Leading conservation charity, the Scottish Wildlife Trust, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jonathan Hughes as Chief Executive with immediate effect.
Jonathan has been involved in the Trust for many years and, in fact, began his career in conservation as a seasonal ranger at the Trust’s reserve of Loch Fleet from 1992-96.
As Director of Conservation since 2009, he has overseen various landmark projects including a number of ground-breaking Living Landscapes initiatives, the Experts for Nature programme and the Scottish Beaver Trial. More recently, he was a key member of the team which delivered the globally influential World Forum on Natural Capital, held in Edinburgh in November, 2013.
Jonathan is a specialist in policy and public affairs, ecosystem-based conservation, peatlands, woodlands and urban ecology; he is also an elected global councillor for the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Chairman of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Allan Bantick, said: “Jonathan Hughes has a long and distinguished career in nature conservation and by virtue of his flair and talent has risen through the ranks to become a respected leader in the environmental world.
“I look forward very much to working closely with Jonathan in the coming months and warmly congratulate him on his appointment.”
The newly appointed Chief Executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Jonathan Hughes, said: “It is a great honour to be taking up the position of Chief Executive in the Trust’s 50th Anniversary year, taking over from Simon Milne who I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with over the past eight years.
“The strength of the Trust stems from the fact we are not just a highly respected commentator on environmental issues, but also an organisation that delivers inspiring conservation work on the ground through our suite of 120 wildlife reserves, our education programmes and our award winning projects including the Scottish Beaver Trial and Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels.
“I am looking forward to the challenge of working with members, Trustees and an excellent team of staff to ensure the organisation continues to grow and develop in the coming years; scaling-up our efforts to reverse the decline of species and habitats and restore Scotland’s ecosystems back to good health.”
The previous Chief Executive, Simon Milne MBE, left last month to take up another post after 10 years at the Trust.