Respected former UK envoy to Israel will head London zoo group
Matthew Gould, who championed UK-Israel collaboration in science, moves to ZSL from digital health at the NHS
A popular former British ambassador to Israel who spearheaded several ground-breaking bilateral partnerships in science and technology has stepped down from his senior NHS role to become head of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL).
Matthew Gould, whose digital health team was behind Britain’s award-winning Covid Pass, will become the ZSL’s new director-general next week, saying the rate of global extinctions meant that it was a big job at a big moment.
“The work of ZSL has never been more necessary or important,” he said. “Every day, more than a hundred species go extinct. Saving species is not a luxury, it is critical to humanity’s own health and survival.”
Over a varied career, Gould has held diplomatic postings in Tehran, Islamabad, Washington, and Manila. He has taught in Zimbabwe, done ecological research in Tanzania, and published research on the feeding preferences of termites.
A visiting professor at Leeds University, he has an Honorary Doctorate from Ben Gurion University, a CMG for services to the scientific and tech partnership between Britain and Israel, and an MBE for services to child protection in the Philippines.
Praising ZSL’s staff and its 155,000 members, he said: “My mission will be to give it a laser-like focus on saving species – through its zoos, its advocacy, its science and its conservation projects around the world.”
Most recently, Gould led the digital transformation of health and care team, guiding the NHS through the pandemic by developing the NHS Datastore, allowing the crisis to be managed using real-time data.
Before that, he was the Government’s first director-general for Digital and Media, as well as its cyber security director. While in Israel, he built an ambitious programme of scientific collaboration on regenerative medicine.
Prof. Sir John Beddington, President of ZSL, said: “The challenges faced by the world cannot be underestimated. We are losing biodiversity at an alarming pace. ZSL is in a unique position to make a real difference.”
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
