Twycross Zoo has announced that CEO and zoological director Dr Sharon Redrobe is leaving the organisation after more than 12 years.
In a statement, board chair Geoff Hoon said Redrobe leaves Twycross Zoo “having delivered significant developments”.
Redrobe has served as CEO through two years of Covid-19 closures. She helped to secure funding to open the Gruffalo Discovery Land, as well as the £19.9m grant for the new research and conservation centre.
Twycross Zoo’s National Science and Conservation Centre will be a purpose-built venue located adjacent to the attraction.
The new four-acre Gruffalo Discovery Land is inspired by the bestselling children’s book The Gruffalo, written by Julia Donaldson and illustrated by Axel Scheffler.
During the pandemic in June 2020, Twycross Zoo was told to prepare to remain closed ‘indefinitely’, with Redrobe saying the organisation was “fighting for our survival”.
“The last 10 years have seen real change at the charity during which she was the CEO – from the zoo’s initial turnaround and restructure to achieving its highest visitor numbers ever by 2019, having rolled out a development plan which included the new giraffe area, butterfly house and lemur walkthrough, soft play, wet play, Gibbon Forest, and Chimpanzee Eden and through launching our TZ2030 Vision in 2019,” Hoon said.
“This significantly raised the profile of Twycross Zoo.”
Redrobe leaving zoo after more than 12 years
He said: “We believe that the future is bright for Twycross as a growing charity to continue to expand into a science and conservation hub as well as developing a world-class zoo.
“Dr Sharon Redrobe certainly leaves the zoo in better shape than when she arrived.”
Speaking to blooloop in 2019, Redrobe said Twycross Zoo is an “internationally important site”.
“Our primate collection is the only one in the UK with all four great apes – plus gibbons and extensive collections.”
Images: Twycross Zoo
