International Projects Co-ordinator (Middle East, southern Africa, Australia) for the Millennium Seed Bank Project (2000-2010) / Millennium Seed Bank Partnership (2010 onwards)

The role is responsible for the development and implementation of several of the Millennium Seed Bank’s partnerships, projects and networks. This is done with a particular emphasis on delivering ex situ plant conservation, and enabling use of these collections through, e.g. involvement in habitat restoration and the improvement of livelihoods. The work includes developing, implementation, monitoring and reporting of projects and networks, as well as maintaining productive relationships with partners and other stakeholders.

I am also involved in working with the Kew Foundation to help them develop a diverse range of funding streams for these projects. Country-based projects under my responsibility during 2006-2009 were in Lebanon, Jordan, the Northern Territory and Tasmania (Australia), Namibia and South Africa. Since the start of the second phase of the now-renamed Millennium Seed Bank Partnership I have ongoing responsibility for seed banking projects in Australia (New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, and Western Australia). Next to this I am involved on an ad hoc basis in some of the Kew Innovation Unit’s projects in the Middle East, together with colleagues from the herbarium and horticultural departments.

My background is in plant taxonomy and I was the Kew Seed Bank’s seed collector for Africa and the Middle East during 1995-2000. Since 2010 I have also been actively involved in a taxonomic study