Senior Management Team

Mary Rice, Executive Director 
Mary has been with EIA since 1996, joining as a volunteer before holding positions including Head of Communications & Projects, Head of Development and Head of Campaigns. She has been Executive Director since 2008 and is responsible for directing the long-term strategic management of EIA as well as working on specific projects and leading the Elephant Campaign.

Julian Newman, Campaigns Director
Julian joined EIA in July 1997 as an investigator after working as a journalist for six years. He has carried out field investigations into illegal logging in Indonesia, China, Malaysia, Vietnam and Laos, and wildlife crime investigations in Tanzania, Zambia, Singapore and China. He has also been involved in training local NGOs in Indonesia and Tanzania. Since 2008 he has been Campaigns Director.

Debbie Banks, Tigers and Illegal Wildlife Trade Campaigns Leader 
Debbie has been with EIA since 1996, volunteering for a year before joining as a campaigner and, in 2001, becoming Tiger Campaign Leader. She is a member of the Board of the Species Survival Network (SSN) and Chair of the SSN Asian Big Cat Working Group. She has trained several investigators on the Tigers Campaign since 1999 and has worked on projects and investigations in India, Nepal, China, Thailand, Laos, USA, Europe and Japan.

Bill Dishington, Head of Operations
Bill joined EIA in August 2008. He moved to the not-for-profit sector in 1993, working for or advising as a consultant to variety of small to medium sized charities in roles involving HR, finance, administration, communications, facilities, health and safety, ICT and governance, including REDRESS, Landmine Action and Victim Support. At Victim Support he was one of a team of six responsible for the biggest charity merger in the UK. As Head of Operations he has strategic responsibility for HR, IT and Office Facilities.

Emma Sheard, Head of Fundraising
Emma moved to the charity sector in 2007 and since then has held a number of fundraising roles within Individual Giving, legacy and trust fundraising. She joined EIA UK in 2022 as Head of Fundraising and a member of the Senior Management Team. Prior to this, she held the position of Head of Individual Fundraising at Isabel Hospice and has also worked at the RSPB, Children with Cancer UK, NSPCC and The Children’s Society. Emma is a member of the Institute of Fundraising.

Jean Nelson, Head of Finance
Jean has been responsible for the finance function at the Environmental Investigation Agency UK for the last 10 years.  She has a passion for charity financial management and got her start by volunteering in the sector after leaving university with a BTEC HND in Business and Finance and a degree in Combined Studies (Accounting).  Jean is a Fellow member of the Association of Certified Accountants who now has more than 20 years in the Not-for-Profit and Charity sector.