Meet the Honorary Fellow: Craig Bennett

Craig Bennett (HonFCIWEM) is one of four new CIWEM Honorary Fellows. Below we learn more about Craig and find out his answer to the question: how do you feel about becoming an Honorary Fellow and how will this shape your work going forward?

Craig became chief executive of The Wildlife Trusts in April 2020 and very soon after, he launched a new ambition for the movement of 46 nature charities: to put 30 per cent of the UK’s land and sea into nature recovery by 2030.

He was previously CEO of Friends of the Earth where he refocussed the organisation on its unique role of empowering communities to take action to tackle the climate and ecological crisis. This resulted in a step-change in the scale and impact of the movement with over 200 new Friends of the Earth community groups set up during his tenure. Craig led Friends of the Earth to numerous campaign victories including on bees, fracking and against the expansion of Heathrow Airport.

"It was a real privilege and honour to be made an Honorary Fellow of CIWEM. Much as I’ve spent a lot of my career encouraging and empowering communities to organise and mobilise to take action on the environment agenda, for grass roots action to deliver it needs to be coupled with the highest levels of professional skills and standards in the professional environment sector.

"CIWEM has long been at the forefront of building the skill base and setting these standards and I’m very much looking forward to working more closely with, and contributing to this important body."

Read more:

Meet the Honorary Fellow: Sarah Ward

Meet the Honorary Fellow: Natalie Fee

Our Honorary Fellow programme recognises people who are not normally members of CIWEM, or necessarily working directly in the water and environmental management field, that have made an incredible contribution to shape the future of the water and environment profession as well as that of CIWEM itself.