The Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust, registered on 4 August 2017 in England as charity number 1174142, is led by a volunteer President and Board of Trustees who bring a wide variety of expertise and enthusiasm to its work. Learn more about each below.
Henry Sackville Barlow OBE MA FCA
Henry is the Founding Patron of the Trust. Educated at Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge, where he studied languages and gained a Trevelyan Scholarship for his work on moths, Henry is also a qualified Chartered Accountant. His career has been largely in the palm oil sector, where he has served on a number of corporate boards. He is currently chairman of New Britain Palm Oil Ltd, which owns Higaturu Estate in Papua New Guinea. Henry has published various entomological and historical papers and books, including ‘An Introduction to the Moths of South East Asia’ and an historical biography ‘Swettenham’. He is a lifelong lepidopterist and naturalist and has supported numerous conservation charities and publication projects.
As Patron to the Trust, Henry advises the Chairman and Board of Trustees on financial affairs, strategic direction, partnerships and opportunities for the future.
Henry is a permanent resident in Kuala Lumpur, Peninsular Malaysia, where he worked for many years on Malaysianisation of UK incorporated estate owning companies. In recognition of his work, Henry was awarded Johan Setia Mahkota by Yang di-Pertuan Agong in1998, and Darjah Kebesaran Dato’ Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (DSIS) by the Sultan of Selangor, bearing the title of Dato’, in 2003.
Nicholas Mark Collins MA MBA PhD
Mark is the Founding Chairman of the Board of Trustees. He has spent most of his career as an entomologist and tropical ecologist, specialising in the conservation of insects and other invertebrates. Trained in natural sciences at Oxford University and Imperial College, London, and with an MBA from the Open University, he was formerly with the UN Environment Programme in Nairobi, Director of the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre in Cambridge and Director of the Commonwealth Foundation in London, Mark has 11 books and 140 articles to his name. Notable amongst these are “Threatened Swallowtail Butterflies of the World: the IUCN Red Data Book” (with M.G.Morris)and “Swallowtail Butterflies: An Action Plan for their Conservation” (with T.R.New). In 2000 Mark was awarded the Royal Geographical Society Busk Medal, “for contributions to conservation policy and research”. As well as being a Fellow of the RGS (FRGS), he is also a Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society (FRES).
In addition to his role in the Trust, Mark is a Trustee of Earthwatch (Europe) and Chairman of the Galapagos Conservation Trust. He lives near Cambridge, UK.
Charles Frederick Dewhurst BSc FRES FLS
Charles is the Founding Secretary of the Trust. He is a tropical entomologist, and an expert on captive breeding and management of insects. After training at London University, he worked in many countries in Africa and Europe, first on dung beetles, then on migrant pests, and he carried out ecological monitoring in the former Soviet block and Madagascar. Latterly he was in Papua New Guinea during which time he was Head of Entomology with the PNG Oil Palm Research Association for more than eight years. Charles has co-authored two books, one on Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly, and authored or co-authored 57 scientific papers and many technical reports.
In addition to his voluntary work for the Trust, he is also a Trustee of Nature-in-Art, and the Kafue River Trust. He lives in Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, UK.
Sara Frances Harvey FCCA
Sara is the Trust’s Honorary Treasurer. She has over 40 years’ experience in accountancy, tax and audit. For the last 18 years she has been principal of Hines, Harvey, Woods, an accountancy practice in Acle, Norfolk, UK. She has 20 years’ experience of charities both as a treasurer and independent scrutineer; 10 years as an elected member of the global council of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA); and is currently chair of the ACCA Global Ethics Forum. Sara spends her free time walking and enjoying nature and the countryside, both in the UK and abroad. She lives in Norwich, UK.
Oliver Leigh-Wood
Oliver is a Founding Trustee. His involvement with Lepidoptera began at an early age collecting and learning to breed from whatever flew in his parents’ garden, a lifelong interest he is now passing on to future generations. His business career allowed him to travel extensively and wherever he has been he has always taken an inquisitive look at the local flora and fauna.
Oliver has been a supporter and member of the British Entomological and Natural History Society for over 50 years, and is also much involved in the effort to give new life to old buildings. In addition to his voluntary work for the Trust, he is Chair of the Friends of the City Churches. He lives in London, UK, where he takes care of two acres of gardens.
Rob Julian Chetwood BSc
Rob is an SBBT Trustee. His professional role is Data and Insight Manager at the East Anglian Air Ambulance, where he provides strategic and technical support to the fundraising teams across East Anglia. With more than ten years’ experience, working in both conservation and healthcare not-for-profits, he is an advocate of digital innovations in fundraising and marketing. Rob lives in Norwich and enjoys visiting Norfolk’s many nature reserves and taking part in fundraising challenge events.