Marwell Wildlife chief executive Laura Read sets out future plans

Laura Read became chief executive of Marwell Wildlife in March, describing the position as a 'dream come true'.

Ms Read, who has 20 years of leadership experience in destination management, retail, hospitality and events sectors, joined the charity from Westquay Shopping Centre, where she was destination director.

On Thursday, July 18, representatives from businesses, charities and authorities from across Hampshire were invited to Marwell Zoo to hear from the new chief executive.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire at Marwell Zoo (Image: Marwell Zoo) The evening began with a tour allowing guests to hear from zoo keepers and those responsible for conservation efforts abroad. 

Speaking to the crowd, which included the Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire, Nigel Atkinson, Ms Read said: "Since my appointment was announced, people have approached me saying 'I love Marwell, I used to go as a child, now I take my children and my grandchildren'. It is an institution.

She continued: "The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent cost of living crisis have put significant pressure on our main income spend: Visitors. While our costs have risen exponentially, I don't dwell on these challenges as they are familiar to many. 

"Instead, I want to highlight the fantastic efforts of our teams to mitigate these challenges. From reimagining our Christmas offer with Glow - our stunning winter light trail - to the constant achievements of our animal and veterinary teams in improving the welfare and life experiences of our animals.

"I'm very proud of the ongoing innovation and dedication I see here daily. We've also remained committed to our conservation projects, both in the UK and across the world."

Laura Reed with guests outside Marwell Hall (Image: Marwell Zoo) Ms Read, who also chairs Southampton Forward, the city’s cultural trust, which aims to promote the region through festivals, events and tourism, laid out her goals. Over the next ten years, it hopes to double visitor numbers by 2035 and increase school visits from 40,000 to 100,000 per year. 

The chief executive added: "We want to connect more people to our landscape, our animals and plants, and highlight the positive impact that nature can have on wellbeing.

"One phrase that we coined here is green time, not screentime. We believe we can carve out a unique niche by providing an experience that shows the difference our guests can make - to educate them on how wildlife can thrive in balance with human activity, all while ensuring a fun day out."

There are ambitions to create a nature reserve within the 300 acres of Marwell's land. 

Ms Read said: "You may have noticed that we have been fundraising and building a White-clawed Crayfish Breeding Centre here at Marwell to rerelease this endangered species back into Hampshire chalk streams.

"This builds on a 25-year history of Sand Lizard breeding and rerelease onto Eelmoor Marsh, a landscape we manage in the north of Hampshire, taking our commitment to the protection of UK native species.

"Taking our commitment to the protection of UK native species further, we have big ambitions to establish a nature reserve within our estates to protect those habitats and species, a project that will have regional impacts no doubt."

Penguin feeding entertained the guests (Image: Marwell Zoo) Ms Read, who graduated from the University of Warwick with a BSc in Biological Sciences, emphasised prioritising staff development and reaching net zero by 2035.  

She said: "We want to create an environment where our people can flourish. Our incredible team really care about what they do.

"We want to ensure that they have the development and the opportunities they deserve to make a difference. We aim to be a place that attracts and retains the very best of talents in order partners to ensure Marwell is always thriving.

"We're already a leader in sustainability within the zoo industry, we want to go further achieving true net zero by 2035 and robustly reducing our impact on water and waste generation. True net zero will include our supply chain and all our activities worldwide."