Julie Williams - Chief Executive Officer & Company Secretary
Julie joined Butterfly Conservation in 2000. She was appointed to Director of Finance and Administration in 2003 and took on the additional role of Company Secretary in 2005. In December 2015 she became Deputy Chief Executive, responsible for the non-conservation work, including finance, HR, media, fundraising and marketing. Julie was appointed as Acting CEO in December 2016, which was made permanent in July 2017. She now oversees all aspects of managing the Charity. She has extensive knowledge of charity accounting, governance and marketing in the voluntary sector and holds The Institute of Chartered Accountants’ Diploma in Charity Accounting.
Follow Julie on Twitter - @JulieWilliamsB
Natalie Bridge - Director of Fundraising & Communications
Natalie has worked within the charity sector for over 15 years - across a range of charities of different sizes, brand awareness levels, complexity of cause and internal challenges. She has worked for both national and international charities throughout her career including MacMillan Cancer Support, Breast Cancer Now, Refuge, CPRE and ActionAid. Natalie is a fundraising and marketing professional with experience of working and leading teams to develop departmental and organisational strategies to increase income across a variety of income streams.
Steve Gray - Director of Engagement & Volunteering
Steve has worked in the environmental sector for more than 20 years, with a particular focus on helping create opportunities for people from all walks of life to access and enjoy nature. Steve's previous roles include: Head of Fundraising at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Delivery Director at Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority, and Director of Programmes and then Chief Executive at Earthwatch Europe. These roles have helped Steve gain considerable experience of engagement and volunteering, fundraising and charity governance. Steve has also served as a Trustee of Marine Conservation Society and Manx Wildlife Trust.
Dr Dan Hoare - Director of Nature Recovery
Dan has a PhD in behavioral ecology from the University of Leeds and has a broad background in ecological studies on birds and fish as well as invertebrates. He joined Butterfly Conservation in 2002 on a three month contract and has been with us ever since, working in a variety of roles including South East England Regional Officer and Head of England Regions. He was appointed Director of UK Conservation in April 2019. Dan has extensive experience of developing and delivering landscape-scale conservation projects for threatened species as well as communicating Butterfly Conservation's impact to a wider audience.
Follow Dan on Bluesky @djhbutterflies.bsky.social
Russel Hobson - Director of Business & Research
Russel has a life-long interest in land management and ecology and has an MSc in Rural Resource Management. After a diverse variety of conservation roles, he joined BC in 1999 as a Marsh Fritillary Project Officer. In 2003 he became BC’s first Wales Conservation Officer and became Head of Conservation Wales, leading on Lepidoptera conservation, and was also a Trustee and Chair of Wales Environment Link. Russel has been a Director since 2018 and leads our Business (Finance, Administration and IT) and Research (Science, Data and Policy) teams.