Meet our board

Our Board of Directors are responsible for ensuring The Green Estate meets its legal and constitutional responsibilities set out in the Companies Act 2006 and the organisation’s Memorandum and Articles of Association, its strategy and its business plan.

Our Board are from a range of backgrounds and each person brings a unique and valuable set of expertise and ideas to the organisation. Alongside our skilled and diverse team of staff and volunteers, the Board are an integral part of the delivery of our mission.

About us

Emma Clarke (Co-chair)

CEO of Weston Park Cancer Charity

Emma has a deep connection to the Manor area of Sheffield, which is where The Green Estate is based. Having lived on City Road, Emma was brought up in the area and attended a local school. As a result, this place and its people are really important to her. In addition to her personal commitment to The Green Estate, Emma is an experienced senior charity leader with bags of energy and ideas for making a difference.

Harry Bowell (Co-chair)

Executive Director of Land and Nature at The National Trust

Harry brings vast experience of strategy development, management and governance in the not-for-profit green sector, including property management, innovation and business development. As a national player in the sector, Harry also has a great network of connections. Although a long-time Sheffield resident, much of Harry’s work has been outside of the city, so he is keen to support The Green Estate as a social enterprise doing good work in Sheffield and beyond.

Ben Tongue

Digital Net Zero Lead at NHS England

This is the first time Ben has joined a Community Interest Company as a Director. He is an experienced digital professional and has a keen interest in a just transition, social and environmental sustainability, and the Doughnut Economics approach.

Ben is an agitator for positive change and has a passion for asking deep questions and storytelling. He has joined The Green Estate Board to learn more about engaging with and working alongside more disadvantaged communities in the context of the climate and ecological crisis.

Miranda Plowden

Landscape Architect and Urban Designer

With a background in landscaping, housing and regeneration, Miranda has a passion for green spaces and asset-based community development. She has been involved in regeneration projects on the River Don and has worked with a variety of community and housing associations. She is experienced in senior leadership, business development and governance.

Nicola Dempsey

Senior Lecturer in Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield

Nicola Dempsey has worked as a Senior Lecturer within the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield since 2011. Her research interests relate to understanding the complex relationship between landscape and humans, with a specific focus on how landscape planning and management affect everyday life.

Peter O’Connell

Chief Sustainability Officer at Wolf Safety Lamp Company

Peter is a Chartered Accountant who has worked as a Finance Director for much of his career. He recently semi-retired after a decade with local engineering firm, Wolf Safety Lamp Company. He brings his financial expertise to support the Board of The Green Estate. He lives in Sheffield and is involved in a handful of Sheffield charities, usually as a trustee.

Lucy Warren

CEO of Manor & Castle Development Trust

Lucy is CEO of Manor & Castle Development Trust (MCDT), a community-led organisation whose purpose is to support community action that brings about positive economic, social and environmental changes through the development of enterprising solutions. The Trust offers a range of services and activities including training and development, help to find work, health activities, support for families, activities for older people, children and young people, and volunteering opportunities.

In the late 1990s, MCDT worked with Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust to set up a small two-person Environment and Heritage project with the idea of ‘regenerating the derelict heritage buildings and landscape’, out of which The Green Estate was founded. MCDT remain a key partner of The Green Estate today. Lucy also works with Synergy Sheffield Mental Health Alliance, the S2 Food Poverty Network and the Sheffield Poverty Truth Commission.

Tom Curtis

Founding Director of 3Keel

With a background in forestry and mixed farming, Tom is a Founding Director of 3Keel, which is consistently listed by the Financial Times as one of the UK’s top sustainability consultancies. Tom is also the originator of Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs), which operates in multiple regions across the UK and Europe. LENs brings organisations together to co-fund regenerative agriculture and nature-based solutions to drive landscape resilience and regenerate the landscapes we all depend on – all invaluable experience and expertise that Tom brings to The Green Estate.

Raymond Kinsella

Head of Neighbourhoods at Great Places Housing Group

Raymond has lived and worked in the locality of The Green Estate for some time, thus has a deep understanding of the history and challenges of the area. The Green Estate’s important work and goals relate to the work and goals of Great Places Housing Group, which owns property on land near Sheffield Manor Lodge. Raymond has an MA in Urban Regeneration and is experienced in board governance and management. Having worked as Head of Neighbourhoods at Great Places Housing Group since 2008, Raymond has a considerable track record in neighbourhood regeneration and housing.

Roz Davies (Company Secretary)

CEO of The Green Estate and Co-Chair of the Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission Adaptation and Resilience Panel

RA leader with an MBA from the University of Sheffield, Roz has a personal commitment to creating a greener, fairer and healthier society. Her strengths lie in social entrepreneurship, partnership building and business strategy to develop and deliver innovative solutions for social and environmental challenges. Roz has led multiple award-winning organisations and has also worked in national policy-influencing executive director roles for progressive think tank New Economics Foundation and digital inclusion charity Good Things Foundation.