Meet the team
Nicholas Crane – President
Nicholas Crane serves as President of the Cross-Channel Geopark, acting as an advocate and ambassador for its vision and values. He supports the Geopark by raising its profile, championing its landscapes and heritage, and helping to engage wider audiences through his public profile and influence.
My Why: My why is the thrill of discovery. Exploring landscapes, cultures, and histories has always been part of me and the Cross-Channel Geopark feels like the next great journey
Nick Johannsen – Kent Downs National Landscape Director
Nick leads the strategic direction and delivery of the Cross-Channel Geopark on the UK side. He works with partners at local, regional, and national levels to build support, secure resources, and drive forward the Geopark’s vision.
He oversees the development and implementation of projects and ensures alignment with UNESCO Geopark principles, while fostering strong cross-border collaboration and partnerships that support the Geopark’s long-term ambitions.
My Why: We’ve been working with our colleagues in France for over 25 years; our landscapes are just so similar; our aims are virtually the same, securing UNESCO status will hugely increase our impact for landscape, people and for sustainable growth across the Geopark.
Email: Nick.Johannsen@kentdowns.org.uk
Francois Charlet – Parc Naturel Director
François oversees the strategic direction and management of the Caps et Marais d’Opale Regional Nature Park and, in practice, leads the Cross-Channel Geopark on the French side. He coordinates projects, manages teams, and ensures that the Geopark’s development aligns with UNESCO guidelines. François plays a central role in building partnerships, decision-making, and cross-border collaboration, integrating a strategic and political dimension to bring together elected officials, institutions, and local stakeholders around a shared vision.
My Why: The Parc naturel régional des Caps et Marais d’Opale and the Kent Downs National Landscape share a long history of cooperation, linked by natural, cultural, and geological heritage.
To strengthen this link, we created a cross-Channel Geopark, with chalk as the symbol of our shared uniqueness.
The Geopark is also a human adventure, bringing partners and local communities together, turning the Strait of Dover from a divide into a connection.
Email: fcharlet@parc-opale.fr
Isabel Shaw – Head of Geopark Delivery UK
Isabel leads the delivery, development, and fundraising for the Cross-Channel Geopark in the UK. She manages the UK team, oversees budgets, and ensures accountability across projects, while fostering strong relationships with partners, stakeholders, and ambassadors. Central to her role is working across the entire Geopark team to ensure a united, cross-channel approach to the Geopark. Bringing people together is at the heart of her work—facilitating collaborations, convening networks, and driving projects forward to achieve real impact on the ground. Representing the Geopark at a strategic level, she ensures the UK team and its partners are connected, empowered, and delivering on the Geopark’s shared vision.
My Why: Because it celebrates connections—between geology and landscape, food and nature, and, most importantly, between people, transcending borders and language.
Email: Isabel.Shaw@kentdowns.org.uk
Kathryn Hearnden – Marketing and Communications Lead
Kathryn is responsible for developing and implementing the marketing and communications strategy for the Cross-Channel Geopark. She leads the storytelling, branding, and public awareness work, with a focus on increasing visibility, understanding and engagement, and garnering support for the Geopark. Working closely with the team, partners, and ambassadors, Kathryn brings the Geopark’s landscapes, geology, and people to life. Through the development of campaigns, social media content, events, interpretation, and design, she ensures the Geopark’s geodiversity is communicated in an accessible, inspiring, and audience-relevant manner.
My Why: When I was little, I used dream of being French and living in France. Working with France and travelling there, it feels like my dream has come true. Small me would be très jealous!
Email: Kathryn.Hearnden@kentdowns.org.uk
Fatima Bajwa – Marketing and Communications Officer
Fatima supports the delivery of marketing and communications for the Cross-Channel Geopark, working across digital channels including the website, social media, and email marketing. She helps develop and share content that raises awareness, promotes key projects, and engages a wide range of audiences with the Geopark’s landscapes, heritage, and communities.
My Why: I love that feeling when the world feels so big and you feel so small. Working on the Geopark lets me step into that world, meet amazing people, and experience places and stories that truly matter. It a bit like my own Emily in Paris moment.
Email: fatima.bajwa@kentdowns.org.uk
Hélène Dehouck – Parc Naturel Manager
Hélène works alongside Greg and the wider team to develop the Geopark in line with UNESCO guidelines. As part of the French State Green Fund (Fonds vert) project dedicated to the overall coordination and animation of the Geopark, she is involved in interpretation and signage, the creation and coordination of partnerships, and the development of educational tools. With the support of the whole team, she also leads the Geopark Ambassadors network and takes part in conferences and events to promote the Geopark at local, national, and international levels. Involved in the project from the outset four years ago, Hélène is responsible for the submission of the UNESCO Global Geopark application dossier. She is now focused on preparing for the forthcoming evaluation visit and continues to participate in Geopark-related conferences and network meetings.
My Why: I love being part of the Geopark adventure because I want local people to realise that they live in an exceptional place — one to be proud of — and to understand its history better. Because there’s nothing more powerful than seeing the joy in children’s eyes when we take them to England — especially those who rarely have the chance to travel. I love seeing guides and tourism professionals gain new knowledge through the Geopark, so they can share this richness with others.
