Executive Board

Dave Webster - Interim Chief Executive

Dave joined Natural England as a founding Executive Board member in September 2006 and was appointed Interim Chief Executive in March 2012. He has over 20 years experience in the environment sector in senior leadership roles.

At Natural England Dave has led efficiency and performance improvements across financial and corporate services, implementing substantial reform that has enabled Natural England to make back office efficiencies of over 30% that have been re-invested in its front line delivery. The focus of his work has been on developing staff and building the organisation’s capability to deliver monitored and measured improvements for the natural environment. Alongside this Dave has instilled rigorous performance management, governance and financial control across the business. This is exemplified by leading the achievement of an organisational wide reduction in carbon emissions by 50%, saving in excess of £1.75m every year as a result.

Dave is a qualified accountant and has a career spanning 30 years in financial and corporate services in large Non-Departmental Public Bodies. 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.

Dave is married with two children, lives in South Wales and enjoys running and trail-walking in his spare time.

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.

Paul Lambert – Interim Executive Director, Capability

Paul joined Natural England in April 2007 as Director Finance and joined the Executive Board in March 2012. He is the Executive Director responsible for Performance, Finance, Organisational Development, Systems and Knowledge Information and all of the Corporate Services.

Paul is a qualified accountant who has spent over 20 years working in the private sector for Ernst & Young and as a Finance Manager with Powergen in the electricity industry. Prior to joining Natural England he was Chief Financial and Systems Officer at South Yorkshire Passenger Transport.