Thomson Environmental Consultants appoints former Natural England Advisor as Associate Director of Nature Markets

The new appointment will support the firm in aligning with the government’s Nature Markets Framework, which promotes investment in Biodiversity Net Gain, Nutrient Neutrality, and Carbon Offsetting to address climate and nature crises.

Joining the environmental consultancy, Gregor, has 15 years of experience across the private and public sectors, specialising in creating strategic solutions to support species conservation and previously worked as a principal advisor at Natural England. 

First established in 2004, Thomson is one of the UK’s leading independent environmental consultancies, with a team of over 150 specialists. The consultancy supports a range of businesses in meeting environmental legislation, offering expertise in terrestrial ecology, marine services, freshwater ecology, habitat management, geospatial data management, arboriculture contracting, and landscape architecture.

Gregor's appointment will enable Thomson to expand its Biodiversity Net Gain and Nutrient Neutrality services to provide end-to-end solutions for clients. These services will cover every stage, from initial assessments to on-site and off-site mitigation advice and implementation.

In addition, Gregor will lead the development of Thomson’s carbon offsetting service, aimed at supporting developers across various sectors to meet corporate requirements and reduce climate impacts.

Gregor, comments: “I am hugely excited to join Thomson Environmental Consultants and to be given the chance to develop this area of work in particular. I have recently worked in the public sector, advising the Government and designing, developing, and implementing schemes to generate long-term funding for nature projects. I now have the opportunity to apply this experience in new ways, and I hope to leave a legacy of projects that will benefit both the natural environment and the people who depend on and enjoy it.”

In his role, Gregor will work closely with executive and senior leadership teams to define a vision, mission, goals, and business plan to grow the firm’s role in Nature Markets. 

Daniel Reynolds, director of business development at Thomson, says: “Gregor’s role will serve as a mechanism to bring all of Thomson Environmental Consultants’ expertise together to save time and simplify processes for our clients, enabling us to offer a single service provider for all steps in Biodiversity Net Gain, Nutrient Neutrality, and Carbon Offsetting. Through our new end-to-end solutions, we hope to inspire confidence in our clients that there is a clear path to achieving their ecological requirements and managing their responsibilities.”

Gregor is also supporting the production of underpinning British Standard Institution (BSI) standards commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).