International Women’s Day: 10 questions with Marwell’s CEO Laura Read

Marwell Wildlife’s CEO, Laura Read, is a force to be reckoned with – known for her infectious energy, impressive multitasking skills, and unwavering passion for conservation. As she celebrates her first year in post, she reflects on her proudest achievements, what drives her, and her inspiring advice for future female leaders – just in time for International Women’s Day.

What is it like being the CEO of Marwell? It’s hard to believe a whole year has passed since I stepped into the role of Chief Executive at Marwell Wildlife. What a year it has been! I’ve had the privilege of getting to know and working alongside an incredibly passionate and dedicated team, and together, we’ve made some fantastic progress towards our goals and towards redefining what it means to be a modern conservation zoo. As a team, we have developed an exciting and innovative masterplan for our animals, plants and landscapes and we are working with several new partners to deliver more for nature, and our guests. 

What have been the highlights of your first year?

There have been so many! One of the highlights of the past year has been securing funding for our new Native Species Corner, which includes our brand new white-clawed crayfish breeding centre and sand lizard habitat. This exciting project will allow us to shine a light on some of the incredible wildlife found right here in the UK, many of which needs our help more than ever. Regular visitors might have seen this taking shape over the last few months, and we look forward to officially opening the area at the end of March.

We’re also well underway with a major capital project to redevelop the entrance area to the zoo and introduce people to the new The Keeper’s Kitchen café, serving breakfasts, pastries and cakes, deli lunches and a range of locally sourced hot and cold drinks. This investment will enhance the visitor experience from the moment guests arrive as well as opening this area of the zoo up to non-visitors as well so local people can enjoy a touch of the Marwell experience as regularly as they would like.

Have there been any challenges at all?

Of course, it hasn’t all been smooth sailing. The entire sector is still feeling the after-effects of the pandemic, with rising costs and changing visitor patterns presenting ongoing challenges. We’ve been working hard to navigate these hurdles by focusing on what makes Marwell special – our warm and welcoming team, our provision of a positive life experience for the animals in our care, our conservation commitments and our ambition to grow Marwell into a place where everyone can connect with nature.

What are you most proud of?

Beyond our zoo, I’m especially proud of our hands-on conservation projects in Tunisia, Kenya, Kazakhstan, and Bhutan. Our dedicated teams are working tirelessly to protect some of the world’s most threatened species and habitats, collaborating with local communities to ensure a lasting impact. Conservation is at the heart of everything we do, and seeing these projects thrive is truly inspiring.

What does your role mean to you?

I have always known that to achieve what I wanted to in life, I had to work really really hard. I have never been the sort of person who was blessed with an incredible natural talent – I am not sporty, or artistic or, heaven forbid, musical! At school I was a reasonably high achiever, but only because I put the effort in to do it, things didn’t just come naturally.

As time went on, I realised that I wanted to eventually achieve a position in my career that would help me make a difference. Therefore, when I said that getting the role of CEO at Marwell was my dream job, it was about more than just the fact I get to work in a cool zoo with great people, incredible animals, fun events and meanwhile help save species and habitats under threat (although that is all really amazing), it was about fulfilling that childhood belief that if you want something, and are willing to work hard to get it, then you can achieve it. So, my role means an awful lot to me. And the hard work doesn’t stop when you get it!

What is your advice for any girls dreaming of being future leaders?

My advice to any girls who dream of running an organisation either as a CEO or any other role, is that everyone has a wide array of different talents, some are obvious from a young age, some need to be coaxed out, some just need hard work and maybe some time to develop and be recognised. But keep going and keep an eye on where you want to get to – then fight like hell to get there.

What does your typical day look like?

My typical day starts around 5.45am when I get up and get ready, get my children up and ready and then take my eldest daughter to the bus stop for 7.15am. I am usually then at Marwell by around 8am and I start my day with some admin, emails or quietly working on a project or a document. As others arrive then usually meetings will start – either with my exec team, our board of trustees or with other partners and stakeholders. I always try to find time in the day to get out into the zoo for a walk, however brief and some of my favourite hours are spent walking around with our Zoological Director, Dr Will Justice, as we play hypothetical Zoo Tycoon (what would we do in the zoo if we had all the money in the world?!) Sometimes, of course, I am at events or stakeholder meetings off-site and I sometimes travel for conferences. But generally, I get home around 7pm and start the life admin of a busy family – the taxi service for three children awaits!

 Do you have any female role models/inspiration?

I am a huge music fan and there are two female musicians that I have always looked up to and admired. The first is Dolly Parton, who came from the humblest of beginnings in a two room shack with 14 siblings to be an international superstar. She has always worked tirelessly, being a prolific songwriter, talented musician (on 10 different instruments) and philanthropist. My favourite Dolly fact is that she should be a billionaire given her level of record sales and merchandising, but because she has given away so much money to charity and to help children’s literacy, she has never reached that level of wealth and doesn’t want to! What an incredible lady.

My second inspiration is Cher, another prolific and talented musician. The reason she inspires me is because she just doesn’t care what people think! She is absolutely who she wants to be, and she has never let the fact that she is a woman hold her back from pursuing what she wants to do. She wears her personality all over her! Her famous quote, when asked by her mother why she didn’t just settle down and find a rich man, was: ‘But mom, I am a rich man!’ That says it all.

 What did you want to be when you were a girl and is there anything you’d say to your younger self?!

I think, like most children I went through stages – I remember wanting to be a farmer! And a doctor for a while. And there was definitely a stage where I just wanted to marry Robbie Williams as a life choice (circa 1992-1995).

I think your ambitions do change as you grow but one bit of advice that I would give my younger self is just keep going, keep working hard, be ambitious and don’t let anyone tell you where your ceiling is, because there isn’t one, unless you put it there yourself.

It has been an action-packed year! What’s next for Marwell?   

Looking ahead, there’s so much to be excited about. In the coming months, we’ll be unveiling our new ten-year strategy—a roadmap that will guide Marwell into a bright and ambitious future. This plan will build on our successes while setting out bold new goals for our guest experience, our conservation focus, education provision, and sustainability.

To everyone who has supported us; our staff, volunteers, visitors, and donors – thank you. Your passion and commitment make everything we do possible. Here’s to the next chapter of Marwell Wildlife – one filled with hope, innovation, and even more ways to make a difference for wildlife and people alike!