Professor Sallie Bailey (FICFor) has recently been appointed as Chief Scientist for Natural England following her role as Deputy Chief Science Advisor for Scottish Government for Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture, bringing science and evidence to the centre of decision making in government. Previously, she’s held leadership roles in the state forestry sector as regional manager for Forestry and Land Scotland, in environmental regulation and in the Forestry Commission, advising government with provision of science and evidence to inform policy development. Following completion of her PhD on spatial and woodland ecology and impacts of habitat fragmentation on biodiversity, she completed post-doctorate research at Stanford University on forests and ecosystems in the tropics of Costa Rica, arid ecosystems of Nevada and the Rocky Mountains, Colorado. Through her various roles to improve outcomes for protected woodland species and wider biodiversity, Sallie has become particularly familiar with the ecology and conservation of UK woodland mammals. Sallie joined the Board of Trustees in June 2023.