Danny Green/2020VISION
Senior Management Team
Meet the members of our Senior Management Team who lead on the day-to-day running of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.
Andrew McLaughlin - Chief Executive Officer
Andrew started at GWT in September 2023, bringing considerable experience to the Trust as both a senior leader and Chief Executive.
He was formerly Head of Communications at the National Trust and then General Manager of Kingston Lacy, a major National Trust property in Dorset, in addition to spending several years as Chief Executive at the University of Bath Students’ Union. Most recently Andrew was the Service Director for Strategy & Innovation at South Gloucestershire Council. He’s serves as a Trustee for The Forest of Avon Trust and leads on the local nature action plan as a parish councillor where he lives. He brings a wide mix of skills, knowledge and experience to the role of CEO, with a strong background in both the people and nature aspects of GWT’s charitable purpose.
Andrew spends as much time as possible outdoors, and has a passion for storytelling in the natural world, whether that is the amazing stories of wildlife and the natural world, or the places, histories and folklore that surround them. Like many, Andrew has become increasingly alarmed about the decline of nature in the UK and is determined to play an important role in supporting nature’s recovery in Gloucestershire and beyond.
Ally Wilson - Director of Engagement and Fundraising
Ally joined GWT in 2020 and leads the Trust’s engagement, fundraising, marketing, membership, commercial enterprise and communications. Having worked in the charity sector all her career, Ally brings a broad range of experience from her work with many national and local charities such as Royal British Legion, Guide Dogs, WWF, Plan International and RSPB, and is proud to have been behind some of the most well-known fundraising campaigns for these organisations.
Passionate about people having opportunities, Ally is the founder of a local swimming club and can often be found volunteering her time working to deliver swimming provision in the county. In any spare time she enjoys walking and spending time in, on and near the sea.
Emma Hutchins
Emma Hutchins - Director for Nature’s Recovery
Emma joined GWT in 2023. She leads the Trusts delivery of work to stop and reverse wildlife declines in the county. She and her teams focus on enhancing and expanding our nature reserves and working with other land managers to deliver landscape scale changes across Gloucestershire and beyond. Emma is keen on collaborative working within and outside the sector, and appreciates the value of collecting and using evidence to inform action.
Emma has worked for conservation NGO’s for over 25 years both in the UK and overseas. She has a broad background in habitat management, species reintroduction and research, as well as strategic development, delivery and organizational governance.
Emma is a Board Member of the Gloucestershire Local Nature Partnership (GLNP) and the Chair of the GLNP Nature Recovery Working Group. She is a Trustee of the recently formed charity Nature and Community. Emma enjoys spending time outdoors with friends and family. Campfires, den building and literally paddling her own canoe feature alongside a love of wide open spaces.
Liz Parker - Project and Monitoring Manager
Liz joined the Trust in 2007 and has undertaken a number of roles in the time she has been with us including Living Landscapes Manager. She currently has a varied remit covering overseeing the creation and delivery of our Strategic Plan and Business Plan, governance and liaison with the Board of Trustees, monitoring of all of our projects, data protection and project management standards. Liz’s background is in project management specialising in IT systems for charities and universities.
Juliet Hynes - Head of Evidence
Juliet has 20 years of experience working in ecological research and the conservation sector, having previously worked for the Wales Biodiversity Partnership and Natural England, and joined Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust as Nature Recovery Network Coordinator in 2018 to develop a methodology to model the Gloucestershire Nature Recovery Network (NRN). Now as Head of Evidence, Juliet’s ecological research background and experience developing large partnership projects is used to ensure that GWT is an evidence lead organisation.
Nicola Simpson © Nick Turner
Nicola Simpson - Head of Engagement
Nicky joined the Trust in 2013 and has undertaken a number of roles in the engagement team since then. Since 2021 Nicky has been the Head of Engagement and has previously worked for Birmingham and Black Country and BCN Wildlife Trust’s, as well as numerous other engagement roles. With 20 years of experience, alongside conservation degrees, Nicky’s background has helped lead the engagement team to deliver urban engagement, community action, visitor engagement at gateway sites and support volunteering. The team now delivers a range of projects and core work across the county, engaging with thousands of residents each year to start them on their journey to taking action for nature.
Hannah Lewis - Head of Supporter Development
Hannah joined GWT in 2011 and has undertaken various roles within the membership team during her time with us, and now the Head of Supporter Development, Hannah has been responsible for developing and growing the membership base to where it is today. With now almost 28,000 members across the county and growing, supporters allow the Trust to carry out our vital work to ensure nature’s recovery. In her spare time when she isn’t out enjoying time in the outdoors with her two dogs, she enjoys making her own clothes.