Forestry England - Growing the Future
Non–Executive Director and ARAC Member
Welcome
Sir William Worsley, Chair Forestry England Board and Forestry Commission
“The nation’s forests are an incredible asset and resource supporting our economy, people's health and wellbeing, nature recovery and responding to climate change. As the country’s largest land manager Forestry England is at the heart of our nation's plans to plant more trees, grow green spaces, capture carbon and rethinking land use for future generations. The forests provide more habitats for wildlife than any other public, private or charitable body and are the largest provider of outdoor recreation in England. All this is built on the foundation of Forestry England’s expertly managed sustainable productive forests, producing over 1.2 million tonnes of certified timber to market annually.
This is a rare opportunity for an exceptional candidate to bring your financial expertise to play an influential part in supporting and strategically shaping an organisation that plays a key role in improving nature, the environment of this country, the wellbeing of the people, as well as the climate of the planet.”
Thank you for your interest in this role. This is a great opportunity to contribute to the strategic future of the nation’s forests and Forestry England.
Forestry England is the largest land manager in the country – a scale unmatched in its potential to benefit people, wildlife, and the climate. We are shaping landscapes for the nation as guardians of the nation’s forests and inspiring people to connect with our forests.
The business delivers an annual traded turnover of c.£105 million as well as delivering c.£50m ring-fenced government-funded programmes. We are ambitious to strengthen our financial position and increase our environmental and social impact, and we have an energetic, passionate and talented executive team at the helm.
There is a real appetite for growth and innovation as we seek to realise more of our potential through progressive plans.
We have an extraordinary staff group of just over 1,200 many of whom have been with the business for much of their careers, along with 4,800 dedicated volunteers.
There is a wealth of expertise and experience, coupled with a love for forests and sustainable land management that makes us a world leader in forestry. Our staff engagement levels are high, and staff turnover is well below that of the wider Civil Service.
Our Forestry England brand gives us a distinct identity in the Forestry Commission family, building trust, attracting support, unlocking funding and partnerships, and helps us reach more people. All critical to grow our impact.
The Forestry England Board is a high-performing leadership group with a strong, productive relationship with the executive leadership. It shares and drives the ambitions for growing the organisation to deliver more benefit for all from the nation’s forests and to build a sustainable organisation fit for future generations.
Do you have an outstanding record of financial management, strategic leadership and accountancy skills? Will your expertise support our ambitions for growth and innovation in our commercial businesses and exploring new opportunities in green finance? Can you ensure we meet our public finance responsibilities? If the answers are “yes”, then we would like to hear from you.
We have an impressive foundation of performance and staff engagement here caring for fantastic forests and a rich history. Do you want to help us build on that as we aspire to do much more growing resilience forests fit for the next 100 years?
Mike Seddon, Chief Executive, Forestry England
