Meet the Team

Mark has over two decades of leadership at the intersection of sustainability, technology, and climate strategy, he brings deep expertise to advance our mission of driving impactful bioengineering and landscape restoration. Prior to joining Kew Reach Mark worked from ENGIE Impact, where he served as Managing Director for EMEA & APAC. In this role, he led the development of innovative sustainability solutions for global businesses, cities, and governments. Under his leadership, the team delivered integrated decarbonisation programmes—balancing ambition with action across industrial actors and hard-to-abate sectors—leveraging advanced digital tools and long-term strategic planning. Mark founded Carbon Clear in 2005, a pioneering climate consultancy that was ultimate acquired by EcoAct. His firm helped shape the industry’s approach to climate action, ultimately providing advice to 25 of the FTSE100 and many large international businesses. Beyond his executive roles, Mark has been an active advisor and investor in technology and sustainability ventures, with a particular focus on artificial intelligence and circular innovation.

Mike is a botanist and conservationist with over 35 year’s experience in leading conservation initiatives, He started his conservation career studying horticulture and botany at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, later doing a PhD on the conservation management of threatened plants. Over the last 35 years Mike has worked with some of the most threatened species and habitats on the planet, having worked on species conservation and ecological restoration in Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, USA, and Hawai’i. Mike has worked with business looking at biodiversity impacts and opportunities for biodiversity gain. Until recently Mike was Executive Director of the Cambridge Conservation Initiative with oversight of the Endangered Landscapes Programme-one of Europe’s largest restoration initiatives. Mike is a board member of the Mohamed Bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund (UAE) and the Conservation Collective (UK), a scientific advisor to the Fondation Franklinia, a frequent collaborator with the Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership (CISL) and research associate at the Global Systems Institute at the University of Exeter.

Charlie brings over a decade of sales and development experience, having worked as an Equity Sales Trader at UBS for 11 years, before leaving banking to focus on the fight against climate change and biodiversity loss. Prior to joining Kew Reach he was the Head of Natural Capital at Treeconomy, where he led efforts to bring large scale nature restoration projects to market. He holds a Master’s degree with distinction from the Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, where he specialised in natural capital, along with a first class Bachelor’s in Chemistry from University College London.

Audrey is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of cross sector experience in senior finance, operations and strategic roles. She started her career in FMCG (P&G, Unilever, Diageo) and has worked in start-up through to multinational companies in the UK and overseas. Audrey was involved in the set-up and early years of Unilever Ventures and has a BA in Economics from the University of Exeter.

John Watkin is a conservation leader with over 30-years of international experience in wildlife protection and sustainable development. Born and raised in Zambia and then Vanuatu fostered a deep connection to diverse ecosystems. Former CEO of Sahara Conservation, where he led reintroduction of Endangered desert antelopes in Chad and Niger. John has also held strategic positions with MacArthur Foundation and Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, managing grant portfolios exceeding $53 million across globally. Expert in protected area management, community conservation, and ecological monitoring throughout Central, East, and West Africa. His work spans endangered species protection, protected area management, sustainable development, ecotourism development, and community-based natural resource management. John holds an M.Sc. in Advanced Ecology from the University of Durham and a Bachelor's in Applied Biology from Nottingham Trent University and speaks English, French, and Swahili. Combines cross-cultural perspective with scientific expertise to balance community needs with conservation imperatives throughout worldwide.

Nick is a qualified project manager through APM and an experienced business development leader, with decade’s experience developing projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. He subsequently moved into the climate and Nature-based Solutions space after studying through the Cambridge Institute of Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). He excels at aligning client needs with technical expertise, and closely manages projects from concept to delivery within scope, time and budget. He holds a BA in Sociology from Durham University.

Gemma has over five years of experience in executive search and recruitment, she has worked extensively with consultancies, venture capital, and private equity firms helping them attract and retain specialist talent globally. Before joining KewReach Gemma was part of Acre, a sustainability-focused search and recruitment consultancy, where she played a key role in expanding its private equity and impact investing practice. She began her career at Lutyens Advisory, supporting senior searches in asset management and family office space. Gemma holds a First-Class MA (Hons) in Art History from The University of Edinburgh, where she specialised in urban regeneration.

Rebecca is Business Operations Manager at Kew Reach, where she oversees finance, compliance, HR and team operations to ensure the organisation runs smoothly and delivers nature-positive outcomes. Before joining Kew Reach, she was part of the strategy team at Burberry, contributing to business planning and brand development, and worked as a development researcher in documentaries, conducting research, developing story ideas, and coordinating projects. She studied Art History at Goldsmiths, University of London, and brings a blend of strategic insight, creative experience and operational expertise to help Kew Reach deliver science-led impact.