ZSL (Zoological Society of London) has today announced the appointment of Kathryn England as permanent Chief Executive Officer – the first woman to hold the role in the organisation's 200-year history.
The announcement falls in the week of International Women's Day (8 March), and in the year that we mark our 200th anniversary – giving Kathryn's appointment a significance that reaches well beyond a single appointment.
A leader who knows ZSL deeply Kathryn has been part of ZSL for more than a decade, most recently serving as interim CEO. Her background spans veterinary care, wildlife health and senior operational leadership – and she brings to the permanent role deep institutional knowledge, the trust of colleagues and supporters, and an unshakable dedication to our vision for a world where wildlife thrives.
Before joining ZSL, Kathryn worked as Nursing Manager at the RSPCA's Harmsworth Hospital and Head Nurse at the Royal Veterinary College, before building her commercial expertise in the animal health pharmaceutical industry.
Sir Jim Smith, ZSL’s Chair of Trustees, said: "In Kathryn, ZSL has a Chief Executive who knows this organisation profoundly, who has already earned the trust of colleagues, partners and supporters, and who has the technical background and strategic vision to lead it into the next exciting and important chapter. The Board is delighted to confirm her appointment."
Kathryn said: "It is an honour to be appointed to lead an organisation I care about deeply. ZSL's people, its science, and its mission are genuinely world-class, and I am determined that we use this milestone year as a springboard to grow the impact we have in our conservation work, for the communities we engage, and for the wildlife we work to protect and restore."
200 years of women in wildlife
ZSL has a distinguished history when it comes to women in science and conservation – one that stretches back to the organisation's founding year. In 1826, Sophia Raffles became the first woman elected a Fellow of a learned society, making ZSL a pioneer in the inclusion of women in science long before it was commonplace.
In the early twentieth century, Evelyn Cheesman became ZSL's first female curator when she was appointed Assistant Curator of Insects at London Zoo – having previously been refused entry to the Royal Veterinary College on account of being female. Joan Procter, ZSL's first female Curator of Reptiles, made lasting contributions to the care of reptiles and to the design of London Zoo's Reptile House. Dame Miriam Rothschild was the first woman to be made an honorary Fellow of the Society.
Kathryn England's appointment as CEO is the latest chapter in that story.
Influential women in ZSL's history
A milestone year
2026 marks ZSL's 200th anniversary – two centuries of pioneering science, global conservation and inspiring connections between people and wildlife. Since stepping up as interim CEO, Kathryn has already helped set the tone for the year: launching the SPIN (Science for Private Investment in Nature) project, premiering a film about ZSL's four-decade commitment to saving Polynesian tree snails, and kicking off bicentenary celebrations with a commemorative Royal Mint coin, new Transport for London poster and a brand-new podcast series.
The anniversary is not just a moment to look back. Kathryn’s appointment brings the forward momentum that will define ZSL's next chapter.