Meet the charity Trustees

The way we treat animals is a measure of a civilised society. I have no doubt that generations to come will look back at the cruelty we currently inflict and judge it as a stain in history. Throughout my life, I've never understood why anyone would want to inflict senseless cruelty on any animal.

I'm immensely proud to be Chair of the League Against Cruel Sports. Their work is hugely impressive and their impact has been significant. I'm a life-long animal welfare advocate and one of my proudest achievements was calling for, and voting through, the hunting ban as an MP under the previous Labour government and later serving as an Environment and Rural Affairs Minister.

I'm currently Metro Mayor for the amazing West of England which includes the world-famous urban centres of Bristol and Bath, wonderful market towns like Keynsham and Chipping Sodbury, and some of the most beautiful landscapes in the UK. It’s where I grew up and have worked all my life and I'm hugely proud to call it my home. In July this year I was elected as the Member of Parliament for North East Somerset and Hanham.

I'm a Bristol City supporter, enjoy photography and my favourite thing to do is go on long walks across the beautiful West of England with my cocker spaniel Angel.

I have always loved animals and cared deeply about their welfare, and I am a long-standing supporter of many national and international animal charities. I've been lucky enough to care for foxes rescued by the National Fox Welfare Society and Wildlife Aid, and I joined the League as a member in 2004, before joining the Board of Trustees in 2018.
For most of my career, I have worked as an International Manager for the HSBC Group. During this time, I lived in 10 different countries and took on a range of senior leadership roles in all areas of banking. My last role was as CEO of HSBC Armenia, where I also served as a non-executive director of HSBC Bank Georgia, NASDAQ OMX and two local charities. After 22 years I decided to return to the UK for my young children to start school. I now work freelance as a banking consultant, which gives me more time to spend with my family and on voluntary work.
I live with three dogs, one cat, two rats, two sheep, two pigs, three chickens, 20+ fish and two children in the New Forest. My rescue lurcher is a “Pets As Therapy” dog and enjoys visiting humans in hospices and schools. I hate to see any animals (or humans) suffering, especially through deliberate cruelty, and think we all benefit when we learn to treat other creatures compassionately.

Having followed the League’s work for many years, it is a privilege to have joined as a Trustee in 2020. My background is in applied ethology, animal welfare science, international development and education, and for the past decade I have worked in a scientific advisory capacity for an international animal welfare organisation. I have also been a member of the International Society for Applied Ethology, Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour and Universities' Federation for Animal Welfare, a contributing writer for the Global Animal Network and a Trustee for a charity supporting wildlife rescue and conservation in the Bolivian Amazon.
I have loved animals since childhood, and adopted a plant-based diet more than 20 years ago – back when the word ‘vegan’ was often met with confusion! I am encouraged to see growing public awareness and concern for animal welfare and this narrative becoming increasingly mainstream, and am keen to promote animal welfare from an evidence-based perspective. Having worked or travelled in more than 75 countries so far, I have developed particular interests in the inter-relationship between animal welfare and international development, and in animal welfare education worldwide. My greatest challenge in working life has been to witness animal suffering in many forms, which may stem from lack of knowledge, resources, compassion, opportunity or regulation; and I believe that understanding root causes is integral to creating positive change.
When not globe-trotting I am likely to be either enjoying busy city life in London or recharging with friends and family back home in the west of Scotland.

Growing up near the Florida Everglades I developed a deep connection and love for the natural world and for animals. As I learned more about how we treat nature, my life’s mission became to fight to protect it. This led me to pursue environmental law as a vocation. I have admired and followed the League’s work since learning about their pivotal role in passing the Hunting Act.

After graduating with a law degree from the University of Bristol, I joined the Office for Environmental Protection initially as a complaints officer handling complaints about potential breaches of environmental law, and now in the OEP’s Monitoring and Advice team which analyses and advises government on how to improve and better implement environmental law.

Previously I trained at the European Commission’s Legal Service, and worked as a contracts paralegal in the procurement departments of several major multinational companies.

I serve as a trustee of a disabled person’s trust and have held various voluntary and leadership positions including Bristol law clinic student advisor, coordinator of the European Commission Trainees Sustainability Subcommittee, and auditor for Green Impact Labs.

I have followed an ethical vegan lifestyle for ten years. In my spare time, I enjoy being in nature, walking, running, baking vegan treats, reading fantasy novels, and playing video games. Given its amazing achievements and positive impact for the animals, it is a tremendous honour for me to join the Board and to apply my skills and passion to the League’s venerable and critically important objectives.