Head of Land and Sea Policy, RSPB
Jonny is the Head of Land and Sea Policy at the RSPB where he leads policy work in a range of areas, including food and farming, peatlands, forestry, climate, natural capital and marine. He previously held the position of Policy Manger at Northern Ireland Environment Link. He has broad experience in environmental research, policy, teaching and project management and has completed a PhD in environmental planning. He is a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, sits on the Institute’s Policy and Research Forum and is a member of the Strategic Investment Boards Circular Economy Advisory Panel.
Jonny has taught a range of undergraduate and post graduate modules on the topics of planning, sustainability, environmental policy and climate change. He has led and assisted on major research projects and produced peer reviewed publications in the fields of protected area management, planning and environmental policy.
Jonny is an international hockey player and Irish Olympian. After being part of the first Irish hockey team to complete at an Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, he went on to play in the 2018 Hockey World Cup. He captained his club team Lisnagarvey HC for five years, helping the team win 3 All-Ireland trophies in this period. He has amassed 190 caps for his country, captaining the side over 50 times. Jonny is a member of the European Hockey Federation Athletes Commission.