Gillian Burke

Biologist and BBC Springwatch presenter

From maggot farming to television presenting, biologist and BBC Springwatch presenter, Gillian Burke, has followed an unusual career path from humble beginnings in Kenya to joining one of the nation’s best-loved wildlife television shows.

She shares her love of the natural world through film and enjoys the challenge of showcasing the animals most people love to hate. Along with the BBC’s Watches strand, her film credits hint at her reputation for championing the outcasts of the animal kingdom – from Ultimate Guide to Spiders & Ants for Discovery Channel; to King Cobra! & Anaconda! for Animal Planet’s Snakemaster series; to the ground-breaking, and one of the highest grossing IMAX films to date, Bugs! 3D – literally as big as it gets for a film about insects.

Gillian may be passionate about the natural world, but is increasingly curious and drawn to human stories of behaviour change. As a science communicator and environmentalist, reporting on genuine conservation success stories, as evidence that things can change for the better, has become her hallmark and she defiantly remains a conservation optimist (on most days).

Richard Curtis

Film writer and director

Richard Curtis is a film writer and director, responsible for films such as Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Mr Bean, Love Actually, The Boat That Rocked, and most recently Trash, About Time and Yesterday.

In the other half of Richard’s life he is co-founder and vice-chair of Comic Relief, which he started after visiting Ethiopia during the 1985 famine and led to the fundraising event, Red Nose Day. He has co-produced the 16 live nights for the BBC since 1988 and the charity has made over £1.3 Billion for projects in the UK and internationally during that time. In 2015, he helped bring Red Nose Day to the United States with the partnership of NBC and Walgreens - where it has so far raised nearly $150 million to help children in the USA and round the world.

Richard was a founding member of Make Poverty History, the campaign for the MDGs and worked both on that and on Live 8 in 2005. In 2015 he helped found Project Everyone to work to make the Global Goals famous and effective - and is now a UN Advocate for the SDGs.

Caroline Norbury

Chief Executive, Creative England

Caroline Norbury MBE is the founding Chief Executive of Creative England, the organisation that uncovers, supports and invests in creative talent and businesses, and the Chief Executive of the Creative Industries Federation, the body which represents the UK’s creative industries, arts and cultural education.

Caroline sits on the Creative Industries Council and chairs the Investment for Growth sub-group of the Council. She is a non-executive director of Crowdfunder, the UK’s largest rewards-based crowdfunding platform; a member of BAFTA and the Royal Society of Arts and a trustee for the PRS Foundation, a charity supporting new music and talent. She was awarded an MBE in 2012 for services to the film industry.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Writer and broadcaster

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall is a multi-award-winning writer and broadcaster known for his uncompromising commitment to seasonal, ethically produced food and his concern for the environment. He has earned a huge following through his River Cottage TV series and books, as well as campaigning documentary series such as Hugh’s Fish Fight, Hugh’s War on Waste, Britain’s Fat Fight and, his latest, War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita.

Hugh established River Cottage HQ in Dorset in 2004, and the operation is now based at Park Farm near Axminster in Devon. An organic smallholding, HQ is also the hub for a broad range of courses and events, and home to the River Cottage Cookery School. Hugh continues to teach and host events there on a regular basis. He also oversees the menu and sourcing in the River Cottage Kitchens - restaurants in Axminster, Bristol and Winchester

Hugh’s broadcasting has earned him a BAFTA as well as awards from Radio 4, The Observer and the Guild of Food Writers. His award-winning books include The River Cottage Cookbook (2001), which won the Glenfiddich Trophy, the River Cottage Meat Book, which won the Andre Simon Award in the UK as well as the James Beard Award in the US, and River Cottage Veg Every Day, which is the UK’s best selling vegetarian cook book. Hugh’s latest book is River Cottage Much More Veg.

Hugh continues to work as a journalist, writing occasionally for the Guardian, Times and other national newspapers. He is a vice president of Fauna and Flora International and a patron of Switchback, a charity that helps young offenders find opportunities in the catering industry.

Hugh, his wife Marie and their four children divide their time between East Devon and Bristol.

John Steel

CEO, Cafédirect

Cafédirect’s CEO, John Steel, is a business leader and social entrepreneur with a passion for making business a force for good.

Under John’s leadership Cafedirect has returned to growth, become profitable and yet maintained its sustainability commitments to its producers.

John is determined that Cafédirect, as one of the UK’s pre-eminent Social Enterprises, plays a pivotal role in leading the change agenda. In 2018 Cafédirect became the 1st coffee company in the UK to be B Corp certified and was recognised as the Social Enterprise of the Year.

John Steel first pursued a career in marketing, with organisations such as Nestle and Weetabix. Subsequently John held leadership positions in both large corporations and start-up businesses.

John is a passionate and genuine believer in the need for real change in the way business contributes to society and the wider world. He works tirelessly to share Cafédirect’s unique approach.

Gillian Burke

Richard Curtis

Caroline Norbury

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

John Steel

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