REnvP Profile | Nature Advisory Consultant | 2026 Rising Star Abigail Sheppard

Abigail Sheppard REnvP | 2026 Rising Star winner

Abigail won the 2026 Rising Star category in the SocEnv Awards. In this profile you’ll gain an insight into Abigail’s career, thoughts on the REnvP registration, how the award has impacted her and her inspirations for the future.

What does an average day look like in your career?

No two days are the same, which is one of the things I enjoy most about my role. I typically split my time between technical work, client engagement, and internal collaboration. 

A day might involve developing nature-related risk assessments or supporting TNFD-aligned analysis, alongside meetings with clients to help them understand how nature considerations affect their assets and decision-making. I also spend time supporting wider initiatives, such as coordinating work with the Infrastructure Client Group to explore how nature can be integrated into infrastructure planning and investment. 

There’s a mix of focused analytical work, report writing, and discussions, either internally or with clients, about how to translate complex environmental data into clear, actionable insights.

What are the top three key knowledge areas that are crucial to your role?

1. Nature and environmental systems: it’s important to have a firm understanding of how ecosystems function, and how they may be affected by development or infrastructure. 
2. Sustainability frameworks, policy & regulation: particularly frameworks like TNFD, which help organisations assess and disclose nature-related risks and opportunities, but also knowing how environmental legislation, planning requirements, and emerging policy shape what clients need to do in practice. 
3. Client context: understanding how organisations operate, what drives their priorities, and how environmental considerations can be applied in each client’s circumstances.  

Alongside these, being able to translate technical knowledge into something practical and relevant for clients is just as important as the knowledge itself. 

What part of your job do you find the most exciting?

What excites me most is that this is a rapidly evolving space. The way organisations understand and value nature is changing quickly, and there’s a real opportunity to shape how that happens. 

I enjoy working at the point where technical environmental knowledge meets decision-making, helping clients move from recognising a risk to actually embedding nature into how they plan and operate. That might mean influencing strategy, developing new approaches, or testing ideas that don’t yet have an established “best practice.” 

That sense of contributing to something that is still being defined, rather than applying fixed methods, is what makes it most interesting. 

How has achieving REnvP registration impacted your work?

Achieving registration has helped formalise and validate the skills I use in my day-to-day work. It provides an external benchmark that demonstrates competence, professionalism, and a commitment to good environmental practice. 

In practice, it has given me greater confidence when working with clients and collaborating across disciplines. It also reinforces the importance of continued professional development, making sure I’m building my knowledge as the field evolves. 

More broadly, it signals to both colleagues and clients that I’m committed to maintaining high standards and contributing to positive environmental outcomes.

As an award finalist, how has that recognition helped you?

It’s early days, but the recognition has primarily been a confidence boost. Working in a fast-moving and sometimes ambiguous field, it’s easy to focus on what’s still to learn rather than what you’ve achieved. 

Being recognised externally has helped me take stock of the impact of my work so far, and reinforced that contributing early in your career is possible. 

It has also opened up conversations, with colleagues, clients, and peers, that I might not otherwise have had, and created opportunities to share ideas and learn from others in the sector. 

Why would you encourage others in your sector to aspire to become a registered environmental professional?

I would strongly encourage it because it gives you a clear framework for developing your skills and demonstrates your commitment to the profession. 

Professional registration is a recognised way of showing your knowledge, competence, and dedication to environmental work. It helps build credibility, not just with employers, but with clients and peers, and distinguishes you in a growing and competitive field. 

Just as importantly, it connects you to a wider professional community and encourages continuous learning, which is essential in a sector that is evolving as quickly as this one.