Firstly we would like to extend a huge thank you to Clare Oxborrow and Duncan Williamson who have served on the Board since the beginning of Eating Better, bringing their wealth of knowledge, advice and expertise for over a decade. They are supporting us over this handover period and we look forward to continuing working with them in the future.
So who are the new trustees?
Joanna Trewern has a decade of experience working with partners to drive progress on healthy sustainable diets in the UK and beyond. She is currently Director of Partnerships at ProVeg International, where she leverages her significant research, policy and corporate engagement experience to ensure that ProVeg’s activities drive real-world impact. Joanna has a PhD in Sustainability which explored how to drive a transition to ‘less and better’ in the UK, and she was previously Head of Consumption at WWF-UK where she led the organisation’s work on healthy sustainable diets.
On joining, Joanna said:
"I am delighted to be joining the Eating Better Board of Trustees at this pivotal time for UK food systems transformation. With the government launching its 'Good Food Cycle' last week, and growing signs of corporate leadership on healthy sustainable diets, we are clearly in a critical time for joined-up civil society advocacy on the transition to ‘less and better’. Eating Better is the alliance that will deliver this, and I look forward to working with the team to drive leadership on this critical agenda in 2026 and beyond."
Ru Chulkova is an organic grower and food systems advocate with a background in community engagement, sustainability, and frontline work. She currently works at Forty Hall Farm, a certified organic farm in North London (where she coordinates volunteers and supports their wellbeing) and at the Royal Parks as a Learning Officer, delivering nature education to children and young people.
Ru’s commitment to food justice is deeply personal—shaped by her family’s experience of food insecurity during the Siege of Leningrad, and her parents’ escape from the Soviet Union to the UK in search of safety and opportunity. Working with people experiencing homelessness revealed the devastating impacts of food poverty, inspiring her transition into sustainability and later into farming, where she saw the transformative potential of nature-friendly agriculture.
She has delivered therapeutic gardening and food workshops in women’s refuges, led community food campaigns, and supported work to reduce the environmental footprint of organisations. Her work spans sustainable farming, climate justice, community wellbeing and behaviour change, and she cares deeply about building food systems that nourish people, restore the land, and centre equity.
Ru said:
“I'm so excited to be joining Eating Better’s Board of Trustees. As someone who’s deeply committed to food equity and sustainability, I admire Eating Better’s collaborative, systems-based approach to transforming our food culture. I’m excited to support this vital alliance in driving forward a shift to healthier, fairer diets that work for people, animals, and the planet.”
We are excited to welcome both Joanna and Ru to the Board and are looking forward to working with them!
