Natural England has today (Friday, May 24) appointed Mark Tufnell, Cynthia Alers, Alastair Leake and James Scott to its board.
Their terms will run for three years, commencing on May 31, 2024 and concluding on May 30, 2027.
Natural England is the UK government’s adviser for the natural environment in England.
It is a non-departmental public body and is sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The new appointments have been made in accordance with the Ministerial Governance Code on Public Appointments published by the Cabinet Office.
Mark Tufnell
Mark Tufnell is a former president of the Country Land & Business Association (CLA).
He manages and owns a family farm in the Cotswolds. Previously, he was a non-executive director of the Animal Health & Welfare Board for England.
He is a chartered accountant and also chairs a number of local conservation groups.
Cynthia Alers
Cynthia Alers was recently Audit and Risk Committee chair and a member of the Governance Committee at Orwell Housing Association.
She was also a director on the Board of Orwell’s property development subsidiary.
Alers is currently treasurer to the board of charitable trustees at Buckden Recreation Ground and Village Hall Trust.
Previously, she was a member of the Nomination and Remuneration Committees at the Port of Dover.
Alastair Leake
Alastair Leake is the current head of the Allerton Project, which researches the effects of different farming methods on wildlife and the environment.
He was previously a project manager, focusing on Farming Projects at the Co-operative Farms and sat on the board of directors at Rothamsted Research.
James Scott
James Scott is the group director of strategy and planning at Urban&Civic plc and a member of Natural England’s Development Industry Group.
Previously, he was a senior executive at LendLease Europe and a non-executive director of East Thames Housing Group.
