Chief Executive Officer

Email: g.thomas@nbn.org.uk

Role at the NBN Trust

• Leading the NBN Trust team to deliver our strategy and work programme.
• Overseeing governance, finance, and staff wellbeing.
• Mobilising biodiversity data for reuse in line with FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).
• Strengthening partnerships across government, academia, business, and civil society.
• Building sustainable funding models through grants, philanthropy, and innovation.
• Championing diversity, inclusion, and collaboration across the NBN community.
• Acting as the public voice of the Trust, advocating for the role of biodiversity data in national and global decision-making.

I’ve always been drawn to the edges of ecosystems…temperate forests (an absolute favourite), coral reefs (many hours scuba diving), places where life pushes its limits. That curiosity led me from marine biology into biodiversity science, and eventually into the world of policy, partnerships, and data.

My work has always centred on making biodiversity evidence useful. Whether in research, governance, or innovation, I’ve focused on helping people trust and apply data to make better decisions about the natural world.

Before joining the NBN Trust, I led research innovation at the Natural History Museum in London, where I helped connect biodiversity science to policy, NGOs, and private sector. I also serve as a Trustee for Chester Zoo and work internationally on biodiversity data and reporting frameworks.

At its heart, my motivation is simple: connecting people, data, and purpose to drive meaningful change for nature.

Outside of work, I live with my wife and young daughter. They keep me grounded and occasionally make me stop and explain what I actually do. (“Innovation” and other corporate buzzwords don’t land well with six-year-olds.) I love travel, food, and finding quiet moments in nature, whether in a rainforest, coral reef, or just the village I live in or the heart of the City.