Our Trustees
The Parks Trust is governed by a Board of Trustees who are also Directors of the company. The Board sets the strategic direction of the Trust and ensures that the Charity is properly managed and complies with all relevant legislation. Trustees have a duty under charity law to ensure that the Trust’s assets and resources are only used to further the Trust’s charitable objects, which are:
- To provide, maintain and equip green spaces in and around Milton Keynes
- To advance public education and
- To provide facilities for leisure and recreation.
From time to time we recruit new trustees to the Board, find out more about becoming a Trustee. 
Zoe Raven
Chair and Chair of Governance & HR Committee
Zoe has worked in Milton Keynes since 1983 and has experience in business and of multi-agency working and partnerships between organisations. She has a long standing interest in environmental issues and is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Acorn Childcare which she started in 1989 and expanded to nine nurseries.
Nick Lloyd
Vice Chair and Chair of Finance & Property Committee
Nick is Chairman at EMW Law in Milton Keynes. He has worked in Milton Keynes for 20 years and thinks that its parks are an intrinsic and hugely positive part of Milton Keynes life.
Ian Russell
Chair of Operations Committee
Ian is an experienced environmental professional with a strong background in developing and delivering rural environmental policy across a range of sectors. He currently works as Environment Manager of Route Services for Network Rail and has previously worked for the Civil Aviation Authority and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).
Charlotte Hall
Charlotte Hall was recently nominated to join the board as Milton Keynes City Council representative for the Conservative Party. She has lived in Milton Keynes for many years and has seen the changes that have taken place as the city has grown. With a background in outdoor education, she fully understands and supports the work of The Parks Trust. Charlotte represents the ward of Campbell Park and Old Woughton Parish Council, in addition to being actively involved with the Milton Keynes Heritage Association and Milton Keynes Arts Centre.
Robin Bradburn
Robin is a Liberal Democrat Councillor representing the Bradwell Ward on Milton Keynes Council. He has had a varied career including 10 years in the court service, running his own public house and restaurant for 11 years, 12 years as a tax advisor for HMRC and 12 years as a Borough Councillor.
Chris Bridgman, MBE
Chris is a Partner of Bridgman & Bridgman, a living roof specialist based in Milton Keynes. Launched in 2006 to focus on commercial landscaping, Bridgman & Bridgman has evolved to concentrate solely on green roofing – building gardens in the sky. Born and raised in Milton Keynes, Chris’s life has been influenced by all things horticultural – it’s in his DNA with his father being involved in the growing and planting of the many trees in Milton Keynes from the days of the Development Corporation. Chris brings his experience and knowledge of green infrastructure to the Trust, to support it to play a positive role in the climate emergency and the future of Milton Keynes. Chris has taken on volunteering roles for over 20 years – an achievement that was recognised in the Queen’s New Year Honours list 2020, with an MBE for services to the community of Wolverton and Milton Keynes.
Yoseph Araya
Dr Yoseph Araya is a Senior Lecturer in Ecology and Environmental Sciences at The Open University, Milton Keynes. He lives locally with his family, is an avid user of our parks and considers them our city’s green treasure. He joined the Board of Trustees recently as he wants to contribute and help keep Milton Keynes a green city and would also like to make our parks valued and used by members of all Milton Keynes' communities.
Ian Burgess
Nominated by MKALC. Ian has been a secondary school teacher for 38 years, the past 31 of which have been in the Milton Keynes area. During that time Ian has been a Teacher Governor at Ousedale School, co-opted Governor of Haversham Villlage School and a member of Haversham cum Little Linford Parish Council. He has a lifelong interest in natural history and agriculture and is a firm believer in the importance of green spaces to our well-being.
Tim Dolder
Tim is a founding Partner of Opus Business Services Group, with over 30 years of experience in the financial restructuring of corporate entities, having developed particular expertise and interest in the hotel, hospitality, leisure and property sectors. Tim has lived and worked in and around Milton Keynes for over 20 years, assisting numerous local companies through a variety of financial and strategic challenges.
Robert Green
Chair of Audit & Risk Committee
Rob has lived in Milton Keynes since 1991 and has worked for many entities in the area during that time. Most recently he was an Independent Member and then Chair of Milton Keynes Development Partnership and a Non-Executive Director of Milton Keynes University Hospital Trust for 6 years. He is a qualified accountant and has extensive Board level experience across many sectors, mainly as finance director.
Ian Jackson
Ian is a chartered surveyor and a director of Hampton Brook which is a regional developer and investment company in commercial property. He has delivered a range of commercial schemes throughout Milton Keynes and the region and delivered significant inward investment. Ian is also the chairman of the CMK BID (Business Improvement District) and an ambassador for SEMLEP.
James Macmillan
James is currently Chief Operating Officer of a charity, The Egmont Trust, that aims to tackle and reverse the impact of HIV and AIDS on children in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to this he worked for 20 years for investment management firms including BlackRock International and Merrill Lynch Investment Managers.
Danielle Sheppard
A Fellow of the RICS (FRICS), Danielle has worked in commercial property since 1995, predominately in the South Midlands. In 2005 she moved to Barwood Capital (BCL). BCL is a real estate investment and development specialist based in Northampton. Her current position is senior Investment Director and she is a member of the investment Committee. She is responsible for a number of developments and property investments across the UK.
Richard Smith
Richard is an experienced Chief Financial Officer and Finance Director. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG and his career in finance has spanned over 30 years in blue-chip and private organisations across several sectors. He is currently the European CFO for Thrive, a critical IT managed services business, and has responsibility for finance, legal, procurement and HR operations. He is also a founding member of Milton Keynes Education Trust, a multi-academy trust providing education for ages 4 to 18 across several schools. Richard moved to Milton Keynes at the start of his career and has lived here ever since. He and his family have enjoyed many of the Trust’s parks during this time.
Lauren Townsend
Lauren is a Trade Union official, Labour Councillor for Bletchley West and Cabinet member for Public Realm at Milton Keynes Council. She was born and raised in Milton Keynes and is a big supporter and user of our parks. She enjoys walking her dog and wild swimming.
Ellen Wilson
Ellen is an Industry specialist in Amazon Web Services EMEA Public Sector team. She is passionate about the impact tech can have on sustainability and the place we live in. Ellen has lived in Milton Keynes for over 10 years, loves the parks as proud mum of Lara and Alex (and the lab Ti), runs the German Saturday School Milton Keynes and loves exercise and good food.
