Prior to this role Ben served as President of the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust in the US, permanently protecting wild lands for the benefit of all. His career also included time as director of the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, a large-scale animal sanctuary in the US with close to 1,000 animals and over 40 species, spread over 1,500 acres.

Long active in the environmental community and civic circles, Ben is driven to solving the root causes of our ecological sustainability issues, both in our natural and built environments. Prior to moving into the charity world he practised architecture for 13 years, co-founding and serving as president of his own firm, which had an emphasis on sustainable design practices.