WWT needs a Chair who is passionate about what WWT does. Ideally, you will have either chaired before, or held significant non-executive role in complex organisations. Charity board experience is important.
Commercial acumen is key. It is central to what the Chair needs to bring. WWT’s sites are genuine visitor attractions competing with serious leisure and hospitality operators, and its financial sustainability depends on growing them. You will understand how organisations generate income, how to scale and grow, how to innovate business models, and how to ask the right questions in a constructive way. A background in the commercial world, including but not limited to visitor attractions, FMCG, property, and financial services, would all be relevant; what matters more than sector is the quality of commercial thinking you bring.
Alongside that rigour, you will bring authentic passion for what WWT does. You do need to feel the pull of the mission: the idea that wetlands are a solution to some of the biggest problems we face, and that this charity is one of the most credible organisations in the world working on those solutions.
You will be a skilled relationship builder, able to operate with equal ease among scientists, conservationists, government officials, landowners, and commercial partners. You will be at home as a chair of meetings, an orchestrator of diverse perspectives, a builder of consensus and a supportive but stretching presence for the board and executive team.
We are actively seeking to improve the diversity of WWT’s board, and we would warmly encourage applications from people who might bring a different perspective to the table alongside the skills and experience described here. WWT is a charity for everyone, because wetlands are for everyone, and its leadership should reflect that.