OBE for Director of London Zoo

DR JO GIPPS, DIRECTOR OF LONDON ZOO, RECEIVES AN OBE IN THE NEW YEAR HONOURS LIST

Dr Jo Gipps came to London Zoo as Curator of Mammals in March 1988, having previously been the Education Officer at Kingston Polytechnic’s Computer Centre. Before that, he did a degree in Zoology at Imperial College, London University, a PhD in Ecology at Royal Holloway College, London, then research fellowships at the University of British Columbia and Royal Holloway again.

In the September of 1991, he was appointed as the Senior Curator at London Zoo, overseeing the Zoo during the financial crisis that ensue throughout 1991 and 1992. In January 1993, he was appointed as Director.

For the last three years he has co-ordinated the team which created and designed ‘Web of Life’ - London Zoo’s new biodiversity centre. The £4.4 million building (part-funded by the Millennium Commission) is the largest project that the Zoo has seen for many years. It came to fruition in April of 1999, and was officially opened by Her Majesty the Queen on 3 June 1999.

Dr Jo Gipps was awarded an OBE for services to the ‘Web of Life’ project.

‘It is a fantastic privilege to receive this great honour. The achievement of the ‘Web of Life’ project is the culmination of many years of hard teamwork. Over the last few years, we have succeeded in re-establishing London Zoo as the successful conservation and educational organisation that it is today,’ commented Dr Jo Gipps.

Jo is married to Caroline who is the Deputy Vice-Chancellor of Kingston University. They have two sons and live in Roehampton.

<i>For further information please contact:
Debbie Curtis/Joe Laing
Tel: 020 7449 6363/6236