Email: hdehouck@parc-opale.fr
Greg Taylor – National Landscape Manager: Geopark
Greg works with his counterpart Hélène and the rest of the team to ensure the development of the Geopark according to UNESCO guidelines. He works with Geosites and other partners to develop all aspects of the Geopark, including interpretation and access improvements at Geosites, participation in conferences and other events, and delivering elements of projects such as GeoDiversity (funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund). Greg & Hélène have been responsible for the submission of our UNESCO Global Geopark application dossier (submitted in November 2025), and are now focused on preparing for our application assessment visit in Summer 2026. Greg also liaises with and participates in conferences and meetings of the UK UNESCO Global Geoparks Committee, UNESCO, and the Global Geoparks Network, ensuring we are an active member of the Global Geoparks family.
My Why: Because our Chalk cliffs and hills have been a major feature of my life – discovering more about them is a great joy and I want more local people to discover their own connections to our incredible landscapes on both sides of the Channel.
Email: greg.taylor@kentdowns.org.uk
Louella Ward – National Landscape Manager: Outreach and Engagement ‘Geoanimator’
Working closely with Martin, educational providers and community partners, Louella helps promote the cross-channel geological, natural and cultural heritage and help people explore their personal stories and connections with the landscape.
My Why: To see people’s eyes light up when they learn about the interconnectedness of the earth’s history and their own lives.
Email: louella.ward@kentdowns.org.uk
Martin Verhoeven – Parc Naturel Geoanimator
Martin coordinates the activities of the Cross-Channel Geopark, overseeing projects, educational programs, and public engagement initiatives. He supports collaboration between partners, teams, and local communities to promote the Geopark’s geological, natural, and cultural heritage and to strengthen its impact across the entire territory.
My Why: Because sowing little stones is a bit like planting small seeds. At first, they’re just simple pieces of rock at the bottom of a pocket, but when you look at them more closely, they reveal dizzying stories – those of the Earth, of time, and of the landscapes that surround us.
Email: mverhoeven@parc-opale.fr
Gaëlle Guyetant – Geological Heritage Manager
Gaëlle is a geologist and scientific project lead at the Conservatoire d’espaces naturels des Hauts‑de‑France, where she focuses on geological heritage and knowledge development. She contributes to regional initiatives such as the GéodéO project — a collection of accessible geological education tools including palaeo‑environment reconstructions and public webinars — and supports the integration of geological data into inventories and heritage planning.
In the context of the Cross‑Channel Geopark, Gaëlle brings her expertise in site characterization, geological interpretation, and public communication, ensuring that scientific understanding underpins the Geopark’s activities, outreach, and educational resources. She works closely with partners to promote geodiversity and enrich the Geopark’s scientific foundation.
Email: g.guyetant@cen-hautsdefrance.org
Dorothée Delomez – Communication Officer
Dorothée is the Communication Officer supporting Kathryn in developing and delivering the Geopark’s communication strategy. She helps shape clear, engaging messages and ensures the Geopark’s identity, values and projects are effectively shared with partners, visitors and local communities. Through her work, she contributes to strengthening the visibility of the Geopark and highlighting its unique geological and cultural heritage.
My Why: Because geology explains so many aspects of our current society: the plants that grow and that we eat, the houses we live in, and even the traditions we perpetuate without always understanding them. It is a foundation of the society in which we live. The Geopark connects all these aspects of our lives and gives new meaning to our surroundings.
Email: ddelomez@parc-opale.fr
Julien Pruvost – Communication Officer
Julien contributes to the Geopark’s communication through video production. By creating short films and visual content, he helps showcase the territory, its landscapes and the people who bring it to life. His work uses visual storytelling to make the Geopark’s geological heritage more accessible and engaging, supporting the promotion of its projects across different platforms.
My Why: The Cross-Channel Geopark proves one simple thing: nature knows no borders.
The Channel may seem to separate us, but geology reveals that we come from the same soil.
This Geopark transforms a strait into a link. It reminds us that beneath the water, the land is continuous. And that before we were two countries, we were one landscape.
Email: jpruvost@parc-opale.fr
Sarah Ador – Architect, built heritage manager
Sarah is an architect who supports local authorities and private stakeholders in promoting the use of local old building methods with stones, clay, lime, straw and wood, which are the most sustainable materials for today. She organises restoration projects for stone walls and old buildings, and develops tools to raise awareness of, promote built and immaterial heritage and develop the skills of local artisans. She also seeks to show that old materials are relevant for contemporary architecture and comfort. Through her work, she contributes to highlighting the links between geology, architecture and local heritage within the Geopark.
My Why: The Geopark is an initiative that can help to pool experiments and best practices on the subjects of built heritage and eco-construction on both sides of the Channel, and raise awareness of the importance of local materials and the need to pass on regional expertise in construction techniques in order to preserve specific landscapes and architecture, in a spirit of geodiversity and the fight against standardisation.
Email: sador@parc-opale.fr