'It's time to move forward': Jersey Zoo welcomes new Board of Trustees

Durrell Conservation Trust has welcomed a new Board of Trustees, following its Annual General Meeting yesterday evening (Thursday 5 December).

More than 1000 votes submitted by charity members resulted in the appointment of all eight trustees that were recommended by Durrell, including Matthew Hatchwell, who was re-elected as Chair of the Board of Trustees.

Honorary Director, Dr Lee Durrell hopes the vote will foster a new narrative for the zoo after a turbulent year marked by allegations of a "toxic workplace" and concerns regarding animal welfare.

Dr Lee Durrell says: "We've been through a pretty difficult year, lots of challenges around and I think the members have spoken, they really have and very clearly.

"So I am delighted at what's happened and it's really time to move forward."

1,113 votes were cast by Durrell members which resulted in Andrew Cunningham, Niall Husbands, Richard Prosser, Kristen Pullen and John Regan joining the board.

Matthew Hatchwell, Gary Clark and Sarah Cook have all been re-elected and Gerald Voisin, Gillian Arthur and Richard Daggett will remain on the board.

Members also voted against introducing the rule that the Chairman of the Trust must be a resident in Jersey, with immediate effect.

Chair, Matthew Hatchwell says this is the start of a new chapter and asks those who do not follow his vision, to "reconsider" their membership.

He says: "The Board of Trustees and leadership team at Durrell are now looking firmly to the future.

"We are starting the next chapter in the Durrell story. 2025 marks a year of positive change for the Trust.

"We will be evaluating the impact of our Rewild Our World strategy, which launched in 2017, and challenging ourselves on what went well and where we could have done better.

"This process will inform and guide us as we prepare our new ten-year strategy.

"To achieve our ambitious goals, we must now focus our efforts on our mission. The campaign against the Trust has placed unsustainable demands on the Trust’s time and resources, diverting us from vital work saving species and restoring habitats.

"If any members feel they cannot support our leadership as we enter this new period in Durrell’s history, we encourage them to reflect on whether a Durrell membership is the right fit for them."

Former Director of Conservation Management, Quentin Bloxam, put himself forward to be on the Board of Trustees but was not elected, he says: "I wasn't surprised, I think the voting process made it very clear that we were goint to be almost prejudiced against.

"I thought the voting system was very difficult and cumbersome, it made it difficult for those who were not recommended by the board, to actually gain a position on the board.

"The reason we put our names forward, I want to make clear, we have never been critical of the Trusts and its ethos of conservation and its aims.

"What we were concerned about was the accountability of the board in the direction that the Trust was being taken and all the issues that have already been highlighted such as animal welfare and staff.

"We felt if we were on the board we could make a difference."

In response to Matthews's remarks about encouraging members to reconsider their membership, he says: "I thought it was a cheap shot, I thought it was extremely inappropriate for a Chairman of the Board to make that comment in front of a full house at an AGM.

"I hope he has woken up this morning and he feels very embarrassed that he made such a comment."

It was also announced that the Board of Trustees appointed Rebecca Brewer as Chief Executive Officer of Durrell.

Rebecca has been in the role of Interim Chief Executive Officer for the last 12 months and says: "I am proud to be given the opportunity to lead Durrell.

"I look forward to working with my colleagues and our partners to develop and deliver an ambitious and sustainable strategy with Gerald’s legacy at its heart, that carries Durrell into the future.

"I am truly excited for our next chapter and to build on our incredible success to develop a wilder, healthier and more colourful world for both people and wildlife."

Dr Lee Durrell says: “I am thrilled that Becky Brewer is to be Durrell’s next CEO. Ever since she started working for us, she has shown that she lives by our values of being ‘purposeful, accountable and supportive’.

"In a manner that is both fair-minded and compassionate, Becky will lead us into a bright future, strengthening and expanding our conservation mission to meet the many challenges that lie ahead."

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