Trustee Elections

The timeframe for submitting nominations for this year’s Trustee Elections has now closed.

A total of three candidates have been proposed.

Please find below a list of the candidate names, their photograph, their election statement (which sets out their background and qualifications with reasons for wanting to become a Trustee), together with the name of the person proposing each candidate.

(candidates are listed alphabetically by surname)

  • Karen Goldie-Morrison
  • Laurence Harwood
  • Martin Spray CBE

Karen Goldie-Morrison

Karen Goldie-Morrison
Proposed by Ilija Vukomanovic

My earliest memories are of walking among clouds of British butterflies. They have remained a passion, and I first became a member of Butterfly Conservation (BC) 40 years ago. Seriously distressed by the decline of butterfly and moth numbers in my lifetime, I decided, once I had retired from paid work, to get further involved with BC. In 2016, I initiated the first-ever butterfly transect on Barnes Common in London where I am lead recorder. I was elected to BC’s Council in the autumn of that year.

After being a trustee for 3 years I was elected as Chair of BC from 2019 by unanimous decision of Council. In 2021 I accepted an invitation to extend my three-year tenure to four years, to aid the smooth transition of honorary officers. So that I can deliver this extra year, I must seek re-election as a trustee in 2022. I will step down as Chair of Council and as a trustee of BC in 2023.

I have brought to BC significant leadership and management experience at Board level acquired in both the commercial and charitable sectors. During the Covid years (2020/21), Council initiated a Purpose and Impact review which was further developed by senior management into the 2026 Strategy, which includes three important and ambitious goals for BC. During my time there has also been a focus on the continuing professionalism of Council and of BC’s governance. I am keen to continue this work in my final year as Chair.


Laurence Harwood

Laurence Harwood
Proposed by Karen Goldie-Morrison

I am standing for re-election as a Trustee of Butterfly Conservation, as my first three years as a Trustee will be reached at the time of the AGM in November 2022.

My tenure has spanned a challenging time for Butterfly Conservation. Not long after my election in November 2019, the UK went into lockdown due to COVID-19 restrictions. Thus, since becoming a Trustee, I have only had two face-to-face Council meetings and I have not met three of the new appointments to Council in person. Nevertheless, I believe that Butterfly Conservation, at all levels, has risen to, and overcome, the challenges of the COVID-19 restrictions and has emerged in a stronger position and with a far clearer vision of its future than might have been feared when the UK entered into lockdown. In particular, Butterfly Conservation, in October 2021 launched its ambitious 2026 strategy; wherein Council was closely involved.

During 2020, I became a member of Governance Sub-Committee that advises Council on aspects of performance, procedure, composition, skill balance and - in particular - proposals for succession to Council. Late in 2021, I became Chair and I have now been involved in two rounds of Trustee interviews.

I have found my first period as a Trustee to be, in equal part, challenging and rewarding and I am eager to continue under a regime that will return more closely to that under which we were operating pre-COVID-19. It is for this reason that I am putting myself forward for re-election.


Martin Spray CBE

Martin Spray CBE
Proposed by Laurence Harwood

My career has spanned 14 years in public organisations, the Science & Engineering Research Council and H M Treasury, followed by 32 years in the nature conservation sector, 29 of them as Chief Executive. For 12 years I was CEO of the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire & Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), with a year seconded to the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts as acting CEO. Then for 16 years I ran the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, working across the UK and internationally. I am a member of the Management Committee of the East Asian Australasian Flyway Partnership, and Chair of its Finance and Strategic Planning Committees. I am also Chair of Wildlife & Countryside Link, of which Butterfly Conservation is a member organisation.

My interest in butterflies goes back to my childhood and was enhanced in my time with BBOWT, which manages some important sites across the three counties.

I have extensive board experience ranging from chair of school governors to the board of Veolia Environmental Trust, the Environment Agency REPAC Committee, chair of the Marine Conservation Society, and chair of the North Wessex Downs AONB Council. In 2013 I was awarded the CBE, and an honorary Doctor of Science by the University of Roehampton, for services for nature conservation.

Butterfly Conservation is a wonderful organisation, and with the current alarming declines in biodiversity, its work will be increasingly important. I believe I have the range of skills and experience to bring to the work of the Council and whole organisation and would welcome the opportunity very much.


We will have a vacancy for a new Butterfly Conservation Trustee this year, and we are inviting applications to stand for election.

Eligibility Critera

To be eligible to stand as a candidate for the position of Trustee, you must:

  • Be over 18 years of age
  • Not be disqualified from acting as a charity trustee
  • Have not been convicted of an offence involving deception or dishonesty (or any such conviction is legally regarded as spent)
  • Have not been involved in tax fraud
  • Not be an undischarged bankrupt or have taken out an Individual Voluntary Arrangement
  • Not made compositions or arrangement with your creditors from which you have not been discharged
  • Not have been removed from serving as a charity trustee, or been stopped from acting in a management position within a charity
  • Not have been disqualified from serving as a Company Director
  • At all times ensure the charity's funds, and charity tax reliefs received by this organisation, are used only for charitable purposes

How to Apply

Applications to become a BC Trustee are being run by Nurole, the board-level hiring platform. To find out more and apply, please visit: https://www.nurole.com/butterfly-trustee or contact Joshua Dernie at @email or +44 (0) 7908 299707.

You will need to request to become a member of Nurole, which is free and completely confidential. You can either apply through the link above or at nurole.com/request, quoting 'Butterfly2022'.

(Nurole has some criteria for membership and cannot guarantee an invitation to all who request it but if further assistance is needed, please contact @email.)

Further Information

Further information about becoming a Butterfly Conservation Trustee can be found in the documents linked below. More information about being a Trustee of a UK charity is available from the UK Charity Commission.

Deadlines

The deadline for completed applications to be received is 5pm on Thursday 14 April 2022.

The election results will be announced at Butterfly Conservation’s National AGM on Saturday 12 November 2022. Further details regarding the AGM will be provided shortly.

The timetable for the process is outlined below:

Monday 21st February 2022

Call for Trustee applications opens

Thursday 14th April 2022

Deadline for applications 

Friday 23rd September 2022

Voting opens

Friday 28th October 2022

Voting closes

Saturday 12th November 2022

Election results announced at the AGM