Joint Nature Conservation Committee appoints interim chief

Gemma Harper has been appointed as interim chief executive of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC).

Harper (pictured) is currently deputy director for marine policy in Defra, She will take up her new role in March 2021 once current chief, Marcus Yeo, steps down.

Earlier in 2020, Harper co-led the Food Vulnerability Directorate for several months as part of Defra’s coronavirus response.

She spent eight years in criminal justice research at the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice prior to joining Defra in 2010. From 2010 to 2017, she was Defra’s chief social scientist.