Jonathan Drori and Nicola Spence

Jonathan Drori is a trustee of The Eden Project and Cambridge University Botanic Garden, an Ambassador for the Woodland Trust and the WWF, and Honorary Professor at Birmingham University’s Institute of Forest Research. He is also the author of the runaway best sellers, Around the World In 80 Trees and Around the World in 80 Plants, revealing in awe-inspiring detail how the worlds of trees and plants are intricately entwined with our own history, culture and folklore. Previously, Jon was a Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and for BBC TV, he was responsible for more than fifty science documentaries and series. He is known for several botanical TED talks, which have been viewed millions of times.

Nicola Spence is an expert in plant health and the international plant trade, and a keen gardener. She is the UK’s Chief Plant Health Officer and heads the National Plant Protection Organisation. She was previously Chief Scientist at the Food and Environment Research Agency and President of the British Society for Plant Pathology. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, Honorary Professor at the University of Birmingham, Visiting Professor at Harper Adams University, a member of Court at the University of York and a Trustee of The Yorkshire Arboretum. Nicola’s PhD was in Plant Virology at the University of Birmingham.