Press Release

New Trustees at Kew

Two new Trustees have been appointed for the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Mr Timothy Hornsby and Mr George Loudon have been appointed to replace Ms Marion Regan and Mr David Norman, who have completed their period of service.

Timothy Hornsby has senior experience in a wide range of organizations and has held posts at Director level including Historic Royal Palaces and Parks. Amongst other achievements, he has also occupied Chief Executive posts at the Royal Borough of Kingston and the Nature Conservancy Council. Mr Hornsby holds other Ministerial appointments as the Chair of the Horniman Museum and Gardens, as a Commissioner for the National Lottery Commission, and as an independent member for the Consumer Council for Water. He is also a Trustee of the International Institute for Environment and Development and of the Charles Darwin Trust.

George Loudon is the Chairman and Director of a number of investment firms and has over twenty years experience in financial and commercial fields. He has a great interest in heritage conservation and is a former Trustee of the Galapagos Conservation Trust. Mr Loudon holds no Ministerial appointments.

The appointments took affect from the 1st October 2007, are unpaid and will run until the 30 September 2010. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew was established under the National Heritage Act 1983 and came into existence on 8 August 1983. From 1 April 1984 responsibility for many aspects of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew was transferred from the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, now the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs, to the Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees consists of one Chairman, Lord Selbourne, and 11 members. Eleven members are appointed by the Secretary of State, Her Majesty the Queen appoints her own representative on the recommendation of the Secretary of State.

Further Information

For further information on the Trustees please visit: http://www.kew.org/aboutus/trustees.html

Journalists can also visit www.kew.org/press or contact Anna Quenby, Catherine Owen or Oliver Basciano in the RBG Kew Press Office. Telephone: 020 8332 5607. E-mail: pr@kew.org. For images, please visit www.kew.org/press/images. Please contact the press office for password.

Notes to Editors

Royal Botanic Gardens , Kew

Kew Gardens is a major international visitor attraction and its 132 hectares of landscaped gardens attract over one million visitors per year. Kew was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2003 and represents over 250 years of historical landscape. The site houses over 40 listed buildings and other structures including the Palm House, Temperate House, Orangery and Pagoda as well as two ancient monuments, Queen Charlotte's Cottage and Kew Palace. RBG, Kew is a world famous scientific organisation, internationally respected for its outstanding living collection of plants and world-class herbarium as well as its scientific expertise in plant diversity, conservation and sustainable development in the UK and around the world. www.kew.org.

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