Meet our board

Ben Goldsmith | Chair
Ben is CEO of Menhaden Capital and co-founder of specialist long-term investment group WHEB. He is also a non-executive Board member of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the co-founder of the UK Environmental Funders’ Network, and an Advisory Council member for the Oxford Martin School.

Benet Northcote | Deputy Chair
Benet was the Director of Corporate Responsibility at the John Lewis Partnership for seven years, having also previously been Deputy Private Secretary to The Prince of Wales, where he was responsible for The Prince’s work on the Sustainability and Responsible Business.

Luke Graham | Treasurer
Luke served as MP for Ochil & South Perthshire 2017-2019, during which time he was a champion of CEN. He sat on the Public Accounts Committee and was promoted to PPS for the Cabinet Office and Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Prior to this he embarked on an 11-year career in finance which saw him work at start-ups and corporates in the UK, Asia and the USA as well as qualifying as a Chartered Management Accountant.

Dorothée Irving
Dorothée is Head of Grants at the John Ellerman Foundation where she oversees the Foundation’s grant-making operation across its three funding categories: Arts, Environment and Social Action. Previously she looked after arts and cultural heritage grant portfolios at the Paul Hamlyn Foundation and the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe.

Rosa Stewart
Rosa is a Founder of a home decarbonisation related startup at Founders Factory (in partnership with Nesta) and an advisor to organisations on energy and climate strategy and campaigns. She is also a Non-Executive Director at the Retail Energy Code Company and Publica Group, a local authority company, where she is responsible for their climate emergency work. Previously, she was Head of External Relations at the energy supplier SSE, and a Deputy Director at BEIS.

Jane McBean
Jane is a unitary councillor in Buckinghamshire and currently chairs its Health & Adult Social Care Select Committee. She is also a member of Bucks’ Natural Environment Partnership Board and its Leisure Board, and a member of the Strategic Flood Management Team. As Leader of Chesham Town Council she co-created Communi-Tree, an urban re-planting initiative, and chairs Impress The Chess, a working group of members, officers, local nature agencies and volunteers focusing on protecting and enhancing local chalk streams including the River Chess and the Misbourne.

Guy Thompson
Guy is Managing Director of EnTrade, a Wessex Water business that creates and operates online markets in nature-based solutions. Previously, Guy was a founding Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of Natural England and, before that, Executive Director of Green Alliance and Board Member of the European Environment Bureau. His current Non-Executive roles include membership of the CBI South West Regional Council and the Advisory Board of the Broadway Initiative; and Board Member Designate of PHA Homes, a Hampshire-based housing association.