The CCF UK community is strong and growing. We are led by a small, hands-on board with numerous advisors and volunteers across the United Kingdom.
CCF UK Patrons
Royal patron – HRH Princess Michael of Kent
Inspired by her long-time interest in cheetahs and an introduction by CCF UK Patrons Jonathan and Angela Scott, HRH Princess Michael of Kent travelled to CCF Namibia to learn about the species’ plight and find out ways to help.
“HRH Princess Michael of Kent and I share a common interest in the cheetah. She raised an orphan cub as a teenager in Mozambique, and has carried that experience forward in life”, said Dr Laurie Marker. “During her week at CCF, our staff presented information about our programmes to conserve the species, including livestock guarding dogs, genetics, habitat restoration, reintroductions, and our education initiatives”. She met Dr Marker at a CCF event in the UK in 2016 and expressed her desire to support cheetah conservation efforts.
Jonathan and Angie Scott
“As UK Patrons of CCF we are committed to supporting the tireless efforts of Dr Laurie Marker and her team of dedicated researchers and volunteers in their quest to ensure a future for this most endangered of Africa’s big cats.”
CCF Board of Trustees
Chair: Spencer Phillips
Spencer’s business career has seen him delivering game changing business strategies across the entertainment, music, sports, venue, ticketing, travel, hospitality, non-profit, motorsports and luxury sectors.
Among his greatest passions is wildlife and he has travelled the world to see field work in action. He is a trustee for the Gorilla Organization and the Big Cat Sanctuary, and has also worked tirelessly with a number of other charities including Aspinall Foundation, R4UK, Henry Surtees Foundation, Demelza Hospice Care for Children. Spencer is proud to be Chair of CCF UK.
Phillip Wale
Phillip Wale began his career in UK Gilt Edged & convertible bonds, spending ten years at Goldman Sachs in New York and then London. He managed the equity businesses at Commerzbank and then at Knight Securities, where he was appointed European CEO. In 2004 he moved into fund management as CIO of a multi-strategy hedge fund, returning to the sell-side in 2007 with Collins Stewart. Phillip joined Seymour Pierce in 2010 and was appointed its CEO in 2011. Between 2012 and 2016 he was CEO of Panmure Gordon & Co. Prior to joining WHIreland in August 2018, Phillip was Head of Fixed Income at Cantor Fitzgerald Europe.
Fiona Blythe
Fiona has over 20 years’ experience in financial markets primarily in institutional and hedge fund sales and client relationship management. Fiona began her career at James Capel Asset Management (now HSBC Asset Management) and subsequently worked for top tier investment banks, Morgan Stanley and Salomon Smith Barney (now Citigroup). Most recently, she was a Partner at former hedge fund, Altima Partners LLP. Fiona’s interest in wildlife conservation stems from her strongly held view of the importance of nature and biodiversity for the stability and sustainability of ecosystems. Fiona believes some of the most effective tools to preserve wild cheetah populations is through corporate awareness and engagement.
Dr Jane Galton
Dr. Jane Galton is a fundraising consultant in international development. She has a BSc Zoology, PhD Immunology and MBA Marketing and Strategic Management and spent years as a research scientist, developing immunotherapies for gastrointestinal cancers, and renal and bone marrow transplantation. Jane held senior management positions in consulting and business development for KPMG and Deloitte & Touche, and was a senior manager and fundraiser in the international development sector in health and disability. Jane has a keen interest in wildlife and was a founding member of the Space for Giants board. She brings her extensive fundraising experience to CCF.
Giles Clark
Conservationist and TV presenter Giles Clark has a passion for big cat conservation, which was ignited after volunteering as a teenager at a wildlife park. Giles was Head of Tigers and Conservation Manager at Australia Zoo and spent 18 months in India working in tiger conservation. His TV work includes programmes for BBC Natural History Unit, presenting the “About the House” series with a focus on tigers, cheetahs, jaguars and bears. Giles’ hope is that explaining the challenges these animals face will push conservation efforts. Giles’ interest in cheetah conservation took him to the Horn of Africa in 2019 to witness CCFs’ efforts to tackle illegal cheetah trade and reduce human wildlife conflict.
Katie Clements
At 28, Katie Clements led the British Team as the first female Team Principal in the international motor racing championship. Under Katie’s guidance, the team achieved its 3rd championship podium. Her successful career continued in acquiring sponsorship for racing teams, Team Sky Cycling, and polo teams. Katie acted as an ambassador for Wrigley’s Airwaves, and was a columnist for The Guardian and a motorsport website. Having been passionate about conservation from a young age, Katie works on many initiatives to make the planet a habitable environment for future generations. Katie is honoured to be a CCF UK Trustee.
Laurence Morgan
Laurence Morgan is a chartered accountant who works in the restructuring sector, supporting organisations and stakeholders in situations of turnaround or distress. He is a Senior Director in the Financial Restructuring Advisory team at Alvarez and Marsal and prior to that was a Director at Deloitte. He’s passionate about wildlife conservation and has worked with a number of conservation charities. Laurence is a keen sportsman and is the current holder of the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon in a full-body animal costume.
Tamara Gray
Tamara Gray has spent the last 30 years working for international conservation organisations including the Environmental Investigation Agency and WildAid. Her passion for wildlife has seen her work to protect cetaceans, endangered wildlife threatened by the illegal wildlife trade, and forests and oceans. Her focus has been education and awareness, running media led campaigns throughout Asia to change attitudes towards the use of animal parts. The highlight of her work was securing support of Kung Fu artist Jackie Chan who championed to end trade in tigers, pangolins and rhino in consumer countries. Tamara is an advisor to Forests without Frontiers and President of Coram’s Fields in London. She hopes to bring a fresh and imaginative approach to communications to CCF UK and globally.