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RSPB appoints new Fundraising and Communications Director
15 October 2012
Gemma Hogg
Media Officer
E-mail: gemma.hogg@rspb.org.uk
The RSPB has appointed Beth Thoren to the new role of Director of Fundraising and Communications.
Ms Thoren is currently Director of Communications at Digital UK. Previously she was Head of Digital Marketing at the BBC. She will start work at the wildlife conservation charity on 21 November. The appointment will bring RSPB’s Marketing and Communications directorates together into a newly created Fundraising and Communications directorate.
Dr. Mike Clarke, the RSPB’s Chief Executive, said: “I’m delighted that Beth will be leading our fundraising and communications work. She has an outstanding record of creativity and innovation, particularly in digital media. We urgently need to build popular and political support for saving our threatened wildlife and the special places it depends on.
“Together with our partners across the environment sector, we need to inspire many more people about the value and beauty of nature, if our children and grandchildren are to care about the future of the planet. Beth is the ideal person to lead the RSPB’s part in this and I look forward to working with her.”
Beth Thoren commented on her appointment: “I’m very excited to be joining the RSPB at such a crucial time in its long history. It has a bold and ambitious strategy to reconnect people with the wonder and importance of wildlife and the environment, and a strong desire to make the most of today’s fast-paced communications channels. I’m looking forward to working with the RSPB’s talented and passionate staff, as they strive to create a world richer in nature.”
In her role at Digital UK, Beth devised and led the nationwide communications campaign for the UK’s switchover to digital TV. She was previously the BBC’s Head of Digital Marketing, having first worked in marketing and brand development roles within the retail and entertainment sectors. Beth grew up in Tokyo and did her first degree in engineering, followed by a Masters in Business Administration from Harvard Business School.
A passionate marine conservationist, Beth recently took a sabbatical to join the crew of the campaign ship, Sea Shepherd, in the southern ocean. She also advises Fish2Fork.
Notes
· The RSPB is Europe's largest wildlife conservation charity - with more than a million members and nearly 20,000 volunteers.
· Alongside over 200 nature reserves in the UK, the RSPB is restoring rainforests in Africa and Asia, saving albatrosses in the southern oceans and planning to restore vast swathes of the UK's countryside to its former glory.
· The RSPB had a net income of £89.3 million in 2011/12. Of every £1 raised, 90p is spent directly on nature conservation.
· You can find a link to the RSPB’s annual review, Saving nature for future generations: The RSPB’s year 2011-12 here
· Beth Thoren was recruited with the help of the not-for-profit practice at Veredus.