OUR TRUSTEES

Meet our Trustees: the amazing people who ensure we can continue to do what we do best! The trustees are all unpaid volunteers, making sure that WildLife Foundation abides by its charitable aims, works within the law and delivers its mission effectively.

Cheryl Williams

Cheryl is one of the founder directors of the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Cheryl was formerly the Marketing Manager for Woburn Enterprises for 14 years (Woburn Safari Park, Woburn Abbey, the Inn at Woburn, Woburn Golf Club) before leaving to help found YWP. Cheryl has been involved for many years in the zoo community at national and international level and is a director and trustee of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a board member of Enterprise Doncaster and Doncaster Tourist Board and a Patron of Welcome to Yorkshire. Cheryl has been instrumental in promoting YWP both at National and Regional levels and was a key figure in the Park’s mission to rescue 13 lions from a run down Romanian Zoo in 2010 and relocate them to YWP.

Chris Webster

After a successful army career Chris has been an operator and consultant in the Leisure sector since 1989 including GM of Whipsnade Wild Animal Park, CEO of Woburn Safari Park and CEO of Vision XS Ltd, an international strategic leisure consultancy. Chris has also chaired a sub-regional DMO, was a non- executive director on the East of England Tourist Board and was also a non-executive director at Visit England. Chris has been CEO of two not for profit organisations, Endeavour Training Ltd, a national educational charity and the Woburn Centre for Conservation and Education and was for many years a trustee of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Chris is presently Managing Director of his own leisure consultancy, WINK Associates Ltd and is Deputy Chairman of Yorkshire Wildlife Park Ltd. He is a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London.

Nathalie Wissink-Argilaga

Nathalie graduated from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (Spain) in 2004. She moved to the UK in 2005 completing a rotating internship in a referral hospital and then proceeding to complete her RCVS Certificate in Zoological Medicine and Diploma in Zoological Medicine with a specialty in reptiles whilst working in a mixed practice in Bedfordshire where she was the head of Exotics and Zoo. She became an RCVS Recognised Specialist in Zoo and Wildlife Medicine in 2016. She currently works as a first opinion and referral clinician in a large veterinary hospital in Oxfordshire and is also the vet for several zoological collections including being the Head Veterinarian at Woburn Safari Park since 2014. She has been a Council member for the British Veterinary Zoological Society since 2017 and is currently their President. She is also involved with the British and Irish Association of Zoo and Aquaria in the capacity of Vet Advisor to the Mammal Working group. She regularly presents in national and international conferences and has authored multiple scientific papers and book chapters.

Ruth Redfern

Ruth Redfern is MD of RDZT Ltd. Ruth acts an interim Director in the public sector and works with local authorities to transform their relationships with the third sector, leading teams managing museums and galleries, sport and recreation, community cohesion, tackling anti-social behaviour, human resources, policy and strategy, information management, communications and organisational development. Formerly the Director for Inclusive Growth at West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the Director for Communities, Transformation and Change at Kirklees Council and the Assistant Chief Executive of Yorkshire Forward, the Regional Development Agency for Yorkshire and Humber, Ruth champions innovative approaches to organisational development in transition and transformation. Severely deaf herself, Ruth’s campaigning for equality has spanned the length of her career. In 2011 Ruth chaired the York Fairness Commission and more recently chaired the West Yorkshire & York Combined Authority low paid workers commission who launched their low pay charter in March 2015. Ruth is a life fellow of the RSA, a fellow of the Chartered Management Institute and a member of CIPD, a professional facilitator and coach, a published writer of both articles and poetry and a Practitioner of Neuro-linguistic Programming.

John Bramah

Sheffield born, John become the 5th generation of his family to be metal working engineers in South Yorkshire. Following an apprenticeship with Rolls Royce, he worked as a senior production engineer for Lotus Cars. In 1973 h3 joined the American Black and Decker organisation and worked in operational management in the North East and London, as well as periods in India and West Africa. In 1981 he joined a German subsidiary of US Steel to commission a new vehicle production factory in South Wales. In 1985 he returned to Sheffield to take over a specialist supplier of heavy hydraulic equipment to the energy industry. He has been Chairman of several European funded South Yorkshire projects to encourage entrepreneurship and growth . He was Chairman of the executive committee to create Sheffield University’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre with Boeing and Rolls Royce. He has been Governor of a specialist engineering school, a school science ambassador for Sheffield Hallam University, and a Vice president of the Industrial Trust educational charity. He was Master of the Cutlers Company of Sheffield in 2003, and chaired their educational awards panel for 12 years. John is Chairman of a global investment company. He is a Trustee of several local charities , and was appointed as High Sheriff of South Yorkshire in 2014. John claims no nature conservation expertise , but he and his wife Julia, have long been supporters of “Compassion in world farming ”. Their homes have always been populated with a procession of dogs, cats, ducks, chickens, geese, rabbits, hamsters, goats and sheep.

Mark Thomas

Mark Thomas is an ex national newspaper Editor. He spent two decades working at the highest levels of the UK media working as Features Editor at the Daily Mirror and Assistant Editor there between 1994 and 1997 before being made Deputy Editor of the Sunday Mirror. He was then appointed Editor of The People in 2003 – a post he held for nearly five years. He now runs a successful media consultancy, TM MediaPR, based in Central London offering PR and marketing, crisis PR, and celebrity management. He was responsible for delivering the successful lion rescue for YWP which generated over £1m worth of coverage. TM Media is responsible for all the PR, marketing and fundraising for the Charity of St John and St Elizabeth, a private charitable hospital in London with all profits funding its onsite St John’s Hospice. Mark is on the management board of the hospital. Tm MediaPR has a huge variety of clients ranging from individuals to businesses, including in the property, finance and leisure sectors. For all he uses his journalistic, PR and marketing know how coupled with his media contacts and commercial experience to deliver for clients.

Neville WIlliams

Neville is one of the founder directors of the Yorkshire Wildlife Park. Neville started at Massey Ferguson as an engineering graduate trainee rising to be a Regional Sales Manager for part of the Middle East. He then moved to Woburn to work for himself but during his time there he helped the Safari Park with their elephant transportation work. Neville has been involved with British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) committees on the environment and sustainability and he is also a member of the International Union of Conservation and Nature (IUCN) Climate Change Group.or clients.