Steering Group

Peter Young, Steering Group Chair

An environmentalist for 45 years, Peter has mainly worked in the private sector.  Peter has sat on various Government and independent bodies concerned with environmental regulation and the green economy. Peter advised on the UK’s third climate change risk assessment (CCRA3). He chaired the Business Interest Group for the Valuing Nature Programme. Peter was the first chair of the ISO Committee on Sustainable Finance (ISO/TC322) and was a founding trustee of the Green Purposes Company. He is a trustee of Cumbria Wildlife Trust and member of Esmée Fairbairn’s Our Natural World Advisory Panel. He co-founded Aldersgate Group and Broadway Initiative, which he currently chairs. 

Helen Avery, Director, Nature Programmes, Green Finance Institute

Helen leads the Green Finance Institute’s work on supporting the development of a pipeline of investible nature projects and on building investor demand, including advising and supporting the Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund. The Institute also hosts the Secretariat for the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures and Helen oversees the UK National Consultation Group.

In previous roles, Helen was Sustainable Finance Editor and Global Wealth Management Editor with Euromoney Magazine.

Richard Benwell, Chief Executive, Wildlife & Countryside Link

Richard Benwell is chief executive of Wildlife & Countryside Link. Previously he has been policy adviser to the Secretary of State at Defra, worked on policy and advocacy at WWT and RSPB, and served as a director of Westmill Solar Cooperative and a clerk in the House of Commons Commission.

Balwinder Dhoot, Director of Sustainability & Growth, Food & Drink Federation

Bal joined FDF in February 2023 as Sustainability Director. Bal previously worked at DEFRA, where for the last 7 years he worked on a range of policy areas across the food system and from farming through to retail, including on productivity, trade, Brexit and Covid.  Bal has spent 23 years in the Civil Service, where he’s worked in a wide range of roles and in a number of different Government Departments, including BEIS, FCDO, UKTI (now DIT) and time outside the Civil Service at Ofcom.

Rosie Hails, Director of Nature & Science, National Trust

Professor Rosie Hails MBE DSc hc FRSB is an ecologist and Nature and Science Director at the National Trust, holding honorary chairs at Exeter and Cranfield Universities. Her role is to develop the Trust’s nature strategy, research portfolio and advice on science evidence relevant to Trust decision making. She leads teams focusing on Nature Conservation, Environmental Research & Data, Trees & Woodland Creation, Wildlife Management, Land Use, Farming and Public Benefits delivered by Nature. She is also one of three Directors of ‘Renew’ – a five year Changing the Environment program funded by NERC and led by the University of Exeter & National Trust Partnership.  She is a member of Defra’s Science Advisory Council, chair of the Biodiversity Expert Committee, and on a number of advisory boards. Formerly she was the Science Director for Biodiversity & Ecosystem Science at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (2013 – 2018). She was awarded an MBE for services to Environmental Research in 2000. 

Judicaelle Hammond, Director of Policy, Country Land & Business Association

Judicaelle leads the CLA’s policy and advice teams, who are responsible for delivering expert support and guidance to members, while working closely with rural and government stakeholders on the proposal and development of new policy.  Judicaelle was previously a senior civil servant and has over 20 years’ experience of policy design and implementation at BEIS, Defra, HM Treasury, as well as the Food Standards Agency.

Rohit Kaushish, Chief Economics Adviser, NFU

Rohit has been working as an Economist for the National Farmers’ Union of England and Wales since 2015. His areas of specialism include financial risk management, financial instruments and environmental policy. Prior to joining the NFU, Rohit has worked in a range of commercial finance roles primarily in the financial services industry where he completed his training as a Chartered Management Accountant.  With an MSc in Ecological Economics from the University of Edinburgh, Rohit specialised in forestry, water resource management, ecosystem dynamics and natural capital. Rohit also holds a degree in Business and Management from Aston University.

Emily Norton, Board member, Environmental Markets Board

Emily is a farmer and an independent rural policy and strategy advisor, with a particular interest in emerging natural capital influences on land, food and farming. She qualified as solicitor before undertaking an MSc in Sustainable Agriculture. She has spent her career working in farming, food and rural affairs, most recently as Head of Rural Research at property consultancy Savills. Emily holds various board positions, including as Chair of the Advisory Group for Soil Association Exchange, as a member of the national policy committee of the CLA, and as a trustee at the Royal Norfolk Agricultural Association. Emily lives and farms in Norfolk.

