Amy is interested in collaborating across sectors to deliver innovative solutions that enable connected functioning ecosystems for the benefit of nature and people.

Gabrielle Nex’s practice works with ecologically unique habitats and more-than-human species, such as those found in temperate rainforests and rewilded spaces. Her work is predominantly sound, film and installation art. It has a strong emphasis on audience engagement and immersive experiences, advocating for tackling climate change and protecting ecological niches. 

Her most recent exhibition included film piece Becoming Forest (2023), which invited the audience to partake in a mutual exchange of being with the habitat of temperate rainforest. It was accompanied by a soundscape featuring the voices of the more-than-human congress which accompanied her whilst filming. Both sought to re-establish a lost and/or forgotten appreciation for these places and everything they give us.  

Helen Edmundson heads up the Green Finance team in the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, supporting the development of ecosystem service markets to significantly scale investment into natural capital. 

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An economist by background, Helen has spent much of the last 15 years working on international development, focused on the policies and partnerships needed for sustainable growth.

Helen has a keen interest in the nexus between natural capital, climate and finance and has explored this in countries such Guinea-Bissau, Uzbekistan, Kenya and now the UK.

More info coming soon.