Our history

The 1990s saw a rise in focus on environmental practices, polices and politics. Professional bodies in water and environmental management responded, particularly in looking at ways of closer working.

• The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), the Institution of Water Officers (now the Institute of Water), and the Institution of Wastes Management (IWM) launched a vision for the future “Time for Change” in 1999, which included much closer working with other bodies.
• Alongside others, the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) and the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) had created the Forum for Environmental Professionals (FEP) for similar discussions.

The FEP facilitated discussion between the two initiatives, laying the foundations for a collaborative approach to environmental professionalism. The FEP was chaired at the time by Mike Romeril, Jersey’s first Environmental Adviser.

April 2000

Key figures initiated the transition of FEP into a new umbrella body for environmental professionals with a new Chartered designation cited as a key goal. As a result, the Chartered Umbrella Body for the Environment (CUBE) was formed. This transition period was chaired by Prof. Will Pope of the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES).

October 2002

CUBE was renamed the Society for the Environment (SocEnv) and officially launched by Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, Baroness Barbara Young of Old Scone, at the Environment Agency’s Annual Conference “Environment UK” in October 2002.

The launch came after over two years of hard work that brought together eight founding institutions and learned societies:

• Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM)
• Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM)
• Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE)
• Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) – now CIEEM
• Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)
• Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES)
• Institute of Fisheries Management (IFM)
• Institution of Water Officers (IWO) – now the Institute of Water

We also recognise the invaluable contributions and support of the Royal Meteorological Society (RMetS) and the Institution of Professional Soil Scientists (IPSS) within CUBE, during the creation of SocEnv, and beyond.

The new Society for the Environment had an immediate target of creating the new qualification – “Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv)”.

13th February 2003

The Society was formally incorporated under the Companies Act 1985 as a company limited by guarantee with Registered Company Number 4665882 and a registered office of Suite 1, 38 Ebury Street, London (courtesy of the IES).

In March 2003 the Society submitted the first tranche of draft documentation to the Privy Council – our dream being to achieve Chartered status with our own Royal Charter.

6th May 2004

The Privy Council formerly granted the Society for the Environment a Royal Charter on Thursday 6th May 2004. As a result, the Society could register individual professionals as Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) registrants via membership of one of the nine Constituent Bodies now licensed by the Society:

• Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM)
• Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM)
• Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE)
• Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) – now CIEEM
• Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)
• Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES)
• Institute of Fisheries Management (IFM)
• Institution of Water Officers (IWO) – now the Institute of Water
• Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE)

Pictured: From left to right with the freshly awarded Royal Charter and in recognition of the Institute of Water Officers (IWO) as a founding member, Lynn Cooper (IWO), Prof. Peter Matthews, Prof. Will Pope, and Tim Boldero (IWO).

20th September 2004

Following the implementation of relevant processes, procedures, and marketing, the first 65 Chartered Environmentalists are successfully penned onto the official register on Monday 20th September 2004. Interviews took place in “plush offices” near Buckingham Palace.

Pictured: Prof. Peter Matthews HonFSE CEnv signing the first CEnv certificates as Chair of the SocEnv Board.

12th June 2008

By the end of 2008, over 5,000 environmental professionals had proven their competence and achieved Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) registration.

On the 12th June 2008 we registered CEnv number 05000 – Stephanie McGibbon.

26th June 2013

David Stubbs CEnv is an internationally recognised authority on sustainability in sport and global mega-events. He is best known for having led the award-winning sustainability programme of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, widely recognised as the most sustainable Games in modern times.

For this, and much more, David was presented with the Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) of the Year award in 2013 – the first to receive the new award – at a Commons Reception on the 26th June 2013.

11th December 2013

In 2013 we had the honour of presenting HRH The Prince of Wales with Honorary Fellowship of the Society for the Environment (HonFSE). From the press release at the time:

“The Society recognises The Prince of Wales as an outstanding ambassador for environmental matters across the many disciplines represented by SocEnv’s membership, from ecology and resource management to engineering and the built environment.”

