Olivia Walter

Olivia is eminently well qualified to manage WVI affairs. Following an Honours degree in Zoology at Edinburgh University, she started work as a small mammal keeper at ZSL London Zoo, before moving to the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Animals in the UAE. She then returned to ZSL as a zoo population manager before taking a desk job with the British and Irish Association for Zoos and Aquaria (BIAZA). During her time with BIAZA, Olivia obtained her MSc in Conservation Ecology from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology.

Her work with BIAZA involved helping members exceed the welfare, conservation, education and research standards set by the Zoo Licensing Act, as well as representing good zoos to the public, media and policy decision makers.

Throughout her career, Olivia has had a special interest in managed breeding programmes, and in particular how to build connections between these and local conservation efforts on the ground. Her responsibilities have included being International Studbook Keeper for the Amur leopard, which is a key species for WVI.

In between her professional posts, Olivia has also found time to be a tour guide in India, a cook in Zambia and a researcher for Wetlands International in Indonesia and the Wildlife Conservation Society in Cambodia. Olivia took on administration for WVI in 2009, on behalf of IZVG. 

Olivia oversees all the governance, finance, publicity, fundraising and project logistics for WVI. Fortunately she still has time for a bit of adventure. In 2015 she was invited to accompany an anti-poaching patrol in Sumatra, where WVI is working to save tigers, and had the chance to experience first-hand the threats to their survival. In 2017 she went to Zimbabwe to oversee the neutering and vaccination clinics Painted Dog Conservation runs with WVI vets. She got stuck in and helped speed up surgery by preparing the dogs before surgery.

Andrew Greenwood

A few years after qualifying as a vet, Andrew formed the UK based International Zoo Veterinary Group to provide freelance veterinary services across the world.

He is an internationally recognised expert in conservation medicine, bird diseases and marine mammal care and sits on many committees as an expert. As well as providing expertise to policy formers and to captive endangered species across the world, Andrew has been a long term veterinary advisor to conservation projects worldwide, including the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation.

Andrew has a particular interest in island birds and reptiles where disease can be catastrophic to whole species. In addition to being our vet in Mauritius and the Seychelles, Andrew is currently Secretary to WVI, plays an active part in the day to day running of the charity.

Sharon Miller

Sharon founded Wildlife Vets International in 2004, and is Chair of the Trustees. She brings with her a wide range of experience in business, politics and science.

After an initial Honours degree in Biology and Geography from Bristol University, and a Masters in Politics and Economics from the London School of Economics, Sharon worked for the European Commission and then the European Parliament. She was nominated for the Women of Europe Awards and was a successful final laureate, going on to chair the awards committee.

Subsequently, she trained in strategic management consultancy, and worked as a business management consultant before becoming CEO of an environmental health company. More recently, she retrained as a psychotherapist and is now a counsellor and coach to high profile athletes, musicians, actors and business people, primarily in the USA and UK.
Sharon has lived in Greece, Belgium and Russia, and travels extensively around the world. During her time in Russia she established AMUR – a British-Russian foundation dedicated to the conservation of Amur tigers and leopards. On her return to the UK she went on to establish WVI, having become aware of a profound need for an organisation that could provide flexible veterinary expertise to conservation projects around the globe.

Peter Coe

Peter has held a number of senior management and board director posts in the veterinary pharmaceuticals industry. He has typically focused on strategic planning, organizational development and change management and is a past Chairman of NOAH, the veterinary pharmaceuticals manufacturers’ association.

Peter became a trustee of WVI in 2012, after spending two years helping us to devise and implement a business and fundraising plan to ensure a secure and sustainable future for the organisation. Thanks to Peter’s work, we were able to increase the number of conservation projects we are able to support. He holds various other trustee positions in the not-for-profit sector. Since retiring he has been enjoying farming in Norfolk.

Peter writes, ‘Wildlife conservation is a big subject but I was drawn to WVI because it fills a crucially important yet largely unsung gap in many projects, particularly those related to endangered species. As populations decrease, or their range comes under pressure from human and domestic animals, specialist veterinary input can become key to survival.’

Louise Heathcote

As a young teenager, Louise was deeply affected by a lecture given by Born Free Foundation founder, Bill Travers, when he visited her school. The experience sparked a life-long interest in the welfare of animals in zoos and led to a profound appreciation of the need to help endangered species thrive in the wild. Following the lecture, Louise went on to correspond regularly with Bill Travers, writing assessments of European zoos for Born Free, until his death in 1994.

Meanwhile, her professional career took her into the corporate world, where she worked initially in the London asset management office of the Prime Minister of Qatar. This was followed by several years of project management for a global sports media company. Over the last 16 years, in addition to becoming a mother to three children, Louise has been involved with fundraising and event organisation for a range of charities, including Wildlife Vets International.

She believes passionately in the work that WVI does and was delighted when the opportunity arose in 2015 to become a trustee. She is particularly looking forward to helping on the fundraising side and building connections with schools and young people. Her own experience has shown her how understanding the importance of wildlife conservation at a young age can build the foundations for a lifelong passion and commitment to a vital cause.