Mark Reed, Professor of Rural Entrepreneurship, SRUC

Professor Mark Reed is Professor of Rural Entrepreneurship and Director of the Thriving Natural Capital Challenge Centre at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).   He is a transdisciplinary researcher specializing in environmental governance and research impact. He works with rural communities to enhance the governance of natural and agri-food systems. He is a Visiting Professor at University of Leeds, Newcastle (pending) and Birmingham City University. He is Research Manager for the International Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) UK Peatland Programme and a member of IUCN's international Committee on Ecosystem Management. He is a core member of UKRI-BBSRC's Bioscience for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Strategy Advisory Panel, helping BBSRC formulate its strategy for agriculture and food security. 

George Sethia, Programme Lead, Nature Investment Standards, BSI

Penny Simpson, Partner, Freeths LLP

Penny is a Partner at law firm Freeths LLP, where she leads the Environmental Law Team and Natural Capital Law Team. She is recognised as one of the UK's leading environment lawyers. With over 20 years of experience, Penny advises on the regulation of protected habitats and species, water resources, air quality and environmental impact assessment. Penny has led landmark environmental cases, including Harris vs Environment Agency in which the High Court affirmed the enforceability of key European nature conservation laws post-Brexit, a case for which she was named The Times Lawyer of the Week. Penny is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and is recognised as an “elite leading individual” in the legal directories (Chambers & Partners and Legal 500). She previously served as in-house senior legal advisor at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.

Rachel Solomon Williams, Executive Director, Aldersgate Group

Since mid-2023 Rachel has been Executive Director at the Aldersgate Group, a cross-sectoral alliance of businesses and other organisations championing a prosperous, environmentally sustainable economy. Rachel has 22 years’ experience of working in environment and climate policy, as a civil servant and in other sectors, with her most recent role being in KPMG’s energy transition team. She draws on this experience to work with Aldersgate Group members on developing robust recommendations and making the case for change in vital areas of climate and nature policy.

James Stevens, Director, Home Builders Federation

James is responsible within the Federation for all matters relating to devolution and the combined authorities in England where this relates to housebuilding. James is a town planner by profession and has extensive and detailed experience of local plans across all of England. He has also been involved in the published or emerging spatial development strategies for Greater London, Greater Manchester, the West of England, Liverpool City Region and Oxfordshire. In the last two years James has been leading for the Federation on the matter of nutrient neutrality. He has been working with the membership and external organisations to find possible solutions.

John Uttley



John has worked for over 30 years to help create a nature-positive economy that values and restores nature. During a long career with NatureScot, John helped lead efforts to create a nature-rich future through the widespread adoption of nature-based solutions to climate change. John studied Physics at Oxford before transitioning into accountancy, later becoming Finance Director of the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB). John has been a member of the leadership team with the Scottish Nature Finance Pioneers and is currently an Associate with the Centre for Good relations CIC and a Member of the Board of Trustees for Trees for Life.

Dan Walker-Nolan, Director of Policy, Water UK

Dan joined Water UK as Director of Policy in January 2024 and is responsible for overseeing development of our policy agenda, including water services, the environment, rivers & seas, and resilience.  Dan previously worked in Government for four years, latterly as Deputy Director for the Policy Response and Resilience Unit. Before that, he held several roles focussing on water and energy sector regulation, at Ofwat and Citizens Advice respectively.

David Young, Senior Fellow, Broadway Initiative

David Young has extensive experience in climate change, sustainable land use and energy policy reform.  A founding Executive Director of Natural England, he now specialises in environmental market design, and the planning and finance of sustainable development. David was the lead author of the Financing Nature Recovery UK Roadmap and Recommendations published in 2022 and is supporting Broadway's work on nature market policy, standards and governance.

Liam McAleese (observer), Director – Our Natural World, Esmée Fairbairn Foundation

Before joining Esmée, Liam held senior roles at the Lake District National Park Authority and was a Non-Executive Director of National Park Partnerships LLP. Liam started his career in a range of roles in DEFRA and BEIS before establishing a successful marine planning and environmental consultancy business and taking on a non-executive director role in the Gardline Marine Science Group of companies.