Prince Charles officially accepted his HonFSE award in 2008, but we were delighted to meet him in person at the 2013 event and talk to him about his, and our, work.

Now King Charles III.

Find out who else is a Honorary Fellow of the Society for the Environment, here.

23rd June 2014

We answered the call by the Technicians Council to raise the profile, status and numbers of technicians in the workforce following an important report by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills in 2009.

“All the evidence suggests that a lack of technical capacity is a key challenge for the UK economy, in sectors such as energy generation, water management, manufacturing, the built environment and agriculture. REnvTech should assist individuals to achieve recognition for their environmentally-related skills.” Prof. Carolyn Roberts CEnv, our Chair at the time.

23rd June 2014

The 2014 Chartered Environmentalist of the Year was Professor Martin Bigg, who helped Bristol win ‘European Green Capital 2015’.

Extracted from the press release, “Martin is Professor of Environmental Technology at the University of the West of England, Bristol and is the Director of the Environmental Technologies Innovation Network (iNet), a £2.4m EU joint programme with the Universities of Exeter, West of England, Royal Agricultural University and City of Bristol Council.” Martin received the award at the Society’s Annual Reception at the House of Lords on Monday 23rd June 2014.

13th May 2015

The Institute of Water awarded the first REnvTech qualification to Steve Coles (Anglian Water); Steve has since progressed to REnvP (see 2021).

Pictured: Kate Kelly, Dr Emma Wilcox (SocEnv CEO), and Steve Coles REnvTech.

3rd December 2015

The 2015 Chartered Environmentalist of the Year award was presented to Lucinda Gilfoyle CEnv at the Society’s annual reception at The Crystal, London. At the time, Lucinda was the Catchment & Coastal Strategy Manager at Anglian Water.

The press release stated that Lucinda had “demonstrated wide reaching positive impact with her work to mitigate marine pollution and agricultural pollution to drinking water.”

4th May 2017

In 2017 we wanted our annual award to be inclusive of our new REnvTech registrants. The award was renamed from “Chartered Environmentalist of the Year” to “Environmental Professional of the Year”.

The 2017 (and first) Environmental Professional of the Year accolade was awarded to Dr Phillippa Pearson CEnv – Catchment Manager at Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water.

Dr Emma Wilcox, CEO of the Society, said “Phillippa is such a fantastic representation of what we strive for an Environmental Professional to be. She is passionate and effectively delivers upon environmental stewardship using communication and innovative approaches. She really stood out amongst an exceptional selection of candidates.”

Presented on the 4th May 2017 at the ENDS Environmental Impact Awards, London. Photo credit: Haymarket Events.

5th June 2018

The 2018 Environmental Professional of the Year award was presented to Graham Powell CEnv – CHP Manager at Anglian Water. Graham was the third CEnv from the water sector in a row to win our annual award.

From the press release: “Graham has led and mentored projects aimed at issues to promote the fundamentals of; Reduce, Refurbish, Re-use, and Innovation to create awareness and culture change. Amongst other achievements, he has developed a strategy to improve CHP efficiency, which is a UK first strategy. This now forms part of the company’s renewable energy investment strategy, and results will be shared across the industry.”

The 2018 World Environment Day Awards event was kindly hosted by Arup in London on the 5th June 2018.

29th May 2019

The first ever degree-level apprenticeship to train Environmental Practitioners in England was approved by the Government in May 2019. The Society for the Environment played a key part in the creation of this new apprenticeship via the Trailblazer group.

The apprenticeship was a catalyst for the development of the new Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP) registration (see January 2021).

5th June 2019

Our 2019 World Environment Day Awards and Lectures event at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew marked our 15 year anniversary. Cake was a necessity, as well as hearing from and celebrating leading environmental professionals.

5th June 2019

The 2019 Environmental Professional of the Year award was presented to Jerome Baddley CEnv – Head of Unit at the National Sustainable Development Unit for the NHS, Public Health and Social Care at the NHS and Public Health England (a potential second award for the longest job title).

