Meet Our Staff and Trustees

Anna Taylor

Director

Anna is an experienced charity director with a strong track record of devising strategy, diversifying income, and growing impact. She is a geographer with a strong interest in ecology.

She has been an enthusiastic nature watcher since childhood.  As a mum of two young children, she’s passionate about playing a role in mitigating and adapting to climate change – and in particular, empowering people to act locally.

Anna’s also interested in the value of green and blue spaces for mental well-being and community cohesion. While Chair of her local residents’ association she ran a community gardening group planting up local grot spots.

She currently volunteers with an art for well-being group based in Crystal Palace Park, where the value of being outdoors in the beauty of nature is very much part of the ethos.

Alice Roberts

Head of Campaigns

Alice joined CPRE London in 2015, having worked at the Local Government Association, Campaign for Better Transport, Defra, the National Lottery and the European Commission.

She has campaigned on parks, street scene, planning, transport, waste and recycling issues.

Alice lives in Hackney where she keeps a parklet and enjoys guerrilla gardening.

She tweets as @ClaptonAlice.

John Sadler

Campaigns and Planning

John has worked in operational, outreach and campaigning roles at environmental NGOs over the past 15 years.

At the Ramblers Association, he managed the Get Walking Keep Walking project in East London. He co-ordinated marine policy and campaigns for Wildlife and Countryside Link. And he was the Humane Society International’s Operations Manager before joining CPRE London in 2021.

John lives in Hampstead, loves walking and is passionate about protecting parks and green spaces in the capital.

Laura Collins

 GoParksLondon and London Friends of Greenspace Network Coordinator

Laura has many years of experience working in the charity sector and project management.

She started volunteering with local projects over 10 years ago and became really interested in green and blue spaces, which led to founding the Friends of Figge’s Marsh in Mitcham, London.

She is currently the chair of that group and co-chair of the Independent Merton Green Spaces Forum. She’s really excited to be working on GoParksLondon, and she relishes the chance to get more people excited about green and blue spaces and volunteering with friends groups.

Suzanne Wise

Chair

Suzanne Wise is a lawyer and sustainability expert.  She has extensive board-level experience and has worked in both private, public regulated industry and not-for-profit organisations.

Suzanne retired from her executive career in 2022 to use her skills to drive more meaningful climate and environmental action. She is a trustee on the Global Board of the Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply, the world’s largest such professional body.

At board level, Suzanne brings leadership, challenge, scrutiny and insight to the organisation’s strategy via deep expertise in risk management, governance, compliance, sustainability, business transformation and stakeholder engagement.

Suzanne has lived in London most of her adult life, and is an avid user of the city’s green spaces. She currently lives in central London.

Alena Kalashnikova,

Treasurer

Alena is a corporate finance and investment management professional, having completed her Master’s degree in Energy, Trade & Finance at Bayes Business School. She has broad international experience – most recently she worked for PriceWaterhouseCoopers identifying new markets and export opportunities for companies from Russia and Kazakhstan.

Alena lives in Central London and is passionate about energy transition in general, and environmental challenges in urban environments.

Catherine Irving-Johnstone

Trustee

Catherine has valuable experience in community, corporate and legacy fundraising and supporter engagement at two leading national charities, Cancer Research UK and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

As a born-and-bred Londoner, Catherine is committed to protecting green space for all in the city and has a particular interest in promoting equality, diversity and inclusion.

Charlotte Ellis

Trustee

Charlotte is currently Director of Finance at Guardian Media Group, publisher of The Guardian newspaper and she joined as a trustee in November 2023.

She brings financial and risk management experience.

Charlotte lives in West London and loves the amenities and community that urban living can offer whilst still having nature on her doorstep,  with access to the Brent river where she has been excited to see kingfishers, jays and woodpeckers.  She strongly believes the outdoors is great for mental & physical health and should be accessible for all.

Ian Ashman

(Co-opted as a Trustee and Co-opted Honorary Secretary in 2023)

Ian is a former further education college principal in London, who now works as an executive coach and governance adviser to education organisations and charities.

He has a strong interest in the value of the outdoors for health and personal development, having previously served on a national outdoor education charity.  Ian is a regular user of green spaces in and around London, and lives in Hackney.

Chris Falconer

Trustee

Chris advises trusts, foundations and policy makers on social change issues spanning culture, environment, regeneration and devolution. Previously he led programme and partnership strategy, innovation and delivery at the charity Local Trust and managed environmental policy and grantmaking  at the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Chris is particularly interested in the role of nature in regeneration, and its importance to creating places that allow people to lead good, healthy lives. He lives in Walthamstow and regularly explores and enjoys Epping Forest and the surrounding countryside with his young family.

CPRE London is also supported by volunteers:

Michael Lazarus – Green Defenders, legal support

Delia Ray – Comms

Rachel Dobson – Comms

Israel Ayanda – website

Mike Schilling – Comms

David Fletcher, Nick McDonald – Fundraising

Bill Boyd, Noah Cole – Tree Ring Project

Tom Pegrum – Events, Hedgerow Heroes

Annabel Rutherford – Policy and Advocacy