Sara Oldfield - Secretary General

With a career in international plant conservation spanning over 30 years, Sara joined BGCI as Secretary General in May 2005. Previously she worked as Global Programmes Director for Fauna & Flora International. She has worked for a wide range of other conservation organisations, including UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and also as a freelance consultant for over ten years, working as a researcher and policy advisor for international biodiversity conservation.

Sara is also Chair of the IUCN/SSC Global Tree Specialist Group, responsible for promoting and implementing projects to identify and protect globally Red Listed tree species. She is an accomplished author, and has published a number of research papers and books, the most recent of which is 'Botanic Gardens: Modern Day Arks'.

Suzanne Sharrock - Director of Global Programmes

Suzanne Sharrock is BGCI's Director of Global Programmes and manages BGCI's website and technical publications. Suzanne is also co-editor of BGCI's twice-yearly botanic garden journal (BGjournal). Suzanne works on policy issues connected with the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and provides support to the European Botanic Gardens Consortium.

Before joining BGCI, Suzanne worked for the International Plant Genetics Resources Institute (now Bioversity International) and has also worked on plant genetic resource projects in Nepal, Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Caribbean

suzanne.sharrock@bgci.org

Joachim Gratzfeld - Director of Regional Programmes

Joachim joined BGCI as Director of Regional Programmes in November 2006. In this capacity he manages BGCI’s programme development at regional and national levels, working with botanic gardens and affiliated organisations and partners in many parts of world, notably in China, South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East

Prior to joining BGCI, he was responsible for the implementation of numerous conservation projects and programmes, in particular capacity building in biodiversity conservation and dryland ecosystem management based at the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in Pakistan and Switzerland, the latter being his home country.

A trained field biologist and plant ecologist specialising in the interface between conservation and human development, Joachim has a keen interest in promoting botanic gardens as custodians of plant diversity through advancing their role in the integration of ex and in situ plant conservation efforts.

joachim.gratzfeld@bgci.org

Julia Willison - Director of Education Programmes

Julia is responsible for BGCI’s education activities. This involves co-editing Roots journal, BGCI’s education review, overseeing the education content of BGCI’s website, developing education policy, running education training courses, organising international congresses and working with botanic gardens to develop individual education projects.

Julia is a passionate advocate of education in botanic gardens and believes that, given the current environmental crisis we face, education has to be a top priority for botanic gardens.

Kirsty Shaw - Conservation Officer

Kirsty is currently working on the project Enhancing tree conservation and forest restoration in Africa.

She is also undertaking tree red listing and ex situ surveys of conifer and succulent plant collections. 

kirsty.shaw@bgci.org

Martha Love - Head of Finance

Martha manages the financial reporting for the organisation. She prepares and maintains both statutory and management accounting information, as well as controlling bank accounts, payments, receipts and Payroll.

martha.love@bgci.org

Meirion Jones - Head of Information Management

Meirion is our database expert. Meirion is your contact for queries on PlantSearch and GardenSearch databases.

Refer to note below for email address.

Catherine Thums - Administrator

Catherine's responsibilities include general office management, dealing with new members and the membership database, preparing contracts and liaising with the Board and IAC membership.

mailto:catherine.thums@bgci.org

Vivien Isaac - Accounts Officer

Vivien can answer your accounts queries and you can send your membership payments or donations to her!

vivien.isaac@bgci.org

Sonia Khela - Conservation Officer

Sonia is undertaking a Red List assessment including selected European medicianal plant species and is working on the CITES project.

 sonia khela@bgci.org

Asimina Vergou - BGCI Education Programme Coordinator

Asimina is involved in the coordination and evaluation of BGCI Education projects ranging from the development of education resources to Growing the Social Role of Botanic Gardens and teacher training in Inquiry-Based Science Education.

Asimina’s experience in botanic gardens education has been developed through running the Learning programme of the Balkan Botanic Garden Kroussia in Greece but also through her PhD research which focused on the collaboration of Wakehurst Place, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew with local schools. Asimina's personal interest lies in organisational change in botanic gardens, raising the profile of botanic gardens’ education and turning the public on to plants.

 asimina.vergou@bgci.org

Xiangying Wen - BGCI China Executive Director

Xiangying manages BGCI's projects in China.

Based at the South China Botanical Garden Guangdong - Guangzhou Province.  the BGCI ChinaProgramme is working alongside China's botanic garden community to help implement the plan focusing on three major areas they are:

• Conserving threatened plant species
• Increasing the effectiveness of plant conservation
• Enhancing environmental education and public awareness

xiangying.wen@bgci.org

Andrea Kramer - BGCI U.S. Executive Director

Andrea Tietmeyer Kramer brings an extensive knowledge of plant conservation gathered from her work at the Chicago Botanic Garden and with the Center for Plant Conservation.

From 2001-2003, Andrea worked as an endangered plant specialist until becoming a research associate and working on her PhD in the ecology and evolution of the flora of the American Great Basin.

Andrea is responsible for establishing the BGCI US office at Chicago Botanic Garden and implementing elements of BGCI's Five Year Plan 2007-2012 working with US botanic gardens and partner organisations.

andrea.kramer@bgci.org

Abby Hird - BGCI U.S. Research Associate and Project Manager

Abby facilitates public garden plant conservation efforts by improving BGCI's data services and increasing awareness of the resources available to living botanical collections.

Prior to joining BGCI U.S., Abby completed the Longwood Graduate Program at the University of Delaware, and worked as a Putnam Research Fellow at the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.

Abby's office is based at Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden in Claremont, California. She also serves on the Board of the Magnolia Society International, recruits for the North American Plant Collections Consortium (NAPCC), and facilitates Earthwatch Expeditions.

abby.hird@bgci.org

Dr. Igor A. Smirnov - Chairman, BGCI Russia

seed@aha.ru

Nikita Mergelov - Assistant, BGCI Russia

nikita.mergelov@bgci.org

BGCI Interns and Volunteers

Chetna Vaghela - Development & Communications Intern

Chetna is a biochemist with experience in the conservation sector, at BGCI Chetna carries out research into funding proposals, updates BGCI social media and helps with events and publications.

UK Volunteers:

Simon Barber
Charlotte Case
Isabelle de Geofroy

If you are interested in gaining valuable experience as a volunteer in the plant conservation sector please contact our HR department with your current CV and a brief description of your interests.

To contact a specific member of staff, volunteer or intern by email, our address format is - First name, period, second name followed by @bgci.org