From the press release “Jerome has worked in the environmental sector for twenty years, leading on globally significant areas of work. He produced the very first NHS carbon reduction plans; supporting two trusts to cut their footprints by twenty-five per cent. In 2009 he produced the UK’s first city-wide energy and carbon strategy for Nottingham; resulting in Nottingham cutting its carbon footprint by fifty per cent.

He also chairs the National Working Group for Low Carbon Inhalers, a group that includes National Directors, leaders and even a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Presented on the 5th June 2019 at the Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew.

5th June 2019

The continual development and recognition of environmental professionals is something to be celebrated. With this in mind, we wanted to highlight organisations that truly champion their Chartered Environmentalist and/or Registered Environmental Technician employees, as well as those on the pathway to registration.

During the official launch on the 4th June Chief Executive of the Society, Dr Emma Wilcox, presented the first six successful organisations with their respective Employer Champion certificates.

CEnv Employer Champions:

• Anglian Water
• Arup
• Atkins, Member of the SNC-Lavalin Group
• Environment Agency
• Skanska
• Willmott Dixon

REnvTech Employer Champion:

• Anglian Water

Find out more about Employer Champions, here.

Pictured: Claire Wansbury CEnv and Sandra Lee CEnv receiving the Employer Champion certificate for Atkins.

In late 2019 and into 2020, the world changed. The COVID-19 pandemic altered the way many around the world worked, including our team at HQ. Our team’s adaptability and positive mindsets made the transition to full-time remote working smooth. The early adoption of virtual meetings and regular home working in the years prior to COVID-19 stood us in good stead. We continue to learn and be flexible as we continue as a remote team and have monitored the added benefits – including a reduced carbon footprint.

Pictured: A team gathering in Margate in 2022 (we have no photos together in 2020).

May 2020

The 10,000th environmental professional met the standard to achieve Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) registration in May 2020. CEnv number 10000 was Sarah Poulton CEnv, Principal Consultant at WSP UK.

Sarah’s reaction:
“It feels fantastic to be the 10,000th professional registered as a CEnv by SocEnv, and to have helped achieve this milestone! I’m really glad to be part of such an active and inspiring community who between us have such a wealth of expertise and knowledge from backgrounds all across the board, but at the core have the same commitment to environmental protection. In the short time since becoming chartered, I have already connected with a number of other Chartered Environmentalists across the industry, and we are already working on some pretty exciting things so watch this space!”

Find out more here.

5th June 2020

After much deliberation within the judging panel, the 2020 Environmental Professional of the Year award was presented to two registrants for the first time in the history of the award. The two winners were:

Mandhy Senewiratne CEnv – Director at Fyrefly Global Sustainability Ltd
David Symons CEnv – UK Director of Sustainability at WSP

Judging panel Chair, Dougal Driver CEnv – Vice Chair of SocEnv, said “The nominations presented for both Mandhy and David shone through as exceptional examples of effective, passionate, modern environmental professionals. The work they do and the approach they take are very different, but their individual impact and commitment are unquestionably impressive to an inseparable degree, so much so that the panel were unable to separate them.

They are both highly deserving winners of this prestigious accolade.”

5th June 2020

2020 saw the introduction of the Registrant Newcomer of the Year award – designed to highlight individuals who have really hit the ground running having recently achieved their CEnv or REnvTech registrations (since 1st January 2019 in this instance).

The winner was Chris Landsburgh CEnv – Environmental & Sustainability Manager, Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd.

Dr Emma Wilcox, Chief Executive of SocEnv, said: “The enthusiasm and strategic thinking across his work whilst still in the early stages of his career made Chris a very worthy first winner of the new award.”

12th January 2021

The launch of Registered Environmental Practitioner (REnvP) was a landmark moment for environmental professionalism, providing more opportunity to gain professional registration and achieve external verification of competence. The REnvP registration sits alongside the CEnv and REnvTech registrations.

REnvP registrants are recognised by their peers to have met a high standard of professionalism in their environmental work. By signing up to a code of professional conduct, Registered Environmental Practitioners demonstrate competence to implement good practice, make informed decisions and co-ordinate projects.

