A message from our Chair, Alexandra O’Dwyer
New Jurassic Coast Trust Chief Executive announced
The Jurassic Coast Trust has announced the appointment of a new Chief Executive. Lucy Culkin will be taking up the role from the beginning of November, having previously worked for the Trust in the role of Programme Manager and more recently interim Head of Operations.
Chair Alexandra O’Dwyer says: “I am delighted to welcome Lucy into her new role of Chief Executive of The Jurassic Coast Trust. We were overwhelmed at the quantity and quality of the applications we received for the job – having described it on our website as possibly one of the best in the world, it would seem that many other professionals across not just Dorset and Devon, but nationally, would agree with us. In the event, from a highly competitive field, Lucy was appointed by the Board of Trustees thanks not only to her impressive skills and interview performance but on the strength of her enormous passion for the Jurassic Coast, her commitment to working with our partners and her leadership abilities and potential. ”
The change in leadership comes as the Trust draws to a close its first phase of public consultation on the new Partnership Plan for the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site – an important part of how UNESCO expect the site to be managed over the next five years. “This is such an exciting time in the development of the Trust and of the Jurassic Coast” Alexandra goes on to add, “Since World Heritage status was awarded in 2001 there has been a tremendous amount of work by so many committed organisations and individuals to look after and promote our unique coastline. We are now at a point where we can look to the next phase and work with our partners to not only protect the Jurassic Coast but to ensure that its extraordinary natural assets, and its powerful story, can positively benefit the people who live, work and visit here today and for future generations.”
Lucy, whose career spans a range of public and charity sector organisations in business development, income generation, communications and project delivery says: “My affiliation with the Jurassic Coast runs deep; I grew up on the coast, chose to raise my own family here and am honoured to have now been given the opportunity to lead the Trust at this pivotal time. Having spent two years with the Trust, witnessing first-hand the energy, innovation and ambition of the team in developing new programmes of work, I am committed to achieving the vision and mission of the Trust, alongside the ambitions emerging from the proposed new Partnership Plan; working with all partners and stakeholders involved in the protection, conservation and management of this unique World Heritage Site. “
The appointment of the new Chief Executive marks a drive for change at the Trust, with the Partnership Plan being the catalyst for new initiatives, focusing on sustainability, collaborative working and realising the benefits of the World Heritage Site designation for all communities.
