Our Team
Meet the people behind the scenes
Simon Slater
Chief Executive
Simon has worked in regional sustainable economic development in the UK and across the world as an environmental advisor with royalty, charities, government, councils, and business, supporting leaders seeking to invest in a more sustainable future.
He has been involved in running sustainability and community development charities, such as Sustainability West Midlands, the Springfield Project, and ecobirmingham, developing people and processes to help grow income and impact.
At Cynnal Cymru Simon use his policy, advice and management experience to lead and report on the direction of the charity with the Board, support the Senior Management Team and operations, and staff as they work with members and clients. He is keen to work with other charity CEO’s and organisations where it will deliver improved charitable outcomes.
He enjoys cycling and exploring somewhere new, being curious, black coffee, cheese, sci-fi films and board games with his family, country music, and supporting eco-church accreditation. He has a Blue Peter badge for energy saving.
Clare Sain-Ley-Berry
Deputy Chief Executive
Clare has a background in delivering partnership projects for the natural environment and sustainable resource use and uses this to help shape our policy and development work. She enjoys facilitating collaboration across sectors and devising practical programmes to deliver strategic aims.
Clare leads on Cynnal Cymru’s work for a thriving natural environment, which includes our Nature Wise eco literacy training, as well as contributing to work around the foundational economy and decarbonisation.
Clare enjoys being energised by good conversation, yoga and being out and about in nature. She lives with her family in Penarth.
Lynsey Jackson
Head of Communications and Membership
Lynsey joined the team in 2010 as a volunteer and brings together her design background and problem-solving approach to provide support across our whole work programme.
Lynsey played a key role in the development of ‘The Wales We Want’ National Conversation’ website and branding as well as developing a system to record 6474 individual responses to the conversation. She also helped developed our very first Carbon Literacy elearn training course during Covid 19.
Today she leads on Cynnal Cymru’s membership and communications as well as coordinating our programme of events.
Talk to Lynsey about how to make the most of your membership or how we can collaborate on events and promotions.
From historic towns to hidden forests, Lynsey enjoys
exploring new places. She loves listening to podcasts and previously co-produced
the Seismic Wales podcast with a group of friends, sharing positive
sustainability stories from across Wales. She also enjoys cooking and gaming with
friends.
Fiona Humphreys
Finance Officer
Fiona joined Cynnal Cymru in 2021, bringing with her a wide range of experience in both the third and private sectors, and a lifelong passion for the environment and animal welfare.
She manages Cynnal Cymru’s in-house finances and bookkeeping, maintaining the sales and purchase ledgers and acting as the primary liaison with our financial controllers. Fiona also provides secretariat support for the board of trustees.
Out of hours, Fiona can usually be found writing, gaming, or enjoying her garden with her two cats.
Meet our training team and sustainability experts
Louise Cartwright
Training Manager
Louise is our Training Manager, working to develop Cynnal Cymru’s training offer. Louise manages our dynamic training team to achieve the highest possible standards and leads on our continuous improvement culture.
Having worked within the charitable, environmental, and horticultural sectors for over fifteen years, Louise has developed specialisms in both land-based training and local food production. Louise holds a master’s degree in Product Design, with additional qualifications in permaculture and biodynamic land management. With previous experience of setting up and managing a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) vegetable box scheme business, Louise now lives with her partner on a smallholding in Carmarthenshire, aspiring to self-reliance.
In her spare time, Louise works with various community groups and organisations, to deliver training in organic horticulture and biodynamic gardening. She also enjoys playing the violin and growing delicious vegetables.
Tom Kirton
Training and Communications Officer
Tom provides administrative support for our training programme, including our Carbon Literacy and Nature Wise courses.
Outside of work Tom has been a Town Councillor in Monmouthshire for over 15 years and during this time he has been Mayor of Chepstow for three consecutive years and more recently the Mayor of Monmouth where he has championed sustainable and environmental projects for Monmouth Town Council.
Outside of work Tom plays many musical instruments and loves to work in his recording studio at home with his cats Zelda and Pixel.
Chris Woodfield
Sustainability Trainer
Chris joined the team as Sustainability Trainer in March 2024. He’s passionate about systems change and facilitating the transformational shift to a zero carbon and regenerative society. Chris has spent the past couple of years supporting businesses and facilitating a Future Leaders programme as part of the Low Carbon Devon project at the University of Plymouth. More recently, he was the Better Business and Futures Lead at TYF Adventure, delivering sustainability and impact consultancy and training, and is currently one of the B Local Wales Co-Chairs, supporting and growing the B Corp movement in Wales.
