Trustees

Sarah went to Leicester University where she studied Combined Arts majoring in Italian and French with classes in Latin, Politics and Sociology.

After a post grad business and languages course in Leeds, she moved to London and spent the first three years there working in educational administration. She then joined the Northern European office for Levi Strauss in her first HR role. She went on to hold senior HR roles in the Burton Group and then moved to Devon and worked for South West Water and DCC before joining the Nortel Fixed Wireless Business in Paignton.

She remained with Nortel for 15 years, eventually holding a HR position covering 32 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, which focused on HR Strategy, Organisation Design and Leadership and Management Development. Following the demise of Nortel, she took early retirement in June 2010.

She is a past Trustee of the Nortel UK Pension Fund and was also a Governor at Stover School and Churston Grammar School. She has a real passion for understanding what makes businesses and people effective and is excited at the prospect of working with the Trust and associated organisations.

Appointed 2024

James was brought up in Torbay before obtaining his degree in Housing and Development at the University of the West of England, Bristol.

On later returning to South Devon, he has held several directorships across the region with a focus on Social Housing, Sanctuary Affordable and Riviera, Teign Housing, South Devon Rural Housing Associations and is currently an Independent Advisor to Exeter City Council’s Development & Housing Revenue Account Board and Torbay’s Housing Board.

He has held local educational Governorships with Kings Ash Academy and currently Stover School Association.

Along with being a former Unitary Local Authority Councillor and roles in Audit and the Local Government Pension Scheme, James has held further directorships with the Torbay Economic Development Company and the South Devon Chamber of Commerce. He was also a Director of Torquay United Football Club and its charitable Football in the Community arm for several years.

James offers an eclectic range of business knowledge and strategic skills and brings a passion for lifelong learning, giving back to our communities and supporting such important local assets all within their own secure business environments and required to provide added value with the aim to enhance and promote, educate and conserve these cherished sanctuaries for our endangered species locally and internationally now and for future generations.

Appointed 2001

Andrew Cooper is one of Britain’s most distinguished and influential television producers. As a writer, broadcaster and international award-winning wildlife filmmaker, he is a familiar face on BBC television and is responsible for some of the most popular Natural World wildlife documentaries. He is also the author of nine books on natural history.

A biologist and anthropologist by training, his career as a television producer with the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol consumes most of his time but not all. He has wide business experience, is a popular speaker and also owns one of the most successful websites of its kind in the country. As a landowner he tries to practise what he preaches in the woodlands and meadows of his own farm close to the Teign estuary.

He is an experienced board member of several charities, public and private organisations, including being chair of the Devon Wildlife Trust, Vice-president of the Isles of Scilly Wildlife Trust and a Non-Executive Director and Vice-chair of a leading NHS Hospital Foundation Trust. Currently he is a Secretary of State appointee as an Authority Member to Dartmoor National Park.

Richard Preziosi is Professor of Ecological Genetics and Head of School of Biological and Marine Sciences at the University of Plymouth. He joined the University of Plymouth in 2021 from Manchester Metropolitan University, which he joined in October 2016 as Director of the Ecology and Environment Research Centre.

Prior to this, Richard was Professor of Ecological Genetics in the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Manchester. He obtained his MSc from Concordia University in Montreal in 1990, and his PhD from McGill University in Montreal in 1997.

Richard is a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society, the Royal Statistical Society and the Royal Society of Biology, and a Certified Senior Ecologist (ESA).

At the University of Manchester he was founding director of the Environment and Ecology Research Theme and of the Centre for the Genetics of Ecosystem Services. He acted as faculty lead for sustainability and was a Member and Chair of the University research ethics committees for both human and animal research. He currently acts as an external advisor on the ethics committee of Chester Zoo and is a consultant to the University of Liverpool and UCLAN.

Richard’s research focusses on conservation and genetics. His genetic research examines the genetics of species interactions, and on in situ and ex situ conservation genetics of both commercially harvested species and of endangered species. His conservation research is largely aimed at improving the ex-situ conservation of species. While he works on a wide variety of taxa he has been working on amphibian conservation since 2003. He is especially interested in optimising husbandry for endangered amphibian species using an evidence-based approach.

Appointed 2024

Melanie is a seasoned finance professional with over 15 years of experience across a variety of industries. She began her finance career in Financial Services with Ernst & Young, where she trained as a Chartered Accountant on their graduate programme, before later joining the BBC.

After two years in BBC internal audit, Melanie joined Comcast NBC Universal, where she was selected for their Finance Leadership Programme. Melanie spent three years in the US, rotating across various business segments, including advertising, strategy, and TV stations. Melanie returned to the UK in 2018 as Group Controller for Universal Pictures International.

Melanie spent 18 months as Head of Finance – Europe & MENA – at a late-stage e-commerce start up, where she led the build out of the international finance function, before moving to Wild Planet Trust as Chief Finance Officer for 12 months. She is currently the Chief Finance Officer for The Earthshot Prize.

Melanie has two young daughters and is passionate about ensuring that we inspire the next generation to care about our natural world.

Appointed 2024

Ben was born in Torbay and attended Torquay Boys’ Grammar School before obtaining his degree in Criminology and Human Geography at Keele University (UK) and University of North Texas (USA).

He has held various positions within major PLC house building companies, including Barratt, Persimmon, and Vistry, and is currently the Operations Director for Vistry, a company that builds hundreds of houses across the Southwest of England, with a focus on partnerships and delivering affordable homes.

Ben’s field of expertise includes land acquisition, commercial, technical, and all aspects of business.

Ben is a family man, with a passion for nature and giving back to the community.