Beatrix Richards is a forest and agricultural commodity specialist with more than 30 years experience in natural resource management. She has a diploma in tropical dendrology, a BSc in environmental science and a Masters in forest management and has worked in commercial forestry as well as environmental policy and advocacy at national and EU level government. She has been on the Board of FSC and the UK Woodland Assurance Standard Ltd, on the advisory group for DEFRA’s work on sustainable timber procurement and the NGO advisory group for the Stern Review on Climate Change.  

She worked for more than 18 years for WWF in a variety of roles, including as a member of the leadership team for the global Markets Practice, the joint World Bank/WWF programme assessing the comprehensiveness of certification schemes, as well as representing WWF at EU and international level on forest protection and legal and sustainable timber production.  She now works as a senior corporate engagement manager for Europe at Solidaridad, an organisation focused on producer support and sustainable supply chain and innovative market development.