Join us on Wednesday 29 May for our AGM
Fellows, Professional Members and Technical Members of the Institute of Chartered Foresters are entitled to vote to appoint candidates standing for election to Council.
Voting is open now until 12 noon on Friday 24 May and we encourage all eligible members to get involved.
See who is standing for election
Fellows
There are two candidates for two vacancies so both will be declared elected at the AGM.
Martin Glynn FICFor CEnv
Independent Consultant
Martin is an independent Chartered Forester based in North Yorkshire working on a range of forest industry supply chain, market and workforce assignments for clients in the public, private and third sectors.
He has held various professional positions including as a non-Executive Director of the National Forest Company and is a member of the England Forest and Wood-based Industries Leadership Group.
Martin has played an active role with the Institute, being until recently the Chair of the North England Regional Group and representative on the Forestry & Climate Change Partnership, and is currently a mentor for the Emerging Leader programme.
Craig Harrison FICFor
Forest Management Director & Deputy Surveyor, Forestry England
Craig works for Forestry England as South District Forest Management Director and Deputy Surveyor of the New Forest. He has over 30 years of experience including forest and land management, private sector woodlands and urban forestry. Craig was awarded chartered status 20 years ago and promoted to a Fellow in 2016. He was appointed as a member of the Institute’s Council in 2022.
When he first sought to join Council two years ago, his focus was on attracting new talent into the sector and skills development. We still need more professional expertise and hopes his experience of talent attraction and staff development programmes will continue to be of value to the Institute and sector.
More recently, his reflection is that accurate core messages around forestry and arboriculture are not being embedded into the public psyche. He regularly hears well intended but ill-informed perspectives on our sector. Craig feels we need to develop our communication skills as professionals, converting often complex subjects into easily understandable language and via effective communication channels.
Professional Members
There are six candidates for five vacancies. The result of the ballot will be declared at the meeting.
Jo Ellis MICFor
Head of Planning and Environment,
Forestry and Land Scotland
Jo is currently Head of Planning and Environment at Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) and has 25 years of experience in the forestry sector. Leading FLS’s spatial planning, her work enables FLS to maintain habitats, landscapes and timber availability while proactively tackling climate impacts, biodiversity loss, tree health threats, and responding to the needs of neighbours and stakeholders. She has worked in England and Scotland in policy, regulation and delivery.
Jo is committed to promoting professional, responsible and sustainable forestry practices, and maintaining trust in the sector. She encourages public sector foresters to join the Institute, to support collaboration within the profession.
Kate FitzGerald MICFor
Partner, Forestry and Head of Perth,
Bidwells
Since being awarded Lantra’s Forestry Apprentice of the Year in 2011, Kate has built a reputation for her expert practical knowledge of forestry management from plantation establishment and infrastructure to eventual harvesting. Working with managers, contractors, developers and landowners, she enjoys the variety that the forestry industry has to offer.
Before joining Bidwells nine years ago, Kate previously worked for the Forestry Commission as a Forestry Liaison Officer for one of the largest onshore windfarm schemes in Scotland, as a beat forester for Scottish Lowlands Forest District, and as a Harvesting Manager for Euroforest in the Lochaber area.
Kate is highly regarded for her ability to get the job done and thrives on the challenges the sector presents. With an interest in the commercial aspect of bringing raw material to market, she understands the many external influences.
She has spent time in the Czech Republic studying its forestry sector and has been called upon to present at Holyrood. A chartered forester with 17 years’ experience, she would like the opportunity to represent the sector on the Institute’s Council.
Anthony Geddes MICFor
Head of Investment,
Pryor & Rickett Silviculture
Anthony has come to the forestry profession from a background as an investment surveyor and property professional. He brings experience of having worked in both the public and private sectors in his early career, managing property assets and later working with renewable energy generation.
His professional forestry career started with John Clegg & Co in circa 2013 supporting them as a forestry investment surveyor and biomass specialist. Having worked with them for five years, he moved to Confor in 2018 to become the Welsh manager. In this role, Anthony made a positive impact to Welsh forestry, building alliances with politicians, as well as supporting and opposing unions, and creating a well engaged committee group within the Welsh forestry sector. Anthony became a Chartered member of the Institute in 2022 and is now seeking to support the professional body through membership of the Council.
Ben Gunneberg MICFor
International Sustainability Advisor
Passionate about promoting sustainable forest management, urban and rural tree growing professionals, in the UK and abroad, at a time when the world’s most pressing challenge is climate change, Ben would welcome the opportunity to serve members for a second term on Council. He brings 30 years’ organisational experience gained in the UK and globally (latterly as former CEO of PEFC International) to help further position the Institute to influence the direction society takes in addressing this and other forestry/arboriculture related challenges.
Ben’s Institute activities include:
- Member of Council 2022-24
- Member – Professional Education & Standards Committee and other committees/task groups covering:
- Mentoring (with an article featured in the Spring 2024 edition of TREES)
- Awards
- ICF Centenary
- Investment review
- Chair of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group.
- Assisted with the Emerging Leader Programme as a mentor and contributed to updating the ICF Risk Register.
Dr Jon Heuch MICFor
Director,
Duramen Consulting Ltd
Jon’s experience is broad – over 25 years in forestry and 20 years in arboriculture – and he hopes to use it to support all members of the Institute.
He has been an ICF assessor and a PES committee member. He has represented the ICF on government biosecurity committees.
Jon has experience as a forestry and arboriculture expert witness giving evidence in criminal, civil and coroners’ courts.
He is also a Registered Consultant of both the Institute and the Arboricultural Association.
As an ex-Chair of two Charities, 20 years’ experience as a director and an MBA, Jon is used to working with others to develop and deliver effective organisational strategies – the prime role of the ICF council.
Never has there been such potential for forestry – both rural and urban – to develop and deliver. However, the ICF is a small organisation and prioritisation is all-important. Jon’s focus as a council member will be to develop a training function, support technical guidance and develop the ICF website further.
Pherenice Worsey-Buck MICFor
Woodland Officer,
Forestry Commission
Pherenice works for the Forestry Commission as a Woodland Officer across 32 London Boroughs and the City. During her 25 years as an urban forester, she has worked with multiple stakeholders to develop tree and woodland strategies, manage woodlands, set up community forestry groups and tree planting programmes. Pherenice is passionate about creating greener, more resilient, and healthier cities where the benefits of trees and quality green spaces are universally available to all communities. When she is not working, Pherenice is an enthusiastic runner, learner of British Sign Language and an organiser of a woodland volunteer group.
If you are eligible to vote but have not received an email with information and credentials to vote online, please get in touch with us at icf@charteredforesters.org.
