Our Team
Matthew Harris
Horticultural Director
Matthew oversees community, education, and wellbeing programmes at the Greenhouse Project, where he focuses on creating opportunities for people to connect with food, nature, and one another. His work involves collaborating with volunteers, schools, and local groups to grow vegetables for the community larder, while also leading workshops that explore the benefits of gardening and nature-based practices.
He is passionate about the power of nature to support both physical and mental wellbeing, and has seen first-hand how time spent outdoors can help people feel more grounded, reduce stress, and build resilience. What motivates him most is witnessing the way shared growing and learning experiences bring people together.
Beyond his role at the Greenhouse Project, Matthew is committed to championing sustainable, community-led growth as a way to improve both human wellbeing and environmental health.
Jordan Philips
Board Trustee
Jordan has over a decade of experience in strategy, planning, and policy, working across several UK government departments. Earlier in his career, he spent time as a freelance journalist, taught in South America, and worked at a technology start-up in the publishing sector.
Alongside his professional work, Jordan is strongly committed to community engagement and volunteering. He has supported a range of organisations that reflect his values and interests, including the Access Project, Rose Hill Community Larder, FoodCycle, and UpReach. He also served on the Board of Governors at Westminster Adult Education Service, where he contributed to its mission of widening access to lifelong learning.
Outside of work, Jordan is a passionate gardener, enthusiastic cook, and dedicated writer. He holds a degree in English Literature and a Master’s in Modern History.
Menna Clarke
Board Co-Chair
Alongside her role at Cutteslowe Greenhouse, Menna works full time at the Skoll Centre, an internationally renowned social impact centre, based at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. In her role at Skoll, Menna coordinates the delivery of the events and outputs of the research and insights portfolio, and helps engage, curate and connect the Centre’s diverse community of academics, students and practitioners. Menna moved to Oxford in 2023, prior to which she completed her studies at the University of Edinburgh, graduating with a first-class degree in Social Anthropology with International Development from the University of Edinburgh. During her studies, she focused on environmental anthropology, energy policy, and global supply chains. She is a passionate advocate for intersectional environmentalism and is especially interested in overconsumption and the human rights dimensions of fashion and food systems. Originally from Wales, Menna enjoys reading, knitting, gardening, and spending time outdoors hiking and camping.
Thom Greenlaw
Board Trustee & Treasurer
Thom is an Energy Modelling Analyst at Aurora Energy Research, where he works on computer modelling and forecasting of electricity markets in the United States. He studied Mathematical Physics at the University of Edinburgh and, after a year working in hospitality, moved to Oxford in 2023 to begin his role at Aurora. Alongside his professional work, he has organised a number of intra-company initiatives to support graduate induction and strengthen connections across teams.
Outside of work, Thom enjoys playing the piano, cycling along the canal, and exploring Oxford’s live music scene. Having found a strong sense of community in the city, he is keen to contribute his technical skills to local projects.
Rachel Botsman
Board Co-Chair
Rachel Botsman is a leading expert on trust in the modern world. She is the author of three critically acclaimed books, has given three TED Talks, and was the first Trust Fellow at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, where she teaches leaders and organisations how to navigate complex trust challenges. Her passion is unlocking the value of community assets to build networks of stronger local trust. Rachel also has extensive experience working with boards and non-profits, including serving as Chief of Staff for President Clinton’s Foundation initiative focused on improving childhood health.
For her pioneering work, Rachel has been recognised as one of the world’s 30 top management thinkers by Thinkers50, named one of LinkedIn’s Top 10 most influential voices, included in Fast Company’s list of 100 Most Creative People in Business, and honoured as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.
Rachel lives in Oxford with her family and beloved dog, Mack. She enjoys running through the countryside, making art, gardening, and reading, and recently completed her studies in Landscape Design at Kew Gardens with distinction.
Richard Robinski
Board Trustee & Secretary
Richard is a solicitor with over 30 years’ experience working in both law firms and industry. He began his career in science, studying Pharmacology before qualifying as a solicitor, and has since provided legal and management support to the pharmaceutical sector for much of his career. He has held director-level positions, offering strategic guidance, leading transformational change, and advising on complex legal and compliance matters.
Beyond his professional work, Richard served as a school governor and Chair of the finance committee at a Hertfordshire school before moving to Oxford. Since early 2023, he has been working with fellow founders on the project to recommission Cutteslowe Greenhouse.
In his spare time, he enjoys renovating his home on the edge of Cutteslowe Park and exploring Oxford with his wife and daughter.
Tanya Gaidai
Board Trustee
Tanya lives near Cutteslowe and supports the Cutteslowe Greenhouse with planning, funding applications, and hands-on involvement. She has a background in grant writing, project coordination, and community-focused work in Ukraine. She has supported educational and cultural initiatives through funding research, proposal writing, and full-cycle grant management. She has worked as a project administrator on programmes focused on interaction between the private and public sectors in Ukraine’s cultural field.
Earlier in her career, she worked in banking and financial analysis, and later ran her own portrait photography studio. She is currently taking a short course at the University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education in Place, Community and Urban Design, reflecting her interest in how physical spaces shape social connection and everyday community life. She also has a long-standing interest in nonviolent communication (NVC).
Tanya enjoys walking and has completed the Camino de Santiago twice - once on her own and once in company with her 12-year-old son.
She has a strong interest in “third places” and community-building spaces, and enjoys supporting initiatives that create a sense of belonging.