The 2021 Environmental Professional of the Year award was presented to Dan Reading CEnv – Head of Sustainability at World Sailing.

Judging panel Chair, Dougal Driver CEnv – Vice Chair of SocEnv, said: “The judging panel were so impressed with Dan’s nomination, reflecting his outstanding achievements in the last twelve months and throughout his career. Dan has shown true leadership in leading World Sailing in the development and delivery of its sustainability strategy, Sustainability Agenda 2030, widely regarded as the most developed in sport. In 2020, his work led World Sailing to win the highly prized Global Association of International Sport Federations Sustainability Award.

Dan’s award was announced during an online awards event, but Dougal (pictured left) caught up with him at COP28 in Glasgow.

The 2021 Registrant Newcomer of the Year was Lara Young CEnv – Group Carbon Manager, Costain.

Dr Emma Wilcox, Chief Executive of SocEnv, said: “Lara’s nomination was truly exceptional. In particular, the judging panel were impressed with her leadership of a number of research and innovation projects and trials to demonstrate the environmental and commercial viability of new energy efficient technologies. Her work has been integral to achieving a substantial reduction in Costain Group’s carbon footprint over recent years, an impressive feat!”

Lara’s award was announced during an online awards event, but she sent us the photo below.

The 2022 Environmental Professional of the Year award was presented to Becky Toal CEnv – Managing Director, Crowberry Consulting Ltd.

The judging panel noted Becky’s clear knowledge and leadership, excellent communication skills, and infectious passion for protecting the environment. Setting up and leading her own business Crowberry Consulting Ltd since 2006, in this time she has supported swathes of UK and EU based businesses to become more sustainable by implementing ISO environmental management systems, delivering innovative training courses, and giving back to a profession that has given her so much, by coaching and mentoring early career professionals.

A career highlight was achieved in 2021, as Becky was appointed – in partnership with Arup – as Lead Sustainability Consultant of both G7 and COP26, with her work duly recognised as the events were awarded the ISO 20121 standard.

The 2022 Registrant Newcomer of the Year was Paul Field CEnv – Environmental & Compliance (ESG) Manager, Janus International Europe Ltd.

The judging panel remarked on Paul’s ‘full circle’ journey from working in fossil fuel extraction – firstly as a coal miner and then within the automobile sector – to becoming a Chartered Environmentalist and excelling in his role as Environmental & Compliance (ESG) Manager at Janus International Europe Ltd – a global company working in sustainable self-storage solutions. Particularly standout was the clear impact of Paul’s work since the start of 2021, guiding Janus towards its goal to be Net Zero by 2040 – implementing environmental management systems and developing a sustainability roadmap.

The 2023 Environmental Professional of the Year award was presented to Claire Wansbury CEnv – Fellow and Technical Director – Atkins Ltd.

Immediate Past Chair, Will Pope HonFSE CEnv, included in the award announcement:

“Claire is at the forefront of biodiversity net gain working tirelessly on it with policy makers, sitting on committees and writing informative pieces for others to learn from. She has been leading company-wide initiatives to improve awareness and action on nature, driving many successful projects, one excellent example is Camley Street Natural Park. Using their natural capital study, London Wildlife Trust (LWT) secured over £1 million funding for a new visitor centre, which opened in May 2022.”

The 2023 Registrant Newcomer of the Year was Will Oliver CEnv – Farmer.

The judges noted that Will is breaking new ground and changing the nature of the agriculture industry and will continue to grow in the farming sector due to his drive and passion to spread a message of sustainable practices in farming in the years to come.

Following his award win, Will spoke on our EnvCast podcast, which you can watch here.

This history timeline was born.

Watch this space for more 20 year anniversary activities throughout the next 12 months.

This milestone is a fitting opportunity to say thank you to all those who have been involved in our work to date. We’re talking registrants, partner professional bodies, volunteers, champions, partner organisations, friends and more. Our focus now – building on 20 years of hard work and achieving our vision of a sustainable world shaped by environmental professionalism.