ENDS Releases Power List: Top 100 Most Influential Environmental Professionals

ENDS has today published the inaugural Power List of the Top 100 Most Influential Environmental Professionals that have made the greatest impact in the past two years. At a time when we face the twin existential crises of climate change and biodiversity loss, it is right that we recognise the achievements of those who are at the forefront of efforts to tackle these emergencies.

ENDS state that “The individuals who made the final list may have shaped or influenced national or local environmental policy. Their actions may have enhanced the reputation of the environmental profession. Their work may have resulted in demonstrable and positive environmental improvements. Or they may be unsung heroes whose work is delivering positive change without receiving the recognition they deserve.”

ENDS largely left it up to their readers to shape and refine the list by putting forward nominations. The ENDS team then trawled through the nominations and divided up the long list by sub-sector, which was then taken to a handpicked panel of experts in the field.

We are very pleased and proud that CIEEM’s CEO, Sally Hayns, has made it onto the list. Sally has been CEO of CIEEM for almost 12 years and during that time has been instrumental in driving forward change within the Institute and the profession. Under her stewardship the Institute has flourished with year on year membership growth, gaining its Royal Charter in 2013, publishing influential new guidance and standards and finding its ‘voice’ as a policy commentator and influencer. Sally is passionate about the need to promote and applaud the good work that the ecology and environmental management profession does whilst also advocating the need for change to become more diverse and inclusive and ‘fit for purpose’ to meet the environmental challenges we face.

In hearing of the accolade, Sally said:

I am incredibly proud to have been nominated along with so many other environmentalists I respect and admire. This recognition is also due to the many staff and volunteers I have been fortunate to work with over the years and who have helped me enormously. We are in a period of significant change within our industry, as new environmental legislation and policy emerges across the nations of the UK and the urgency of restoring nature and tackling climate change gains momentum. It is easy to feel overwhelmed but I have been heartened by how collaboratively people are working to identify solutions and hold others to account. I am privileged to have this role and opportunities to influence the debate, a responsibility I do not take lightly, and I look forward to the coming months and years with CIEEM members at the heart of delivering a more sustainable future.

We’re delighted to see so many members, patrons and Past Presidents who also made the list. Congratulations to Julia Baker, Cain Blythe, Jane Davidson, Alastair Driver, Tanya Ferry, Derek Gow, Professor David Hill, Tony Juniper, Professor Steve Ormerod, Reverend Paul Rooney, Des Thompson, Claire Wansbury, and Stephanie Wray.

We also want to take time to recognise and applaud all those, whether on this list or not, who work tirelessly to protect and enhance our precious environment whether locally, regionally, nationally or internationally, and whose efforts so often go unnoticed. You are all heroes.