Chris believes in the power of play, nature connection and taking a compassionate, collaborative and curious approach to facilitating change. He’s excited about using the potential of futures thinking and visioning, and co-imagining the more beautiful world we know is possible. Chris holds an MSc Sustainability and Adaptation from the Centre for Alternative Technology.
In his spare time, he is the Co-Initiator of Venture Shift, a systems transformation initiative within the outdoor sector, Co-Founder and Co-Director of Aber Food Surplus, a food systems change not-for-profit in West Wales, and the Climate Fresk Volunteer Coordinator for Wales, aiming to grow climate education and empowerment across communities in Wales. He enjoys exploring his local landscape and coastscape in West and Mid Wales through swimming, surfing, walking, cycling and running.
Jason Shilcock
Sustainability Trainer (Associate)
Jason previously worked at Cynnal Cymru as a sustainability trainer, delivering Carbon Literacy and Nature Wise courses to a wide range of clients and updating some of our training materials with the latest trends and data. He now works as Policy & Research Officer at Ynni Cymunedol Cymru | Community Energy Wales, but continues to deliver Cynnal Cymru training in an associate role.
Jason is passionate about community renewable energy and raising awareness about the climate and nature emergency, which is why he sees Cynnal Cymru’s sustainability training as such an important tool in promoting the environment, mitigating climate change and learning how to reduce our impact on nature and our surroundings.
With several years’ experience teaching English as a second language, Jason understands how individuals learn in diverse ways, and designs and adapts his tutoring to make sure everyone can get the most out of their Carbon Literacy or Nature Wise training.
As an advanced ‘siaradwr newydd’, Jason is fully bilingual and can provide training in both Welsh and English.
Meet the Fair Work and Living Wage team
Harry Thompson
Head of Fair Economy
Harry is Head of Fair Economy and manages the Fair Work and Living Wage team, which work towards Cynnal Cymru’s strategic goal of a fair and just society.
He previously worked as Economic Policy Lead at the Institute of Welsh Affairs, leading projects on topics such as empowering trade unions, the Welsh Government’s fiscal framework, and community empowerment. He previously worked for public affairs firm Deryn Consulting and in political campaigns and research at Senedd, Westminster, and local authority level.
In his spare time Harry is a long-suffering Ospreys fan and season ticket holder.
Grace Robinson
Living Wage Programme Lead
Grace is the Living Wage Programme Officer, providing advice and support to growing our employer network.
She was born in Cardiff and has lived here most of her life – the only exception being an undergraduate degree in Swansea.
She has a background in human resources and has always been passionate about equality, justice and fair work practices.
Grace previously worked on the Living Wage Programme during her master’s degree in HR, which is what made her enthusiastic about this particular initiative.
Alys Reid Bacon
Living Wage and Human Resources Administration Officer
Alys provides support on the Living Wage accreditation process, as well as supporting with Cynnal Cymru’s HR administration.
Alys is passionate about sustainability and is currently working on her PhD in Biological Sciences, titled, “The influence of genotype, environment & management factors on yield development, grain filling & grain quality in oats”
Karen Misbah
Living Work Projects Coordinator
Karen is the Living Work Projects Coordinator, who works on the Living Work initiatives such as Living Wage Places, Living Hours, and Living Pensions.
Karen brings a range of skills and knowledge from working in a Research & Development team at Panasonic and from her time as a Health & Wellbeing officer at Cardiff Council.
She strongly believes in equality for everyone, and through her role at Cynnal Cymru hopes to make a difference.
She has a passion for health and wellbeing, and loves to be outside in nature.
Phoebe Nicklin
Policy and Engagement officer
Phoebe is the Policy and Engagement officer supporting the Foundational Economy network that Cynnal Cymru currently facilitates on behalf of Welsh Government. She also works to build collaboration around sustainability issues including fair work, a just transition, climate and biodiversity.
Phoebe has a diverse set of skills and knowledge from previously working for Cardiff University on research and community engagement projects to connect Welsh communities to nature for health and wellbeing. Phoebe has a strong background in innovation, working with the NHS on healthcare initiatives to encourage engagement with green spaces, increasing biodiversity through rewilding, pollinator and citizen science projects.
Phoebe is excited to be supporting the Foundational economy network as she is passionate about equality and access to essential goods and services.
Outside of work Phoebe enjoys spending time in nature, ice skating, gaming and gardening.
Could this be you?
Job opportunities
Do you have what it takes to help us create a more sustainable Wales? Find out more about our current vacancies.
