Page 40 - Land Trust Annual Review 2023

The Land Trust

Deborah Rees Sarah Chare
Deborah was appointed to the Board of Trustees in Sarah has 28 years’ experience as an environmental
December 2019. She brings 30 years’ experience as operator, adviser and regulator. She is currently Chief
a Senior Investment Banker primarily as a Director for Operating Officer for the Environment Agency. Sarah
Barclays Investment Bank and Merrill Lynch. She is has significant experience at senior management
now a Non-Executive Director and member of the level, and as a keen advocate of partnership working
Investment Committee of The Methodist Insurance has helped deliver blue, green and grey infrastructure
Company, and a pension fund Trustee for the Leprosy programmes, strategy development and
Mission International. transformation. She is passionate about protecting
and improving the environment and is experienced in
working with Boards at the Environment Agency, as
Sandra Kelly well as strategic level placemaking.

Sandra was appointed to the Board of Trustees in
December 2019. A Chartered Accountant, she was Tom Wright, CBE
formerly Finance Director of the Canal & River Trust.
Prior to that she spent eight years as Finance Director Tom has extensive experience within the charity
at NHBC (the National House Building Council). She sector in an executive and non-executive capacity.
is a Non-Executive director of Finsbury Growth & He works across the heritage and tourism sectors,
Income Trust plc as well as being Chair and Governor currently as a Trustee of Leeds Castle, and of the
of Headington School in Oxford. She previously held National Museums of the Royal Navy, and within the
senior finance positions in the commercial sector, healthcare sector as a Trustees of the Faculty of
most notably for BMW GB. Sports and Exercise Medicine. He was previously the
Senior Independent Director at NICE, and Chief
In July 2023, Nick McLeod-Clarke stepped Executive of Visit Britain.
down from the Board and we welcomed the
following:
Simon Rutman
Rachel Hatfield
Simon has recently retired from the position of
Rachel has broad experience leading transformational Partner at Travers Smith LLP. He has over 20 years’
change in customer facing businesses. In her early experience as a real estate partner and five years
career, she spent 20 years working as an international running the real estate department. Simon has
finance lawyer, including ten years growing European worked on an extensive and diverse set of
finance businesses as a Partner in several global law transactions. Highlights include advising Patron
firms. For the last 15 years she has focused on Capital on both the sale of Punch Taverns and its
non-executive roles, developing a broad knowledge interest in CALA Homes, advising McCarthy & Stone
of third sector governance, risk management, and on numerous strategic property transactions over
funding. Rachel is a non-executive director at Thrive many years and advising on the development of
Homes UK (a registered provider of affordable and Imperial College’s White City Campus. The most
social housing) where she also currently chairs the recent edition of Chambers Legal directory describes
Customer, Colleague and Governance Committee. him as “one of the most skilful legal negotiators in the
She is also a Member (and former Trustee) of SSNAP real estate sector.
(a charity supporting neonatal care at The John
Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford) and a former Trustee of
The Danes Educational Trust, Hertfordshire. Rachel
owns a planting design consultancy focused on
sustainable, biodiverse, spaces and she also
volunteers as a heritage landscape consultant at The
Chiltern Open Air Museum, Buckinghamshire.

As per the Articles of Association, having served for nine years William Hiscocks has indicated that he
will be stepping down as Chairman and Trustee in December 2023. The Trustees have voted Janet
Haddock-Fraser to be the next Chair, and Janet will serve as Chair Designate until December 2023.

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