John is chief executive of the National Forest Company. The National Forest Company is responsible for coordinating one of the boldest environmental projects in the country - the creation and management of the 200-square mile National Forest, spanning parts of Derbyshire, Leicestershire and Staffordshire. 

His previous roles have included chief executive of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust and a former director of conservation for The Wildlife Trusts, working nationally on environmental policy and advocacy for more than a decade.  

John has played a key role in national and regional networks such as Wildlife & Countryside Link and the UK Biodiversity Group, as well as Sherwood Forest and the current Charnwood Forest Regional Park. He is Chair of the Forestry Commission’s East Midlands Forestry & Woodlands Advisory Committee and a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA).

John has experience of conservation work in the UK and overseas, and is a regular contributor in the press and media. He has a particular interest in the interplay between people and the environment.