CEO Dave Wood lives in the countryside between Bristol and Bath, and joined ANT in 2021 as the charity’s first salaried employee.  Since then Dave has driven ANT’s rapidly-expanding impact, fundraising over £10m to buy nearly 600 acres of land for woodland creation and now leads a staff team of 25 amazing people.

An undiagnosed disability meant Dave had to drop out of school aged 14.  Dave then self-taught their way to University while working as a warehouse operative.  Later becoming a Students’ Union President and going on to work for a reuse and recycling project, for Bristol Zoo Gardens and in national campaigns running campaigns for government ministers, amongst others.

Dave has a background in local government, including being a unitary authority councillor since age 24, serving for 17 years in Wiltshire and Somerset, and is currently Deputy Leader of Bath & North East Somerset Council.   Council highlights include leading the Council’s ‘plant 100,000 trees’ target, driving up recycling rates and advocating for natural flood management.  Dave was Lead Local Flood Authority Chair and sat on the boards of the Wessex Regional Flood & Coastal Committee and the erstwhile Mendip Hills AONB.