At the Society for the Environment's (SocEnv) Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on the 23rd January 2025, seven new board members were elected.
The newly elected, incoming Board Members include senior leaders at E3P, the Environment Agency, CIWEM, and UNICEF UK.
IES member and CEO at E3P, Martin Dyer CEnv, was one of those elected as a new Board Member. Upon receiving confirmation of their new Board position, Martin said; “I am truly honoured to join the Board of the Society for the Environment. Throughout my career, I have seen first-hand the challenges in environmental education, professional development, and maintaining high standards in our field. SocEnv plays a vital role in upskilling professionals, shaping policy, and inspiring the next generation to pursue careers in sustainability.
I look forward to working with my fellow Board Members to strengthen professional standards, support learning, and encourage more people to join this vital sector. Together, we can drive meaningful change for the future.”
The elections have taken place almost five months before their respective Board roles will commence. For the first time, new Board Members will have the opportunity to shadow the current Board to encourage a gradual transition prior to their roles officially getting started.
Chair of the Board, Dougal Driver CEnv, said; “The first 20 years of SocEnv has seen many challenges overcome by our dedicated members. However, never has there been a greater need for environmental professionalism than now.
I therefore warmly welcome our new Board Member colleagues with a challenge – to go again, keep learning collaborating and leading the way to a more sustainable world.”
New Board Members elected:
- Anna Daroy, Chief Executive Officer, The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM)
- Jennie Stein CEnv, Head of Net Zero, Enterprising Cumbria
- Martin Dyer CEnv, CEO, E3P
- Meghna Das CEnv, Head of International Programmes Impact, UNICEF UK
- Pam Nolan CEnv, Manager, Environment Agency
- Rory Grunerud CEnv, Managing Director, ABD Solutions
- Toby Underwood, Head of Professional Standards, Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC)
New Board roles elected:
- Vice Chair - Ian Barker HonFSE CEnv, Director, Institute of Water
- Honorary Secretary - Simon Benfield CEnv, Head of Department, Bridges and Highways South, Ramboll UK
- Elected for second Board term - Natalie Akroyd CEnv, Director of Quality and Environment, South Staffs Water
In response to the EGM elections, SocEnv Chief Executive, Dr Emma Wilcox CEnv, said; “I look forward to working alongside our new Board Member colleagues. This is also an ideal opportunity to say a huge ‘thank you’ to the outgoing Board Members for their dedication, expertise, and invaluable input during their terms.
Another ‘thank you’ goes to all of the record number of outstanding candidates who applied for Board positions but were unsuccessful in the end. Your interest in, and enthusiasm for, supporting our work was clear to see and I hope we can still work closely to collectively achieve our goals.”
