Who we are

Our shareholders elect 12 trustees to govern our society. The director and senior managers all report to the trustees.

Altogether, around 165 staff, and over 300 volunteers run the zoo's Activity Centre and Animal Encounter Sessions. This team, over 450-strong, also engages with local community groups, and provides practical support for field conservation activities.

 

Heads of department

Dr Bryan Carroll

Dr Bryan Carroll Director of Bristol Zoo Gardens

Chair, EAZA Ape Campaign Working Group
Chair, BIAZA Conservation and Sustainability Committee
Trustee, Ape Action Africa
Inspector Secretary of State's List of Zoo Inspectors
Member, Defra-Zoo Liaison Group
Member, EAZA Council
Member, EAZA Conservation Committee
Member, EAZA EEP Committee
Member, International Zoo Seminar Group
Member, IUCN/SSC Chiroptera Specialist Group
Member, IUCN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group
Member, IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group
Member, IUCN UK Executive Committee
Corresponding Member, BIAZA Research Group
Governor, Filton College Corporation 

Nick Higgins

Nick Higgins Director of Finance and HR

Member, Charity Finance Directors' Group

Wendy Walton

Wendy Walton Director of Commercial Operations

Has spent 25 years in Venue and Attractions Management. Formerly Head of Marketing & Programming at the Brighton Centre; General Manager of Stanmer House, and Centre Manager for the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust.

Tim Wilson

Tim Wilson Director of Estates

Fellow, Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

Michelle Barrows

Michelle Barrows Head of Vetinary Services Bristol Zoo Head of Veterinary Services 

Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Diploma Holder in Zoological Medicine,
Post Graduate Certificate in Conservation Medicine,
Clinical Teacher at University of Bristol Veterinary School,
Veterinary Advisor to Wattled Crane Recovery Program,
Previously Head of Veterinary Department at Johannesburg Zoo South Africa

Sallie Blanks

Sallie Blanks NWCP Project Manager
 

Owain Cassidy

Owain Cassidy Head of Marketing and Development 

Simon Garrett

Simon Garrett Head of Learning

Member, International Zoo Educators' Association
Member of the Bristol Natural History Consortium Communicate Committee
Member, Bristol Natural History Consortium, Education and Outreach

Neil Maddison

Neil Maddison Head of Conservation Programmes

Trustee, Ape Action Africa
Member, IUCN Conservation Breeding Specialist Group

Eddie Mole

Eddie Mole Head of Horticulture

Chair of the EAZA Plant Conservation Network
Committee member, BIAZA Plant Working Group
Trustee, UK PlantNetwork
Member, Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh Guild
Member, Somerset Rare Plant Group
Member, Avon Wildlife Trust

John Partridge

John Partridge Senior Curator of Animals

Member, BIAZA Mammal working group
Studbook Keeper, Black Howler Monkey ESB
National Assessor, ANCMZA
Honorary Life Member, Association of British Wild Animal Keepers
Member, EAZA Felid TAG
Member, EAZA Hippopotamus & Tapir TAG
Member, EAZA Small Mammal TAG

Dr Christoph Schwitzer

Dr Christoph Schwitzer

Head of Research

Executive Secretary, Association Européenne pour l’Etude et la Conservation des Lémuriens
Honorary Research Fellow, University of Bristol, School of Biological Sciences
Examiner, Konrad Adenauer Foundation Scholarships for talented graduates
Section Editor ‘Zoo Animals’, UFAW Animal Welfare
External Examiner, University of Wolverhampton (Biology and Ecology modules)
Regional Coordinator, Madagascar, IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group
Nutrition Advisor, EAZA Callitrichidae TAG
Scientific Advisor, BIAZA Primate Focus Group
Editor-in-Chief, IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group Lemur News
Member, International Primatological Society
Member, Primate Society of Great Britain
Member, EAZA Research Committee
Member, EAZA Nutrition Group Steering Committee

Sue Gregory

Sue Gregory - Head of HR at Bristol Zoo Head of Human Resources

MSc Human Resource Management and member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development for the last eighteen years having worked in HR within various industry sectors ranging from car manufacturing, direct marketing services, local government and leisure and fitness.

Trustees of the Society

Richard Clarke

Richard Clarke Chair of Trustees

Regional Head of Development at GVA, based in Bristol and currently advising the Lloyds Banking Group.  Former Chairman of the House Builder’s Federation.  His family has been involved with the Society since its founding, and holds a number of the original 1835 Zoo shares.

Victoria Arrowsmith-Brown

Victoria Arrowsmith-Brown MA (Oxon).  Formerly a printer, now self-employed in publishing and in auditing for wood-related certification schemes. She has been a lifelong shareholder of the Zoo.

Michael Bothamley BA (Dunelm)

Michael Bothamley

Solicitor and Partner in law firm DAC Beachcroft LLP.  Also President of Business West.

Professor Robert Cuthbert MA, MSc, MBA, DipEdAdmin

Professor Robert Cuthbert MA, MSc, MBA, DipEdAdmin, FSRHE. Professor of Higher Education Management, University of the West of England; Editor, Higher Education Review; Chair of Improving Dispute Resolution Advisor Service.  (Representing the University of the West of England.)

Professor Innes Cuthill MA (Cantab.), D.Phil (Oxon)

Professor Innes Cuthill MA (Cantab.), D.Phil (Oxon), Head of the School of Biological Sciences and Professor of Behavioural Ecology, University of Bristol (representing University of Bristol).

Professor Allen Goodship PhD, BVSc, MRCVS

Professor Allen Goodship Professor of Orthopaedic Science, University College London and Royal Veterinary College. Director of the Institute of Orthopaedics and Musculo-skeletal Science UCL; Visiting Professor of Biomedical Sciences, University of Bristol; Visiting Professor in the Discipline of Pathology, School of Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide.

Paul Kearney

Paul Kearney Has spent 30 years in the regional newspaper and media sector and was previously Managing Director of Bristol United Press PLC.  He now has a business consultancy with interests in the PR, business start-up/SME mentoring, web design and information portal sectors.  Director of “ABLAZE” an education support charity.

James McArthur BA (Hons)

James McArthur

Marketing Director of McArthur Group Ltd, one of the largest private companies in the UK, based in Bristol.  Is the third generation of the McArthur family to have served as a Trustee.

Charlotte Moar MA, FMCA

Charlotte Moar MA (Cantab), FMCA, Deputy Chief Operating Officer, NHS South of England.

Frank Smith BSc, MD, FRCS

Frank Smith Reader and Honorary Consultant Vascular Surgeon, University of Bristol and Bristol Royal Infirmary.