Our Team
Meet the people behind the scenes
Clare Sain-Ley-Berry
Interim Director
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.
Sarah Hopkins
Director
**Currently on maternity leave**
Sarah joined the team in 2020 and is responsible for overall management and development of Cynnal Cymru’s activities and services throughout Wales and beyond. Her breadth of experience includes community engagement and leading on climate, environmental and social improvements in complex supply chains.
As the lead for Cynnal Cymru’s Fair and Just Society programme of work, she supports with Living Wage accreditation and strategy in Wales, as well as advising on the role of the living wage within the broader Fair Work and Just Transition agenda.
Sarah has three children and lives in Cardiff. She enjoys running, cycling and singing musical theatre.
Lynsey Jackson
Programme Manager
With a background in furniture design and an interest in systems thinking, Lynsey enjoys developing creative and practical solutions that support our whole work programme.
Lynsey originally joined the team in 2010 as a volunteer, and has since developed a breadth of experience across the organisation from developing the branding and digital communications for the ‘Wales We Want’ National Conversation to coordinating our programme of events, including the Sustainable Academy Awards.
Today she leads on the development of our website and online training platform, as well as providing membership and consultancy support.
Out of hours, Lynsey is currently rewilding her garden and playing Wingspan – a bird themed board game.
Dr Karolina Rucinska
Sustainability Advisor
Karolina joined Cynnal Cymru in 2021 to provide consultancy support to the public and private sectors on how to become more sustainable in their operations.
Originally from Poland, Karolina developed her interest in sustainable development having witnessed the unintended consequences of the huge transformations that took place in her home country and the Republic of Ireland which she later moved to.
This lived experience prompted her to pursue higher degrees focused on sustainability, tourism, food systems and public understanding of science at Cardiff University. While a student, Karolina was involved in research investigating farm animal welfare, but later she moved to manage research projects at the Cardiff School of Engineering. There, she gained an appreciation of energy systems and the challenges that come with decarbonising them.
In her spare time, Karolina volunteers at Oasis Cardiff as a lead gardener and the Good Gym as a task member. She refuses to learn to drive and is a firm believer and practitioner of low carbon lifestyle. Karolina is described as one that brings people together and strives to make things better.
Fiona Humphreys
Finance and Administration 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 is the first point of contact for the Carbon Literacy Cartrefi Cymru (CLCC) consortium, and provides secretariat support for the Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Independent Challenge Group. Fiona also provides administrative support to the whole team, handling the day-to-day finance work and supporting on communications projects.
Out of hours, Fiona can usually be found writing, gaming, or enjoying her garden with her two cats.
Abi Hoare
Membership Officer
Abi joined the team in 2021, as a Charityworks trainee with a focus on the research and development of our Membership offer. Her role is now focused on membership support and she is the first point of contact for our growing network of businesses and organisations committed to a sustainable future.
Abi holds a degree in History from the University of Bristol and has previous experience in charity consultancy, digital marketing, and project management.
As Membership Officer, Abi will be providing support to our membership network, as well as providing varied support to the team across the board.
Outside of work, Abi’s interests lie in reading, gaming, and exploring her local area, The Forest of Dean.
Meet the training team
Bethan Harvey
Sustainability Trainer
Bethan is a Sustainability Trainer certified with the Carbon Literacy Project. Bethan led on the new Carbon Literacy online open courses, launched in 2020, attracting attendees from around the world. She has since delivered Carbon Literacy training to hundreds of learners across sectors and job roles from senior officers and elected members to new starters within an organisation and members of the public.
Bethan now focusses on co-ordinating the training team at Cynnal Cymru, client liaison and product development; designing and delivering Climate/Nature Essentials and Leadership courses, train-the-trainer, and bespoke sustainability workshops for clients, whilst designing e-learn packages to deliver essential training in more accessible formats.
In addition to five years within sustainability, Bethan also has a further four years bilingual training experience both in a community setting and at A-level and has a Professional Graduate Certificate (PGCE) in Adult Education & Training.
Talk to Bethan about: training quotes, e-learns, Climate/Nature Essentials, bespoke training/workshops
Sara Wynne-Pari
Training and Development Officer
Sara supports our training and networking services, facilitating individuals and organisations in Wales to improve their understanding of the nature crisis and take action to reverse it. She is the lead trainer and project manager for Nature Wise, our eco-literacy training programme, helping to develop and tailor content, as well as providing programme support to the rest of the Cynnal Cymru team.
Dedicated to empowering and helping others on their sustainability journey she believes in building inclusive and collaborative, cross-sector partnerships, ensuring best practice, innovation and creativity are at the heart of solutions. Her background includes grants management, protected landscapes, pro-environmental behaviour change and supporting and mentoring environmental volunteer organisations.
Alongside her role at Cynnal Cymru, Sara also works part-time for Llais y Goedwig, the grassroots network for community woodlands in Wales.
In her spare time, she enjoys nothing more than making the most of her backyard in Snowdonia whether that’s exploring, swimming or riding her electric bike.
Sylvia Davies
Sustainability Trainer
Sylvia is our lead trainer on Carbon Literacy in English and Welsh. She also delivers Nabod Natur – Nature Wise.
Sylvia loves being a Sustainability Trainer because she gets the privilege of seeing organisations find their niche on the path to sustainable development and recognising where they can make impactful change. She is also a perpetual learner and always seeks to gain knowledge, insight and feedback from those she trains in order to inform and improve her pedagogy and future courses. “Every day is a learning day” is very much her motto.
Alongside her role at Cynnal Cymru, she runs her own business: etoeto, where she designs and makes upcycled urban accessories, and she also pops up with top tips on living a greener life on S4C’s Prynhawn Da programme.
Jason Shilcock
Sustainability Trainer
Jason’s career path started in the three quite different sectors of EFL teaching, IT support and translation, before he joined the Cynnal Cymru – Sustain Wales team in early 2023 as a part-time Carbon Literacy and Nature Wise Sustainability Trainer.
Jason is extremely passionate about community renewable energy (the subject of his master’s thesis) 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.
In addition to his work for Cynnal Cymru, Jason continues to offer translation and editing services to European companies with the strictest environmental credentials to help them expand and succeed in the English-speaking world.
When not in the office, he can often be seen taking his two French bulldogs for walks around his adopted home of Barry and just enjoying spending time in nature (as he is always telling his Nature Wise students to do).
Tom Kirton
Training and Communications Officer
Tom provides administrative support for our training programme, including our Carbon Literacy and Nature Wise courses.
Tom previously worked for Apple Inc. for over 11 years and brings his wealth of technical knowledge and customer service skills to the team here at Cynnal Cymru.
Outside of work Tom has been a Town councillor in Monmouthshire for 15 years and during this time he has been Mayor of Chepstow for three consecutive years where he has championed sustainable and environmental projects for Chepstow Town Council.
Outside of work Tom plays many musical instruments and loves to work in his recording studio at home with his cat Zelda.
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.
Meet the Fair Work and Living Wage team
Grace Robinson
Living Wage Programme Officer
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.
Harry Thompson
Senior Programme and Policy Lead
Harry is Senior Programme and Policy Lead: Fair Work and 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.
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.
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.