Louise is married to WVI Patron, Peregrine Heathcote.

Dr. Miranda Stevenson OBE, MBA

A biologist by training, Miranda is passionate about conservation and the protection of biodiversity. She has devoted much of the past thirty years to the zoo world, and is presently focused on promoting the invaluable contribution of zoos to education and conservation. She is also currently in charge of the European Association for Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) programme to save one of the world’s most endangered primates, the cotton-top tamarin.

The many prestigious roles she has held and awards she has received are testament to her commitment and experience. In 2013 she ended ten years as Director of the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquaria (BIAZA) – the professional body for zoos in Britain and Ireland. Other notable posts have included Director of Marwell Zoo and Deputy Director of Edinburgh Zoo. She is currently a government zoo inspector in the UK, as well as the co vice-chair of EAZA’s Callitrichid (marmosets and tamarins) Taxon Advisory Group.

Miranda was awarded an OBE in 2012 for services to conservation and wildlife. Other awards and accolades include the EAZA Award for Professional Excellence, an Honourary Fellowship of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, and Life Membership of WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquaria). In addition, she is a previous winner of the WAZA Heini Hediger Award, which is given for outstanding service to the zoo and aquaria community.

Having also worked as an independent consultant in areas relating to zoos, conservation and animal welfare, Miranda brings with her a wealth of management experience in the conservation sphere. Throughout her career she has worked with both captive and wild animals and has seen at first hand the problems that disease and risk from disease can cause. She has been a trustee of WVI since 2012. She is also a trustee of both the World Land Trust and Marwell Wildlife.

Ken Elliott

Ken Elliott’s career included a significant period working around the globe, spending large amounts of time in Latin America, Asia and, most significantly, Africa. It was in Africa in particular that he was able to spend at least some of his leisure time enjoying the continent’s amazing wildlife reserves. This experience was the catalyst in his decision to use his skills and connections to help vets and conservationists working to save endangered species. And this in turn led him to offer his support to WVI.

Although now largely retired after a career in marketing and sales for leading pharmaceutical companies, primarily in the veterinary sector but also in public health, Ken continues with some commercial consultancy as well as mentoring for a local youth charity. His association with WVI began several years ago, when he began to give invaluable advice on strategy and funding tactics, before becoming a trustee in 2015. His help has been instrumental in building WVI into a sustainable and effective organisation.

Steve Leonard

Steve qualified from Bristol Vet School in 1996. Since then he has combined regular domestic veterinary work in the UK with filming wildlife documentaries for the BBC, ITV and Animal Planet. Although Steve’s regular veterinary work is with domestic pets he has extensive experience working with wildlife alongside many leaders in the field.

Steve’s knowledge of domestic dog disease and injuries together with his ability to castrate a dog on a table under a tree meant he was the perfect person to be the onsite WVI vet during the mobile vaccination and minor injuries clinics in Zimbabwe. The aim of these clinics is to reduce the disease in an area where endangered African painted dogs frequently come into contact with domestic dogs.

As patron of both WVI and Painted Dog Conservation, our partners on the ground, Steve is developing a joint programme that will not only help the painted (or hunting) dogs but increase the welfare and health of domestic dogs and people in the area.

Dr John Lewis

John graduated from Cambridge University Veterinary School and went on to do a PhD in Oncology at the University of London. Working for IZVG, John undertook clinical work at Al Ain Zoo (UAE), Howletts and Port Lympne Zoos, and ZSL London Zoo before becoming an IZVG partner in 1988. Having been a full-time zoo and wildlife vet for the past 29 years, he has worked in a variety of zoo and field situations in an equally wide variety of countries.

With principle interests in large cat conservation and their care in captivity, anaesthesia of non-domestic species and the veterinary support of in situ endangered species conservation programmes, John has developed ground breaking techniques.

John is a member of the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group, is the principal veterinary advisor to the Amur leopard and tiger Endangered Species Breeding Programmes (EEP's), and is engaged with a range of felid and primate field conservation programmes. John is a trustee of the UK based charity AMUR and widely published on veterinary aspects of non-domestic medicine.

John Lewis is founder and veterinary director of WVI. He is recognised internationally for his work on carnivore reintroduction techniques and the development of veterinary resource manuals for in situ conservation projects.

A ten minute interview with John Lewis can be seen here.

Linda MacLachlan MA, MPhil

Linda has been working for WVI since 2016, as an editor, writer and researcher. Previous clients and employers include UN Women, the British Council, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Liberal Democrats and global CSR consultancy, Corporate Citizenship.

After an initial degree in Economics and English, she completed an MPhil in Linguistics, both at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. She also holds a Diploma in the teaching of English to adults and has taught in Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Austria, Romania, Lithuania and Hungary. In addition, she has a particular interest in democracy promotion and has observed and supervised numerous elections for the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in both Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Originally from Edinburgh, Linda has spent a considerable amount of time living in Moscow, where her first two children were born, and it was there during the 2000s that she became a founding trustee of AMUR – a British-Russian foundation dedicated to the conservation of Amur leopards and tigers. This led to one of her first trips to the Russian Far East where, travelling with the BBC, she was able to see conservation in action. This refuelled a lifelong passion for wildlife and the environment. More recently, she became a regular visitor to a bear cub orphanage and wolf rehabilitation project closer to the capital, and given a second chance would choose a career as a wolf biologist.

