The Institute of Chartered Foresters’ AGM took place online on Wednesday 4 June and saw six new Council Members elected. Headed up by new President Andrew Sowerby FICFor and Vice President Dr Gary Kerr FICFor, the Council acts as a governing body for the Institute with members elected from within the Chartered membership.
Three Fellows stood uncontested and were elected at the AGM: John Tucker FICFor, Mike Tustin FICFor and Professor Chris Quine FICFor.
With only two seats available for Professional Members to contest, there was strong competition and it was great to see so much interest and engagement from the campaigning candidates. Following an online election, Tom Coates MICFor and Miriam Jones-Walters MICFor were elected.
Tom and Miriam shared their thoughts with us after securing their place on Council.
Tom said: “I’m truly grateful to be elected to the ICF Council. I’m passionate about encouraging more professionals in timber harvesting, wood processing, and utilisation to see the value of chartered status and feel part of our growing community. At a pivotal time for trees, forestry and timber, demonstrating professionalism and a commitment to continuing professional development is vital in a world where land managers, practitioners and decision makers are under increasing scrutiny.”
Miriam said: “I am delighted to have been elected and am very much looking forward to meeting the rest of the Council and getting stuck in. I was really inspired by the horizon scanning session at the recent Centenary National Conference in Edinburgh which focused on tangible actions if we are to meet some of the challenges facing our sector. There are so many exciting things happening at the Institute, and my priority will be thinking about how this translates to action for all of us as tree professionals.”
Council also co-opted one Technical Member representative at the AGM: Anna Leveridge TechICFor.
We hope that more Chartered Foresters and Chartered Arboriculturists are inspired to stand for Council in 2026, and look forward to welcoming new faces from across the sector.
Visit our Governance page to read more about all of our Council Members.
