ZSL appoints Kathryn England as first female Chief Executive in 200th year

Celebrating 200 years of wildlife and the appointment of a new CEO; 2026 is proving to be a significant year for global conservation charity ZSL (Zoological Society of London).

ZSL has announced that Kathryn England has been appointed as permanent Chief Executive Officer, following a period as interim CEO.

The appointment makes Kathryn the first woman to hold the role in ZSL’s 200-year history – a milestone that carries particular resonance as it falls in the week of International Women’s Day (8 March). 

Having worked for more than a decade with ZSL, Kathryn’s institutional knowledge, the well-earned trust of her colleagues and deep understanding ZSL’s supporters, combined with her professional background in veterinary care and wildlife health, puts ZSL in secure hands as it looks to its future.

During Kathryn’s tenure as Interim CEO, ZSL launched the SPIN (Science for Private Investment in Nature) project, premiered a new film spotlighting a Polynesian tree snail and ZSL’s four-decade long commitment to save them, and kicked off its 200th anniversary celebrations with a commemorative Royal Mint coin, new Transport for London poster and a brand-new 12-part podcast series.

ZSL has a distinguished history when it comes to women in wildlife. In 1826, the organisation’s founding year, Sophia Raffles became the first woman to be elected a Fellow of a learned society – making ZSL a pioneer in the inclusion of women in science, long before it became commonplace.

In the early twentieth century, Evelyn Cheesman became ZSL’s first female curator when she was appointed Assistant Curator of Insects at London Zoo after being refused entry to the Royal Veterinary College on account of being female; Joan Procter, ZSL’s first female Curator of Reptiles, contributed huge developments to our understanding of the care of reptiles and to the design of London Zoo’s former Reptile House; and Dame Miriam Rothschild was the first woman to be made an honorary Fellow of the Society. Kathryn England’s appointment as CEO is the latest chapter in that story. 

ZSL’s Chair of Trustees, Sir Jim Smith said: "In Kathryn, ZSL has a Chief Executive who knows this organisation profoundly, who has already earned the trust of colleagues, partners, and supporters, and who has the technical background and strategic vision to lead it into the next exciting and important chapter. The Board is delighted to confirm her appointment." 

Kathryn said: “It is an honour to be appointed to lead an organisation I care about deeply. ZSL’s people, its science, and its mission are genuinely world-class, and I am determined that we use this milestone year as a springboard to grow the impact we have in our conservation work, for the communities we engage, and for the wildlife we are to protect and restore.”