Rob Jackson
Rob Jackson is Chair of Trustees of the Welsh Mountain Zoo, having first joined the Board in 2014. He is the grandson and namesake of the Zoo’s founder, Robert Jackson, and has been connected with the Zoo from an early age.
While at school and university, Robert worked in a variety of roles across the Zoo, from the car park to the zoo shop, gaining a practical understanding of day-to-day operations and the importance of visitor experience. After university he built a career in management consulting and senior roles in large corporates, working on strategy and finance transformation across a range of industries.
Rob brings this commercial and governance experience to the Zoo, helping to support its long-term sustainability and growth. As Chair of Trustees since 2023, he is proud to continue his family’s connection with the Welsh Mountain Zoo and to support its mission of conservation, education and community engagement.
Susan Miller
Susan Miller is Vice President of the Board of Trustees at the Welsh Mountain Zoo, having joined the Board in 2019. She graduated from Cardiff University with a degree in Biochemistry before completing a PhD in Diagnostic Immunology at the Tenovus Institute for Cancer Research at Heath Hospital, Cardiff.
Susan spent 15 years in the diagnostics industry in research and technical troubleshooting roles before moving into pharmaceuticals with Johnson & Johnson, where she held a variety of quality and regulatory positions over the following 14 years. Her work at J&J included integrating newly acquired companies and helping to establish new manufacturing facilities in the UK, Israel and Ireland.
Since retiring, Susan has applied her professional experience in the not-for-profit sector, serving for three years on the Board of Trustees at North Wales Housing before joining the Zoo. She brings strong scientific expertise, regulatory knowledge and practical experience of complex organisational change to support the Zoo’s mission of conservation, education and community engagement.
Nick Jackson MBE
Nick Jackson MBE is a Trustee of the Welsh Mountain Zoo and the son of the Zoo’s founder, Robert Jackson. Nick trained as a zoo keeper in Frankfurt and London in the late 1960s and joined the Zoo’s management team after his father’s death in 1969, working alongside his mother and brothers.
Nick spent 52 years helping to lead and develop the Welsh Mountain Zoo, retiring as CEO in 2022. During that time he also played an active role in the Federation of Zoos (now BIAZA), chairing committees and serving as Chair of Council from 1996 to 2002. He has been a Government Zoo Inspector since 1984 and served as Vice-Chair and Acting Chair of the Zoos Forum, the government’s advisory body on zoos.
Nick was awarded an MBE in 2000 for services to the advancement of zoological collections. Although retired, he remains deeply committed to the Zoo’s future and continues to support its conservation and education work.
Andrew Greenwood MA, VetMB, Dip ECZM, FRCVS, FRSB
Andrew Greenwood is a Trustee of the Welsh Mountain Zoo and a retired zoo veterinarian with more than 50 years’ experience in zoological medicine. He graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1971 and went on to build an international career working with zoo animals and wildlife in 77 countries.
In 1973 Andrew joined fellow zoo vet David Taylor to grow the International Zoo Veterinary Group into a leading team of specialist clinicians and pathologists. He has been a founder member of several professional bodies, including the European College of Zoological Medicine, the European Association for Aquatic Mammals and the British Veterinary Zoological Society, and has published more than 120 scientific papers and book chapters.
Alongside his clinical work, Andrew has served as a Zoo Inspector for DEFRA since 1984 and has held governance roles with the Zoological Society of London, Jersey Zoo (Durrell) and Twycross Zoo. Now retired from practice, he focuses on conservation through Wildlife Vets International, which he co-founded, and brings his lifelong commitment to animal welfare and conservation to the Welsh Mountain Zoo.
Ashley Rogers
Ashley has been a Trustee of the Welsh Mountain Zoo since 2022 and brings extensive experience in marketing, tourism and commercial leadership. He began his career in his family’s tourism business in North Wales before studying Marketing in Yorkshire and building an international career working in cities including Florence, Melbourne and Madrid.
Ashley has held senior roles across multinational corporations and SMEs throughout Europe, and led the Northern European division of Enterprise Ireland, the Republic of Ireland’s trade development agency, focusing on retail and consumer markets. Since returning to North Wales in 2010 he has combined independent consultancy with a range of voluntary roles in the not-for-profit sector.
