BOARD OF TRUSTEES
ROGER DE FREITAS
CHAIR
Roger is an active philanthropist, passionate about ecology and practical conservation. He got involved with marine ecology in the 90s when he organised mass cleanups along his local estuary foreshore, where he could show the silty River Thames hid lots of life, fish and benthic invertebrates.
In governance roles with national and international NGOs, he’s possibly helped them to get better at doing their stuff. He supports water systems, protected landscapes and mangrove communities across the world.
Roger chairs an NGO which offers training for coastal communities who need to repair their damaged mangrove ecosystems to create a sustainable biodiverse forest. In Romania he chairs a charity that provides trainings to support workers in protected areas across Europe with the essential knowledge and motivation to be effective managers and, where necessary, to engage in ecological reconstruction.
CLEMENCY WHITE
Clemency White is an experienced marine ecologist with a passion for local, community-driven conservation.
Clemency’s research has primarily focused on the role of sharks in marine ecosystems and the impacts of global change on their behaviour and movement. Since completing her PhD at the University of Exeter, Clemency has worked with universities, non-profit organisations and within government to advise on the use of good quality evidence to support measurable environmental outcomes across a range of issues.
Clemency joined Thames Estuary Partnership as a Trustee to bring her passion for science to support the conservation and enhancement of a critical local ecosystem. She is committed to supporting TEP in generating excellent outputs to support their ambitious goals.
STEPHANIE CHERINGTON-RIMMELL
Stephanie has over 15 years’ experience in the charitable sector as a fundraiser. She is currently the Head of Development at the University of Exeter, where she supports major funding initiatives for climate and environmental research. Prior to this, she has worked at a range to local and national organisations supporting community engagement and fundraising.
Stephanie serves as Chair and Trustee of Agile Rabbit, a charity that brings science, culture, and global ideas to public audiences through creative, accessible events.
Stephanie joined the Thames Estuary Partnership Board of Trustees in March 2026, bringing her love of rivers and the ocean, together with her expertise in fundraising to advance the charity’s programmes.
CHARLES CAMPION
Charles is a partner at JTP Architects, Masterplanners & Placemakers, where he leads multi-disciplinary teams engaging communities and stakeholders on wide-ranging placemaking projects across the UK and internationally for private, public and third sector clients, including many projects and processes along the tidal Thames.
Combining in-person and online collaboration, he ensures everyone can participate in shaping and sustaining their places. His work focuses on harnessing community knowledge and creativity, with a strong emphasis on co-designing quality, well designed places and environments, with enterprising communities and sustainable, long-term stewardship strategies.
Author of 20/20 Visions: Collaborative Planning and Placemaking (RIBA Publishing, 2018), Charles showcases exemplar co-design and placemaking case studies from around the globe to inspire practitioners and communities.
He brings his extensive and award-winning experience to Thames Estuary Partnership, helping to develop and deliver the charity’s mission.
