Executive Board

Helen Phillips - Chief Executive

Helen was appointed Chief Executive of Natural England in February 2006. She has 15 years experience in the environment sector gained at the Environment Agency and the National Rivers Authority.

At Natural England, Helen has led a major change programme, transforming the business over the last five years. The focus of her work has been on achieving greater levels of protection and improvement for places and nature by engaging, raising and aligning people’s energy to establish a public body with clear priorities for the natural environment. This was matched only by her determination to increase effectiveness and value for money. England’s premier wildlife sites are now in better condition than at any time since their creation. All achievements delivered alongside improved customer satisfaction, substantial efficiency savings and a significant reduction in staff numbers.

Helen has a degree in zoology and a Ph.D. in freshwater biology from University College Dublin. She is an alumnus of the Cambridge industry programme and a Fellow of the Society of Biology. She was the lead accounting officer for the Joint Nature Conservation Committee 2006-2011.

Helen is married with two children, three step children and homes in Sheffield and London.

Dave Webster - Executive Director, Capability

Dave joined Natural England as a founding Executive Board member in September 2006. He is responsible for the capability function including performance, finance, organisation development and all corporate services of Natural England.

Dave is a qualified accountant and has a career spanning 30 years in financial and corporate services with a focus on leading and driving efficiency and performance improvement. Prior to joining Natural England, Dave worked as the Finance Manager for the Environment Agency, Wales, where he led the transformation of business delivery at both a national and regional level. Dave’s career includes leadership roles in District and County Councils as well as the National Rivers Authority.

Guy Thompson - Executive Director, Customers

Guy joined Natural England as a founding member of Natural England’s Executive Board in June 2006. He is responsible for the standards, consistency and quality of our customer care, our partnerships and our internal and external communications. He is also responsible for the delivery of Natural England’s marine programme and our work to engage people in the natural environment and enhance access to it.

Guy has worked in the environment sector for over a decade, previously as Director of Green Alliance and in senior policy and advocacy roles at Forum for the Future and the RSPB.

Jim Smyllie - Executive Director, Delivering with Communities

Jim joined Natural England from Defra in January 2006 as Transition Director. He is the Executive Director responsible for the delivery of land use functions, land management schemes and of local biodiversity and access.

In Defra, Jim founded and led the Delivery Strategy Team which created the framework for the department’s relationships with all its delivery bodies. Prior to this, he was Head of Planning at the then Lord Chancellor’s Department, and Director of Corporate Strategy in the MOD’s Defence Secondary Care Agency, where he led major programmes to transfer military hospitals into partnership with the NHS. His earlier career included a decade in the NHS in a variety of senior service management and commissioning roles, several years in the independent sector, and work in the arts.

Andrew Wood - Executive Director, Science and Evidence

Andrew has worked for Natural England since the organisation was vested in 2006 and was previously Director of Landscape, Access and Recreation for the Countryside Agency. His responsibilities include the provision of timely, accurate and well evidenced scientific advice to the Board, strategic leadership of science and scientists in Natural England, leverage and influence for Natural England across the science sector and the development and maintenance of Natural England’s evidence base. Andrew is also responsible for Natural England’s functions as a regulator.

Andrew has worked in the public sector for 30 years in a variety of roles for the Metropolitan Police, the Welsh Office, the Audit Commission and Natural England and its founding bodies. Most recently he was Director of Finance for the NHS in Wales from 1996 to 1998, Director of the Audit Commission in Wales from 1998 to 2002, Director of Policy for the Audit Commission from 2002, and joined the Countryside Agency in 2004.