Eden Project appoints new board chairman and three new trust members

Former ITV and Capital Radio chief executive Richard Eyre has been appointed the new chairman of Eden Project Limited.

October 8

Former ITV and Capital Radio chief executive Richard Eyre has been appointed the new chairman of Eden Project Limited.

Richard joined the board in 2003 and brings a wealth of experience to the project. His career in media and advertising spans more than 30 years.

He was also chairman and chief executive of Pearson Television and now has several advisory and non-executive roles, mainly in media and communications. He succeeds Ken Hill, who has been a board member and chairman since 1999 and is now retiring.

Richard paid tribute to Ken Hill's great contribution over the past decade. He said: "Ken has been hugely effective as Eden's founding chairman. We thank him for all he has done and wish him well for the future."

Of the challenge ahead, Richard said: “Eden is a truly remarkable place. Our challenge is not just to safeguard it but to make it also a way of life.”

Eden Project Limited is managed by a board of executive and non-executive directors who remain responsible to the Eden Trust, a registered charity. The Trust has just appointed three new members, Prof Sir Ghillean Prance FRS, Lord David Puttnam and Emma Harrison.

Sir Ghillean is Eden's Scientific Director and a major contributor to the development of the project. He is a former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and a world authority on the flora and fauna of the rainforests.

Lord Puttnam is best known for his contribution to the British film industry, producing such films as the Oscar-winning Chariots of Fire. Until recently he was UK President of UNICEF and has worked extensively in education since joining the House of Lords in 1997. He is Chancellor of The Open University and chaired the Joint Parliamentary Committee which produced the 2007 Climate Change Bill.

Emma Harrison is an acclaimed entrepreneur and chairman of A4e, a company she set up more than 20 years ago to help redundant steel workers to find work in other industries. The company has now expanded on a global scale.

Anthony Salz, chairman of trustees, said: "Eden has the opportunity to make a real impact in helping people not just see what the climate issue is all about but also how to be involved in the change that is necessary. I am delighted by the four new appointments. They will enable us to build on the amazing things that have been achieved by the Eden Team in the last 10 years.”