Marine Conservation Society

Martin has been Chief Executive of the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) since March 2004. Under his leadership, WWT has gone from strength to strength and he has overseen major developments at wetland centres across the UK from Slimbridge to Belfast.

Martin, who studied zoology at Swansea, has a long track record in conservation, serving on many public wildlife bodies including environmental forums, AONB councils and Wildlife and Countryside Link.

Vice-chair Jan Mackaness

Jan Mackaness has spent most of her career in newspaper and magazine advertising sales and women’s magazine publishing. She was instrumental in launching the now renowned Country Living Fair.

Whilst still a publisher Jan decided to revisit her childhood dream of becoming a Marine Biologist and two years later began a Marine Biology degree at Newcastle University. She graduated in 2003.

A keen diver and long time member of the MCS she became a trustee in 2003 to offer support to MCS’s vital and inspiring group of people who work so hard to protect our seas, shores and wildlife.

Trustee Tara Aldwin

Tara Aldwin qualified with the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) in 1998 and initially worked in a managerial role for a firm of Chartered Accountants in Luton, moving on to Audit & Compliance director in the firm. She looks after the audit, accounting and tax affairs of a portfolio of businesses and individuals ranging from small sole-traders, to medium sized manufacturing and service companies, to charities with assets of ten of millions of pounds. Her current areas of expertise are the preparation of charities financial statements and auditing, including risk analysis of businesses and systems. She is conversant with Charities Commission guidelines and accounting formats, and hopes to apply these skills for the benefit of the MCS.

Tara is passionate about all conservation, both UK and worldwide, but for leisure spends most of her time horse riding. Lucky enough to have her own pony from the age of twelve she still has a horse on loan. Riding & looking after her horse takes up most of Tara’s time, but when she gets the opportunity walking, spending time in the garden & generally being outdoors are favourite pastimes.

Tara has always been drawn to the sea; loving being in, on or around the water and the open space of our coasts and the wildlife. In recent years she has become increasingly concerned about how people are treating our seas, the declining fish stocks and related threats to marine wildlife. Wanting to do what she could and to gain more information to enable her to make the right choices, Tara joined MCS.

Trustee Kay Foster

Kay Foster has 20 years experience in human resources including 12 years with an international airline, managing cabin crew and call centre staff.

She has worked as an independent management consultant and lectured in the School of Business at Oxford Brookes University

A keen diver, Kay’s primary interest is in marine conservation. She also holds a number of roles within Cumbrian conservation charities. She began supporting MCS to help raise awareness of threats to the marine environment and to help overcome the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ philosophy.

Trustee Ed Green

Ed Green is currently the chief executive officer of the Derbyshire Wildlife Trust. This role gives Ed valuable insight which he brings to MCS – that of a membership-based conservation organisation, delivering a programme of urgently needed work, supported by the invaluable assistance of hundreds of volunteers.

Ed’s work has been varied but always with a marine theme. His early love of diving led to a lifelong interest in the underwater world – he’s been a merchant seaman, teacher, conservation and research manager.

Trustee Peter Hiam

Peter is currently senior risk manager in the Treasury department at Deutsche Bank in London. His main areas of responsibility are the management of the balance sheet at a Group level and head of complex risk transactions for the UK region. He's on numerous committees and project teams, including IT working group for risk systems, and is also a DB first aider!

Apart from an almost obsessive passion for diving, Peter also enjoys free diving, sailing, swimming, rowing and water polo – basically anything on, in or under the water! He's also into rock climbing, cycling and philately. 

Trustee Duncan Huggett

Duncan Huggett works in Flood Risk Management at the Environment Agency, advising on the implementation of nature conservation and biodiversity policy and law in relation to coastal and freshwater flooding.

Duncan has worked on a wide range of conservation policy issues including coastal zone management, inshore fisheries management, coastal flood defences, land drainage, ports, airports and related integrated transport issues.

A keen motorcyclist, Duncan also loves rambling and has walked the coasts of the Isles of Wight and Man. He has a healthy fear of drowning so has never dived intentionally.

Trustee Jon Ridley

Jon Ridley works for Coffey International Development who specialise in economic growth projects.

Jon trained as an Advanced Diver with BSAC and qualified as a PADI OWSI in 1987. He spent 13 years as a Director of Coral Cay Conservation working on their marine projects worldwide.

As a boy Jon was fascinated by Jaques Cousteau and worked hard to travel the world diving, but less hard at the subjects required to become a marine scientist. Having discovered that we can all make a difference by offering support to marine conservation organisations he was delighted to become am MCS Trustee in 2008.

Trustee Giles Robertson

Giles Robertson's expertise is in marketing and partnerships. He founded Green Banana Marketing, a company which solves marketing challenges in the ethical and sustainable sectors.

Giles has previously worked as Marketing Director for environmental website, Greenvoice and as Head of Marketing and Communications at WWF.

The father of three says he’s seeing the world's problems through new eyes and feels strongly that we all have an important role to play in protecting our planet.

Trustee Marilyn Rydstrom

Marilyn Rydstrom spent nine years as Director General of PDSA, a Top-40 national charity treating some 4,500 pets of people in need each day.

During her career Marilyn ran Capital Radio’s community activities, both on and off air, was Director of Fundraising for the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, a Senior Fundraising Consultant with an international firm, Marketing and Commercial Director of a large independent school and Director of Client Support Services at Guide Dogs for the Blind

In her spare time she loves scuba diving, marine biology and wildlife photography.