Meet the team: Eric

1 min read

Sep 18 2025

Continuing with our Meet the Team series is Eric, our Director of Natural Capital and Ecology. A lover of ecology, Finish composers and blackberries, let’s hear more about his journey to Belmont and his role here.

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR BACKGROUND? HOW DID YOUR JOURNEY TO BELMONT BEGIN?

I’ve always loved the outdoors and nature; I’ve done a couple of degrees in zoology and ecological management. I worked as an ecological consultant for a long time and for various nature conservation charities like Avon Wildlife Trust and WWT. That’s how I came across Belmont, and it became lodged in my brain about how exciting the work being done here is.

What inspired you to join the Belmont team?

The overarching positivity of everything being done here is difficult not to engage with. When it comes to Belmont’s three pillars, Nature, Climate and Community, I’m more in the nature and climate section, but I really love the engagement and community work.

The tying of these things together in one space is an inspirational thing. If you’re interested in ecology, you can’t not be excited by the work being done here and the space to play here and in Aberarder, our Scottish location.

tell us about your role and what excites you most about it?

I’m the Director of Natural Capital and Ecology. My role is setting the ecological ambition for Belmont and Aberarder and working towards that vision. The other side of my role is the Natural Capital, and this is how we use those ecosystem services the ecological vision provides as an economic driver for our work.

Over the last few years, the dial has shifted, and people are looking seriously at the economic value of the services nature provides. My role provides a link between the land management and the commercial side of the organisation.

When you’re not at work, where would we find you?

Realistically, sitting in my garden at home. Also spending time with my family, my dog. I like pubs, museums, art galleries, theatre, food. I see myself as a reformed scientist, over the course of my career I’ve found myself drifting towards humanities. I think good ideas come from all directions.

Do you have a favourite spot on the estate?

At Aberarder, at the edge of the loch is rocky outcrop, a wetland where the loch bleeds out into the landscape which is pretty spectacular.

But so much of both estates is spectacular. I love the Indian pavilion. There’s a field near the Sidings in Watercress Farm which has the best blackberries on the estate and is also interesting ecologically.

what inspires you? Do you have a favourite book or music that resonates with you?

I really like Sibelius, a Finnish composer. Honestly, I find people endlessly inspiring. I increasingly value different opinions and different music, what I really like is other people’s passion in things.

what’s something you’d love to accomplish in the future?

I would like to be here in ten years’ time and see what we’ve done. I subscribe to the view that it is the journey and not the destination that matters, but I do want to see the destination as well. What is being attempted here is so interesting and exciting. If you walk around Watercress Farm, it’s changing and it’s changing fast. Seeing where that ends up in ten, twenty years would be so interesting for me as an ecologist.