ZSL x FSC UK Sustainable Forestry Forum

Matthew leads ZSL's endeavours protecting and saving endangered species, restoring ecosystems, supporting people living with wildlife and inspiring change. Recognising the critical role ZSL plays in preserving our planet's biodiversity he is strident about the urgency of the situation: "Saving species is not a luxury, it is critical to humanity's own health and survival.”

With Matthew's vision, leadership, and creativity, ZSL will continue to harness the power of its science, conservation and animal expertise and grow its impact in conserving the world's biodiversity.

David Hopkins is Chief Executive Officer of Timber Development UK – the largest, most comprehensive supply chain body for timber in the UK. TDUK was formed by the merger of the Timber Trade Federation and the Timber Research and Development Association (TRADA).

David is a former environment journalist and has written for most national broadsheets, as well as editing a number of trade and industry titles focused on utility and environmental targets. As CEO of TDUK, he is now working to unite the entire timber supply chain and promote the low-carbon benefits of timber as a sustainable building material.

Charlie is an entrepreneur and business developer with a deep knowledge of the forestry and timber sectors, with extensive practical knowledge of plantation forestry and timber processing operations, and 15 years’ experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa. 

He is the co-founder of Miro Forestry and Timber Products, a vertically integrated West African planation forestry and plywood business – one of the largest producers of plywood on the African continent and a recognised leader in responsible plantation forestry and carbon offsetting. Charlie has led the Company’s strategic direction and technical functions since 2010. He has been responsible for recruiting and managing Miro’s senior management team, for setting the strategic direction of the business, and instrumental in the establishment and operation of both the forest and timber processing assets of the Company.

Julia Griffin is Kingfisher’s Offer and Sourcing team’s Group Wood and Paper Manager. Kingfisher Plc operates over 1,900 stores in seven countries in Europe. Its main retail brands are B&Q UK, Castorama, Brico Dépôt and Screwfix.

Currently leads an international team, working towards industry leading levels of Sustainable Timber procurement, reporting and the development of Kingfishers solution to EUDR.

Has worked in Kingfisher for over 20 years and has first-hand experience of the practicalities and challenges associated with implementing and adhering to a responsible timber sourcing policy and timber regulations.

Oliver Cupit joined ZSL in 2019 and manages ZSL's engagement with the business and finance sectors.

He specialises in corporate sustainability and Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) risk in soft-commodity sectors, especially timber, pulp, natural rubber and palm oil.

Oliver has experience in regulatory compliance with the EU Timber Regulation and EU Deforestation Regulation, as well as FSC certification and he represents ZSL as part of the Global Platform for Sustainable Natural Rubber (GPSNR).

He has experience of responsible sourcing in Solomon Islands, China, Malaysia and Vietnam, as well as across Europe. He holds an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford and an MSc in Sustainable Tropical Forestry from Copenhagen and Padova Universities.

Bridget works as the Sustainable Finance Analyst at ZSL, engaging with the financial sector around biodiversity impacts and developing investable nature-based solutions to redirect and deploy private finance in a way that protects and restores our planet. She has a background in monitoring and evaluating impact investments and in developing blended finance models for innovative investment vehicles, that can scale financing for climate mitigation and resilience projects.

Toby works for FMO, the Dutch Development Finance Institution (DFI). FMO are delivering the Mobilising Finance for Forests (MFF) program on behalf of the UK and Dutch Government. Toby’s role combines 1) providing early-stage capital to tropical forestry projects that have the potential to become bankable for FMO and other DFIs; 2) providing co-funding for technical assistance projects to MFF clients and prospects to support their scaling and impact and; 3) overseeing the delivery of catalytic learning and convening activities that support the mobilization of private finance for tropical forest protection and restoration. 

Prior to FMO, Toby lived and worked in Malawi, working with a specialist consulting firm delivering private sector development programs in the agriculture and agribusiness sectors. He also worked for a number of years in the UK in various roles for ABF Sugar, one of the world’s leading sugar producers. Toby holds a Masters in Agricultural Economics from the University of Reading and a Bachelors in Economics from the University of Bath.  

Karen works as the Forests & Ecosystem Services Manager for FSC UK, working with forest managers to deliver ecosystem services and private finance to enable sponsorship which supports the forest managers to deliver these services.

Karen has worked at the UK Environment Agency in various roles for the past 16 years, most recently as a Natural Flood Management (NFM) Advisor/Catchment Coordinator and Project Manager. This involved working with local stakeholders, partners, and farmers to promote and develop NFM and river restoration project business cases for EA funding, identify alternative funding sources, and provide advice and guidance.

Amerigo is the ESG Manager in IWC’s Timberland Investment Advisory team, which he joined in 2020. He leads and coordinates the team’s ESG initiatives and activities, focusing on ESG performance analysis, reporting and screening, research on climate change, and the structuring of physical and transition scenarios, as well as overseeing ecosystem restoration investments.

With 25 years of experience, he has managed over USD 7 billion in historical investments, covering approximately 9.4 million hectares across more than 250 assets in Europe, North America, Central America, South America, South-East Asia, and Oceania.

Amerigo holds an MSc in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics and a Sustainability and Climate Risk Certification from the Global Association of Risk Professionals.

Georgina is ZSL's Head of Policy at Campaigns and joins in 2023 after 7 years at RSPB. Putting nature at the heart of decision making! She hopes together we will be able to elevate the excellent work of ZSL and to influence the issues that matter most to the organisation.