Senior Management Team

Barn Owl - Danny Green/2020VISION

Danny Green/2020VISION

Who we are

Senior Management Team

Meet the members of our Senior Management Team who lead on the day-to-day running of Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust.

Andrew standing on a path at lower woods, with trees behind him

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 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

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

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.

Ian Stevenson

Ian Stevenson - Head of Nature Recovery Zones

Ian joined the trust in 2017 and has been working in practical land management for more than 20 years. From childhood membership of the ‘young ornithologists club’ and later, a degree in physical Geography, to his first land-based job pulling sheep out of snowdrifts, he has always maintained a passion for the countryside. He now oversees the work of the land management team both on and off nature reserves as they deliver wildlife recovery in the county. He is particularly passionate about working with farmers to deliver benefits for wildlife as they adapt to a changing economic and climatic landscape. In his spare time he can often be found scything and growing plug plants for community meadows or traipsing the banks of the river Severn counting waders.

Juliet Hynes standing outside, looking at the camera

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 looking at the camera standing in front of a pond, wearing a GWT fleece

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 standing in a field with trees behind her

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.Â