Sara Oldfield - Secretary General

With a career in international plant conservation spanning over 30 years, Sara joined BGCI as Secretary General in May 2005. Previously she worked as Global Programmes Director for Fauna & Flora International. She has worked for a wide range of other conservation organisations, including UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and also as a freelance consultant for over ten years, working as a researcher and policy advisor for international biodiversity conservation.

Sara is also Chair of the IUCN/SSC Global Tree Specialist Group, responsible for promoting and implementing projects to identify and protect globally Red Listed tree species. She is an accomplished author, and has published a number of research papers and books, the most recent of which is the Great Botanic Gardens of the World.

Enquiries for Sara Oldfield should be directed to her PA, Barbara Bridge

Suzanne Sharrock - Director of Global Programmes

Suzanne Sharrock is BGCI's Director of Global Programmes and manages BGCI's climate change and human well-being programmes. Suzanne is co-editor of BGCI's twice-yearly botanic garden journal (BGjournal) and oversees the production of BGCI's technical publications. Suzanne also works on policy issues connected with the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation and provides support to the European Botanic Gardens Consortium.

Before joining BGCI, Suzanne worked for the International Plant Genetics Resources Institute (now Bioversity International) and has also worked on plant genetic resource projects in Nepal, Australia, Papua New Guinea and the Caribbean.

Joachim Gratzfeld - Director of Regional Programmes

Joachim joined BGCI as Director of Regional Programmes in November 2006. In this capacity he manages BGCI’s programme development at regional and national levels, working with botanic gardens and affiliated organisations and partners in many parts of world, notably in China, South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

Prior to joining BGCI, he was responsible for the implementation of numerous conservation projects and programmes, in particular capacity building in biodiversity conservation and dryland ecosystem management based at the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in Pakistan and Switzerland, the latter being his home country.

A trained field biologist and plant ecologist specialising in the interface between conservation and human development, Joachim has a keen interest in promoting botanic gardens as custodians of plant diversity through advancing their role in the integration of ex and in situ plant conservation efforts.

Douglas Gibbs - Conservation Initiative Manager

Per Bogstad - Communications and Partnerships Manager

Julia Willison - Head of Education

Julia is responsible for BGCI’s education activities. This involves co-editing Roots journal, BGCI’s education review, overseeing the education content of BGCI’s website, developing education policy, running education training courses, organising international congresses and working with botanic gardens to develop individual education projects.

Julia is a passionate advocate of education in botanic gardens and believes that, given the current environmental crisis we face, education has to be a top priority for botanic gardens.

Sarah Kneebone, BGCI Education Officer has left BGCI and is now working in Oman so if you have any queries for Sarah please direct them to Julia.

Bruce Jamieson - Head of Finance and Administration

Meirion Jones - Head of Information Management

Belinda Hawkins - Research Officer

Belinda has been working on the recent BGCI projects on Magnoliaceae, and on Medicinal Plants. She looks after wolves in her spare time.

Lauren Evans - Development Officer

Lauren is responsible for fundraising and for helping develop programme proposals for projects worldwide.

She is a trained ecologist and worked as a conservationist in natural resource management in East Africa before joining BGCI, implementing a sustainable forestry initiative in Kenya and researching land use conflict and community-based conservation in Tanzania.

Please contact Lauren if you have any queries about supporting BGCI's work.

Vivien Isaac - Accounts Officer

Vivien can answer your accounts queries and you can send your membership payments or donations to her!

Sue Malin - Membership Secretary

As Membership Secretary, Sue is responsible for processing new membership requests and supporting existing members in answering their enquiries and distributing BGCI’s publications.

If you require any information about being a member of BGCI then please contact Sue.

Barbara Bridge - Personal Assistant to the Secretary General

As PA to the Secretary General, Barbara is first port of call for Sara Oldfield and her global activities and also for general BGCI enquiries.

Barbara also provides support for the BGCI team at home and abroad and provides a supporting role to the BGCI Board and International Advisory Committee.

Bian Tan - South-East Asian Programme Coordinator

Bian used to work at San Francisco’s Botanical Gardens where he pioneered the establishment of their South East Asian Cloud Forest. He now works with BGCI institutional partners in the South East Asia region, and facilitates activities of the SEABG (South East Asia Botanic Gardens) network.

Xiangying Wen - China Projects Officer

Xiangying manages BGCI's projects in China.

BGCI China Website

BGCI Opens New Office in China

Dr Junko Oikawa - BGCI Japan Programme Co-ordinator

Junko manages BGCI's projects in Japan.

BGCI Japan Website

Andrea Kramer - BGCI U.S. Executive Director

Andrea Tietmeyer Kramer brings an extensive knowledge of plant conservation, gathered from her work at the Chicago Botanic Garden and with the Center for Plant Conservation.

From 2001-2003, Andrea worked as an endangered plant specialist until becoming a research associate and working on her PhD in the ecology and evolution of the flora of the American Great Basin.

Andrea is responsible for establishing the BGCI US office at Chicago Botanic Garden and implementing elements of BGCI's Five Year Plan 2007-2012 working with US botanic gardens and partner organisations.

More BGCI International Staff

Dr Igor A. Smirnov - Chairman, BGCI-Moscow Division

BGCI Russia Website

Nikita Mergelov - Assistant of Igor Smirnov, BGCI-Moscow office

Stella Simiyu - BGCI Global Strategy for Plant Conservation Officer

The GSPC