His experience includes serving as CEO of the North Wales Business Council, Chair of PACT North Wales, Welsh Government Transport Commissioner and member of the FSB Wales Policy Unit. Ashley brings strategic insight, strong community links and a passion for conservation and regional development to his work with the Welsh Mountain Zoo.
Caroline Harcourt BSc, MSc, PhD
Caroline Harcourt is a zoologist and conservation specialist who serves as a Trustee of the Welsh Mountain Zoo. She studied zoology at the University of Bristol before completing an MSc and PhD focused on bushbabies at Witwatersrand University and the University of Cambridge.
After post-doctoral research at Arizona State University, Caroline worked at the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (now UNEP-WCMC) in Cambridge, contributing to major conservation publications including The IUCN Red Data Book: Lemurs of Madagascar and the Comoros and The Conservation Atlas of Tropical Forests. She has also worked extensively in scientific publishing, editing journals such as Folia Primatologica and the Journal of Human Evolution, while continuing field research on primates.
Since moving to North Wales, Caroline has worked as Research and Information Officer for the North West Zoonoses Group at the University of Liverpool. She is a member of the IUCN Primate Specialist Group and has served on the Council of the Primate Society of Great Britain. Her academic expertise and long commitment to wildlife conservation support the Zoo’s mission to educate and protect endangered species.
Janet Legget Jones
Janet Legget Jones joined the Welsh Mountain Zoo as a lay Trustee following a varied career spanning veterinary practice, pharmaceuticals, marketing and higher education. She began her career as a veterinary surgeon, working in clinical practice before moving into animal health pharmaceuticals, where she supported the development of new treatments for animals.
Janet later retrained in sales and marketing, gaining a Diploma in Marketing and becoming a Fellow of the Institute of Sales and Marketing. She went on to senior marketing roles in animal health, followed by consultancy in market research and business analysis. In 2006 she moved into the higher education sector, working with the North Wales Clinical School, Liverpool Health Partners and the Royal College of Physicians.
Her expertise includes digital communications, fundraising, business development and strategic planning. Now retired, Janet is delighted to support the Welsh Mountain Zoo, combining her professional skills with a lifelong commitment to animal welfare and conservation.
Nigel Brown BSc, Teaching Fellowship, Honorary DSc, FLS
Nigel Brown has a lifelong interest in natural history and serves as a Trustee of the Welsh Mountain Zoo. Originally from Sheffield, his fascination with wildlife began in the Peak District and continued when he moved to North Wales to study Botany at Bangor University.
Nigel spent 39 years at Bangor University as Curator of Treborth Botanic Garden and Lecturer in Botany and Ecology, helping to educate generations of students and supporting plant conservation in the region. He holds a BSc in Botany, a Teaching Fellowship and an Honorary DSc from Bangor University, and is a Fellow of the Linnean Society.
Now retired, Nigel remains active in conservation as Joint Vice County Recorder for Anglesey with the Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland, and is currently contributing to a new Flora of Anglesey. His deep knowledge of ecology and commitment to local conservation work support the Welsh Mountain Zoo’s educational and environmental aims.
Alice O’Carroll
Alice O’Carroll is a Trustee of the Welsh Mountain Zoo with deep roots in North Wales. She grew up on her family’s smallholding, caring for animals and developing an early appreciation for wildlife and conservation. She studied Law at the University of Manchester before spending time overseas, including a year volunteering as a teacher in India and ten months working in Vienna, experiences that broadened her perspective and strengthened her commitment to community-focused work.
Alice has built her career in the construction industry as a consultant project manager. Starting in infrastructure, she has worked across a diverse range of real estate sectors including higher education, commercial offices and healthcare, collaborating with public and private sector clients on complex development programmes. After two years in London she returned to the North West and now works in Manchester while spending as much time as possible back home in North Wales.
Alice brings to the Board a strong blend of professional experience in development and construction alongside a deep personal connection to the region and its natural environment. She is committed to supporting the Zoo’s long-term development and conservation ambitions, contributing practical project expertise, strategic insight and a passion for protecting wildlife for future generations.