About the U.K. Associates of BIOS

Christopher Day, Chairman
Chris Day has been on the board of the U.K. Associates of BIOS since 2008 and Chairman since 2016. A City Liveryman and former investment banker with a passion for marine environmental issues, Chris ensures that the U.K. Associates of BIOS maintains close links with institutions and leading businesses in the City of London. A former British Sub-Aqua Club Branch Chairman, he continues to be a very active scuba diver, exploring waters both around the U.K. and overseas.

Lady Judy Vereker, Vice Chair
Lady Vereker is Vice-Chair of the U.K. Associates of the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, having joined the Board in 2014. She also sits on the main Board of BIOS where she has been a Trustee since 2004. She has a close involvement in a number of Bermudian organizations, particularly in the areas of the environment and the arts which began while her husband was Governor of Bermuda 2002-2007. She helped to found Polka Theatre for Children in London in 1979 and, as its Development Director until 2002, was recipient of many arts and business awards for creating innovative and mutually beneficial partnerships. She is also a Trustee of The Bermuda Society and an Adviser to The Mozartists, based in London.

Diana Viscountess Dunrossil
Lady Dunrossil is our longest serving board member, joining us in 1990 at the invitation of founding trustee Max Bruce. Holding a UCL post graduate diploma in International Law including Law of the Sea and Environmental Law, Diana has extensive experience in marine environmental matters, notably as former Legal Officer at the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea. She has been involved in charitable funding for many years and her longstanding trusteeship with the U.K. Associates of BIOS provides us with an invaluable link to our alumni. Diana has strong connections with Bermuda and was resident in Bermuda from 1983 to 1988 when her husband, the late Viscount Dunrossil, was Governor.

Professor Richard Lampitt
Professor Richard Lampitt holds one of the leading research chairs at the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton and has been a Trustee of the U.K. Associates of BIOS since 2002. He is a hugely motivated marine scientist and noted environmentalist with a great passion for the health and sustainability of our oceans.

Chip Cunliffe
Chip Cunliffe is Director, Sustainable Development at AXA XL and joined us in in 2018, Chip provides us with an invaluable link to both the insurance sector and the international sustainability debate. Chip manages AXA’s Ocean Risk Initiative, which helps to identify how the insurance and wider finance industry has a key role to play in developing solutions and building resilience to ocean derived risk. Chip also champions the importance of increasing ocean literacy through AXA XL’s Oceans Education and Ocean Risk Scholarships programs.

Nick Pewter
Nick Pewter, a reinsurance broker with Willis Re, is a Bermudian and a BIOS alumnus, having completed an internship in 1997. He now works in the City of London and joined our board in 2018, providing us with invaluable links to the insurance markets in Bermuda and London. He was born and educated in Bermuda and his insights into Bermudian current affairs is of immense help to our board.

Suzanne Ferlic Johnson
Suzanne has wide ranging experience in environmental issues, having previously worked for energy and water companies in government and regulatory affairs, investor relations and finance. Her experience also includes investment management, having been responsible for European utilities debt coverage for Schroder Investment Management. Suzanne has served as special assistant to Jeane Kirkpatrick, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations. She is passionate about furthering the private sector’s contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. At Lloyd’s Register, she leads its relationship with the UN Global Compact to advance a more productive and sustainable ocean. She is a trustee of the Ditchley Foundation and a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Ian Arnold, Hon. Treasurer
Ian is a Liveryman of the Fishmongers’ Company and has undertaken the role of our Treasurer since 2008. He is a retired chartered accountant who qualified with Price Waterhouse in London and spent most of his career working in senior management roles in the retail industry. In addition to managing our finances and accounting, Ian also provides us with much needed support and advice on regulatory matters, notably with respect to the Charities Commission.

Lorraine Andrews, Hon. Secretary
Lorraine has served the U.K. Associates of BIOS as Hon Secretary since 1998 and has a wealth of experience of our charity’s history and activities. She was Office Manager for the Shellfish Association of Great Britain at Fishmongers’ Hall for over 20 years and, following her retirement in 2016, has continued to serve the Shellfish Association as part-time Membership Secretary.

Richard Beckett
Richard became our independent examiner in 2016. He is a retired chartered accountant and held a very senior management role for over 30 years at Hughes Allen (now part of MacIntyre Hudson) in a technical and advisory capacity.

Professor Michael Depledge, CBE DSc (Lond.) FRSB FRCP
An expert in oceans and human health issues and marine ecotoxicology, Mike Depledge was the founding Director of the Plymouth Environmental Research Centre and spent 4 years as Chief Scientific Advisor to the U.K. Environment Agency. He has been the Chief Science Advisor at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, a member of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution, a board member of the Natural Environment Research Council, and a founding board member of Natural England. He is currently Emeritus Professor of Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter Medical School, and a non-executive Director of Eden Project International Ltd. He also serves as an expert advisor to the U.K. Government, the World Health Organisation and the UNEP.

Dr Christopher Carbone
Chris was a Biological Oceanography summer course student at BIOS in 1992, supported by the U.K. Associates of BIOS. He has since gone on to enjoy a highly successful career as a scientific ecologist and is currently a Research Fellow at the prestigious Institute of Zoology at ZSL in London. His research explores broad scale patterns in ecology and with projects examining human-wildlife interactions particularly focusing on the impacts of altered landscapes on wildlife ecology and species richness.

Chris Leftwich
Chris originally trained as an environmental health officer and became the head of fisheries at the Fishmongers' Company in 1985, a post he held until his retirement in 2016. During that time he ran training courses on various aspects of fisheries in Asia, Africa and the EU on behalf of bodies such as the EU and the UN. He also served a two year term as the world president of the International Association of Fish Inspectors. In 2000 he set up the Billingsgate Seafood Training School and still serves on its board of trustees. Since retirement from full time work, Chris has undertaken many consultancies on fishery related matters and is also the current chairman of the Shellfish Association of Great Britain.

Sir Crispin Tickell, GCMG, KCVO
Sir Crispin Tickell is an eminent environmentalist and his book, Climatic Change and World Affairs was seminal work in bringing an international political perspective to environmental issues. He is a regular speaker at international environmental and scientific conferences and continues to contribute to international debates on climate change.

A career diplomat, he was Chef de Cabinet to the President of the European Commission (1977-80), Ambassador to Mexico (1981-83), Permanent Secretary of the Overseas Development Administration (now DFID) (1984-87), British Permanent Representative to the United Nations (1987-90). He has also served on many prestigious boards notably as President of the Royal Geographical Society (1990-93); chairman of the board of the Climate Institute of Washington D.C. (1990-2002); and President of the Marine Biological Association (1990-2001).

Sir Crispin served as a U.K. Associates of BIOS Trustee from 1990 to 2019 when he accepted the role of Trustee Emeritus.