CHAIR

Toni is ecoACTIVE's Chair of Trustees, and has been involved with the charity since 2019. She has 18 years’ experience in primary education as a teacher, advisor and deputy head teacher. Toni now works in the charity sector in volunteer recruitment, training and development. She has an interest in mentoring, encouraging local community involvement and promoting a diverse curriculum in schools.

“Environmental education has always been a passion of mine. We need to inspire children and young people to care for the world around them and encourage them to make informed choices. Together, we must strive to keep environmental issues at the top of the agenda for children, families and the wider community.”

TREASURER

Conor has six years of mentoring experience through work-based initiatives and Ivy Executive and two years as a sustainability associate with ISSP. He is a banking risk professional by training and has spent the last twelve years involved in the area of transportation. Currently he is a Director in the Aviation Finance unit of MUFG Bank.

He believes ecoACTIVE is crucial in engaging the young to think more critically and strengthen their knowledge of the human impact on the world around them. We also get the opportunity to share and celebrate the things that are great about us and this planet - community, nature, food and art.

Sarbjit was introduced to ecoACTIVE through a friend and colleague Monica Strauss; a founder and trustee of the charity at the time. After attending the 2017 AGM, Sarbjit became a member of the committee having been so impressed by the passion and commitment of the team and the amazing projects they ran. Later she became a trustee and volunteer.

Sarbjit has an interest in outdoor learning in urban areas which has led to her gaining the following qualifications; FSLI Forest School Leader Level 3 in 2016, Garden Design BTech Level 1 in 2018 and Maintenance Gardener Level 1 in 2019. She currently works part time as a Nursery teacher in an early childhood centre in Westminster.

Michaela works in Finance, having previously worked in Investment Consulting. In 2016, Michaela took a sabbatical to lead a charity water & sanitation construction project in rural Nepal, building infrastructure to facilitate a sustainable clean drinking water source. Michaela holds an MA from Cambridge University having read Land Economy (Economics, Law and the Environment).

As a Trustee for EcoActive, she is passionate about education and the environment, and believes young people and communities can be empowered to take meaningful action on sustainability. She focuses on fundraising and corporate relationships.

As a member of the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) with an undergraduate and postgraduate degree in accounting obtained from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. Her previous experience in finance and 8yrs work for a Big 4 professional services company has contributed to the role as Treasurer.

“The ethos of ecoACTIVE is what caught my attention to apply for a Trustee role and has resonated with me ever since joining. The incredible impact from the work that the staff do and the motivation behind each person here at ecoACTIVE is what keeps me engaged to continue to build this amazing cause.”

Simon has over 30 years experience working in schools with children with special educational needs, most recently as Headteacher of Spa School Bermondsey and Executive Headteacher of Spa Education Trust. He is a founder of the Park College in Kennington, and has supported a number of organisations in improving autism provision and inclusion.

A long time Hackney resident, Simon is enthusiastic about improving sustainability and biodiversity. He was drawn to ecoACTIVE after seeing the wonderful work they are doing in the community and with local groups.

Catherine became a trustee at EcoACTIVE after having been involved as a volunteer. As a Hackney resident, she loves seeing how much ecoACTIVE contributes to our neighbourhoods, and is pleased to be able to assist with this. With her background as both an architect and a practising artist, she is keen to support ecoACTIVE in its community art activities. 

I've worked in corporate business for over 20 years across multiple consumer categories for both big UK FMCG brands and smaller, independent brands, predominantly in Strategic Brand Marketing. It's important to me now, to support a non-profit organisation that has a meaningful purpose and mission to drive a positive movement.

As a big advocate for respecting and celebrating our environment and the world around us, I feel that now more than ever, the work ecoACTIVE does in educating and empowering our younger generation to affect positive change, is crucial.