Exeter Professor appointed as environmental charity board trustee

Professor Butler, an expert in Water Engineering at the University of Exeter, has accepted a position as trustee on the Westcountry Rivers Trust board.

He will work alongside fellow trustees and Chief Executive Dr Laurence Couldrick to support the aims of the trust in restoring and protecting the water environment in the region.

Professor Butler has more than 30 years of experience in the water sector as an internationally-leading researcher, teacher and consultant. In 2015, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Speaking about the appointment, Professor Butler said: “I am absolutely delighted to be given this opportunity to join such a worthwhile and important charity. The Trust is made up of people with a real passion for rivers, in all their multi-faceted glory and I would stand up and be counted as one of them.

“I hope to bring a new contribution to the board that focuses both on the educational goals of the Trust, at all levels, and also develops the work of the Trust in the expanding area of urban water management, my particular research specialism.”

The Westcountry Rivers Trust was established in order to secure the preservation, protection and improvement of the Westcountry’s water environment to the benefit of people, wildlife and the local economy. It also aims to advance the education of the public in the management of water.

Commenting on Professor Butler’s appointment, Chief Executive of the Trust, Dr Laurence Couldrick said: “Professor David Butler, from the University of Exeter, joining the trustee board will help immensely as we engage more deeply with academia and businesses both at the catchment level and across the region as well as gain a heightened understanding of urban water management and the Trust’s role in this environment.”