Who we are

Loyd is chairman of The Royal Parks and serves on the Nominations & Remuneration Committee and the Richmond Park Projects Board.

He is a broadcaster and entrepreneur who has a long association with the arts and heritage sectors. He is president of The Arts Society, a vice president of the Churches Conservation Trust, a trustee of The Warburg Charitable Trust, a governor of The British Institute of Florence and Compton Verney, and a patron of the Association for Heritage Interpretation and Heritage Open Days.

Loyd’s past appointments include as a board member of English Heritage, the Museums and Galleries Commission and the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England. He was formerly chairman of the Churches Conservation Trust and vice chairman of the Royal Drawing School. A keen guitarist, he and his band made their eighth appearance at Glastonbury in June 2019. He was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to heritage in 2015.

Ruth is chairman of The Royal Parks’ Audit & Risk Committee and serves on the Richmond Park Projects Board. She served on the advisory board of The Royal Parks from 2008 to 2016 when it was an executive agency of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

She is a chartered accountant, whose prior experience includes serving as a non-executive director of Ocado Group plc, Travis Perkins plc and Coats Group plc, chairing the audit committee at each company. Prior to her non-executive career, she worked for 33 years at the professional services firm KPMG, where she was a member of the UK board for six years, retiring in 2009 as a partner and vice-chairman.

Ruth is a patron of The Royal Academy and was a trustee and member of the audit committee of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award for ten years. She lives in Westminster and walks on an almost daily basis in one of the central London parks.

Heather serves on The Royal Parks’ Audit & Risk Committee and on the Nominations & Renumeration Committee.

She is Chief Executive Officer of the lifestyle clothing brand Finisterre. She has worked in retail for 30 years including at a variety of high street names and premium brands including Laura Ashley, Fat Face and Hotel Chocolat.

Heather started her career in buying and merchandising, then moved into multi-channel retailing. She brings vast experience of brand, strategy and commercial planning centred around the customer to The Royal Parks.

Georgia is leader of Camden Council. She was elected a councillor for the Kentish Town ward in 2010 and made her way into cabinet positions serving as portfolio holder for both young people and adult social care.

She is a director and vice chair of the Local Government Association, and co-chair of the Skills for London Board at London Councils.

Georgia is an author and speaker, and published a book called Wasted: How Misunderstanding Young Britain Threatens Our Future, which draws on two years spent travelling around the UK interviewing young people about why they were not engaged in politics. She brings a focus on young people to The Royal Parks.

Richard is chairman of The Royal Parks’ Investment Committee and serves on the Audit & Risk Committee.

He brings over 20 years’ experience in strategy across business, Government and civil society to The Royal Parks. He began his career with Barclays, where he spent ten years, followed by eight years at KPMG. He has worked variously with Clarence House, the British Council, Ordnance Survey, ENO, Business in the Community and the Department for Business.

Richard has been a local authority member and a non-executive director of an NHS Trust, and for over a decade has served on the advisory board of the Queen Elizabeth II Garden in New York.

Jeff is safeguarding lead for The Royal Parks and serves on the Investment Committee.

He is a trustee of Catch 22 and of Film London. He was chief officer of the Greater London Authority (GLA) until his retirement in 2018. Before this, he was chief executive of the Government Olympic Executive at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), where he led the team which helped win London’s 2012 Olympic bid, with some of the events hosted in the Royal Parks.

Jeff has held a wide variety of previous public service roles including as principal private secretary to Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott; senior adviser in Ken Livingstone’s Mayor’s Office; director of transition after the election of Boris Johnson as Mayor in May 2008; director general (Children, Young People and Communities) at DCMS; and executive director of policy and partnerships at the GLA.

Wesley serves on The Royal Parks’ Greenwich Park Revealed Programme Board. He served on the advisory board of The Royal Parks from 2013 to 2016 when it was an executive agency of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

He is a broadcaster, journalist and curator, whose knowledge of history and horticulture is of particular relevance to The Royal Parks. He has worked on numerous BBC television and radio programmes, including Nationwide, Newsnight, Panorama, Holiday, Watchdog, Health Check and Value for Money, and for various daily news outlets. He has worked in 40 countries and continues to write for national newspapers and journals.

Wesley is a vice-president of the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. He was a previous member of the RHS Show Gardens Panel and was chairman of the Heritage Lottery Fund Committee for London for seven years. He was awarded an OBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in 2015 for services to heritage.

Rachael serves on The Royal Parks’ Investment Committee.

She is leader of Westminster City Council. She was elected a councillor for the Knightsbridge and Belgravia ward in 2010. Before becoming leader, she held the cabinet member portfolios for finance, property and regeneration, housing and adults, and public health, and was deputy cabinet member for the adult services and customer services portfolios. She also served on the finance, children’s policy, scrutiny and planning committees.

Rachael spent 20 years working in investment management, specialising in emerging markets. She is a trustee of The Westminster Almhouse Foundation, a charity which provides sheltered housing to over 60s in the city, and a director for The National Lottery Community Fund.

Danny is leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. He is responsible for the overall political leadership, direction and vision of the council alongside the portfolio of community and corporate services. He has been a councillor since July 2004 and represents the Shooters Hill ward.

Danny is a former teacher. Whilst his career has spanned various sectors, every role has been about providing opportunities for others and has focused on community and youth work. Danny grew up in the borough of Greenwich.