Governance
A Board of Trustees governs the British Hen Welfare Trust, maintaining the charity’s vision, overseeing performance, and holding it to account. Each Trustee is a much-valued volunteer who helps guide the charity’s strategy while ensuring legal compliance and proper governance.
Board of Trustees
David Marek
Chair of the Board of Trustees
I’m from Edinburgh but live in Cheshire where Sarah and I run the hen rehomings from Nantwich. We adopted our first hens in 2015 and were hooked! A few months later we began volunteering and haven’t looked back, adding to our flock regularly and becoming more involved in the charity, wanting to help as many hens as we could. I became a trustee and joined the charity's board in 2020 taking up the position of chair in January 2021. With a professional background in corporate IT I'm now able to combine this with contributing to the governance of the charity as well as overseeing the technical aspects of the BHWT's websites.
Nigel Cowdery
Trustee
I live in a North Bedfordshire village and adopted my first flock of eight hens from the BHWT in early 2019, a flock which has now grown to 20. Shortly after my first flock landed, I became a volunteer driver for the Milton Keynes rehoming point. My passion for the work of rescuing at the farms continues to grow with each rehoming, working with people from all walks of life with a common enthusiasm. Professionally I work in manufacturing and locally I am deeply involved in charities and my Parish Council which affords me both experience and an understanding of governance which I can bring to the benefit of BHWT.
Dr Sophia Fannon-Howell, PhD FCVM
Trustee
I live in leafy Surrey with my family, 3 cats, and a flock of hens from the BHWT, which have been part of our household since March 2020. My connection to hen welfare started in my teens, which also inspired my choice to become vegetarian. I proudly joined the BHWT as a trustee in 2023, determined to leverage my extensive corporate expertise to advance the charity's vital mission.
In my professional life, I lead Digital Innovation for a major energy company, with over two decades of expertise in data, analytics, and digital. I am passionate about solving complex problems with data and AI (artificial intelligence) to drive business value and strategy at pace.
I am also a strong proponent of diversity, equity, and inclusion, with a focus on encouraging and supporting women and girls in STEM and technology fields.