Currently based in the UK, Linda lives in Surrey with her husband, three daughters, Kyrgyz Borzoi, Timur, and her two Russian Blue cats, Pushkin and Tolstoi.

Angela Davies

Angela joined the WVI team in October 2019. Her career started as a graduate trainee in housing management in Liverpool. It diversified into community development, regeneration and health, as well as working with young people and children’s services. She has always worked in areas of deprivation, designing and delivering programmes that have a positive impact on people’s quality of life and their communities, across Greater Manchester and West Yorkshire.

She has a wealth of experience in all aspects of project management, from needs analysis, tendering and commissioning to fundraising, monitoring and evaluation, within housing, regeneration and early years settings. Her last role was in a consultancy capacity, managing a children’s centre for The Children’s Society. Her experience working with schools, communities and the voluntary sector brings a new set of skills to the team.

Angela is passionate about the environment and wildlife, and excited about this new role within WVI to champion fundraising and engagement, and give the best donor experience to our supporters.

A keen traveller, she has been fortunate to see some of the big five on safari in Kenya, and has also explored the Amazon rainforest in Peru and had turtles swim past her when scuba diving in the Red Sea. In her spare time, when not taking her border collie and cat on woodland walks, she loves breathing new life into old furniture as a keen upholsterer.

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The work of WVI would not be possible without the support of those Behind the Scenes.

Driving WVI Forward

Executive Director Olivia Walter oversees the day to day running of WVI. She facilitates and coordinates all our mission driven activities. She is assisted by Communications Director Linda MacLachlan and Fundraising Director Angela Davies.

The Trustees oversee the direction of WVI's activities while our Working Groups help provide the expert input WVI needs to ensure funds are spent on effective conservation.

Miranda Stevenson is currently the Chair of Trustees, Peter Coe is our Treasurer and Andrew Greenwood is our Company Secretary.

WVI would like to thank the International Zoo Veterinary Group (IZVG LLP) whose provision of an office and administrative services enables the majority of funds raised to go directly towards work in the field.

Olivia Walter

Olivia is eminently well qualified to manage WVI affairs. Following an Honours degree in Zoology at Edinburgh University, she started work as a small mammal keeper at ZSL London Zoo...

Read biography

Andrew Greenwood

A few years after qualifying as a vet, Andrew formed the UK based International Zoo Veterinary Group to provide freelance veterinary services across the world.

Read more

Dr John Lewis

John graduated from Cambridge University Veterinary School and went on to do a PhD in Oncology at the University of London.

Read more

Dr. Miranda Stevenson OBE, MBA

A biologist by training, Miranda is passionate about conservation and the protection of biodiversity.

Read biography

Linda MacLachlan MA, MPhil

Linda has been working for WVI since 2016, as an editor, writer and researcher. Previous clients and employers include UN Women, the British Council...

Read biography

Angela Davies

Angela has been working for WVI since 2019 leading on our fundraising campaigns. Her career began in housing management and community development.

Read biography

Sharon Miller MSc

Sharon founded Wildlife Vets International in 2004, and is Chair of the Trustees. She brings with her a wide range of experience in business, politics and science.

Read biography

Peter Coe

Peter has held a number of senior management and board director posts in the veterinary pharmaceuticals industry.

Read more

Ken Elliott

Ken Elliott’s career included a significant period working around the globe, spending large amounts of time in Latin America, Asia and, most significantly, Africa.

Read more

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CAMPAIGN NEWS

Training Vets. Changing Lives. Saving Species.

The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2024 is nearly here! We are delighted to announce we have £20k in match funding to unlock in December.

Posted on 22nd June 2017

LATEST NEWS

Big Give Christmas Challenge 2024: Training Vets, Changing Lives, Saving Species

We urgently need to train more wildlife vets. Prof. Anna Meredith OBE tells us why.

Posted on 22nd June 2017

TRAINING VETS

Saving turtles

WVI is training vets in Greece and Spain to help save sick and injured turtles, harmed by plastic pollution.

Posted on 22nd June 2017

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‍3rd - 10th December

Xander Armstrong explains the #ChristmasChallenge19

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WVI is a British charity which has been providing critical veterinary support to international wildlife and conservation projects since 2004.

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Painted Wolf Series
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Welcome to our PAINTED WOLF activities. This was inspired through the painted dog as seen on the BBC Dynasties series.
It's time to get creative!

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Posted on 22nd June 2017

"Saving some of the planet’s rarest creatures from extinction needs expert help, and WVI can supply that when and where it’s needed."

Steve Leonard, Veterinary Surgeon and TV Presenter

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WVI is a British charity which has been ensuring critical veterinary support for international wildlife and conservation projects since 2004.

We are a small organisation with minimal administrative costs but access to top quality wildlife veterinary expertise across a wide range of different species.

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