Sally Hayns

Sally has been an ecologist for over 30 years and is both a Chartered Ecologist and a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM). Most of her career has been working for environmental charities or other non-profit bodies. She has been the CEO of CIEEM, the professional body for ecologists and environmental managers across the UK, Ireland and beyond, for almost 15 years. In that time she has helped the organisation grow its membership and influence, raising the profile of the ecology profession and designing a training programme to help upskill practitioners. Ensuring that there are enough new ecologists and environmental managers with the right skills and access to the best tools to deliver quality outcomes for biodiversity and stakeholders has been central to her work as part of the previous UK Government’s Green Jobs Delivery Group.
Sally is passionate about highlighting the vital role the ecology and environmental management profession plays in addressing the environmental challenges we all face and about ensuring that young people from all backgrounds are aware of the career opportunities in the nature-based sectors. She has appeared in the Environmental News Digest (ENDS) Top 100 Environmental Power List every year since the List’s inception in 2022 and in 2024 was named as one of the top 10 professional influencers driving change.