Paignton Zoo’s Lisa Britton up for BIAZA Woman of the Year

A senior leader at Paignton Zoo has been nominated for a national award celebrating inspirational women in the zoo and aquarium sector.

Lisa Britton, Head of Living Collections at Paignton and Newquay Zoo, has been put forward for the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) Woman of the Year Award 2026.

The award, linked to International Women’s Day on March 8, recognises female staff and volunteers across BIAZA member and partner organisations. In the lead-up to IWD 2026, nominees will be featured across BIAZA’s social media channels, with an overall winner announced on the day.

Lisa has worked in the zoo industry for more than 24 years, with a particular passion for primates and carnivores. She joined Paignton Zoo in 2019 as Curator of Mammals during a challenging period and has since risen to oversee living collections across both sites, managing a large team and wide-ranging responsibilities.

She is a member of the Great Ape Working Group and has previously served BIAZA’s Mammal Working Group as Primate Subgroup Co-Chair and Vice Chair.

During her tenure, she has helped steer teams through tuberculosis outbreaks, the Covid-19 pandemic, redundancies and the recent uncertainty surrounding Paignton Zoo’s future. She was one of the representatives for the zoo in discussions with potential investors and buyers.

Her nominator said: “If there was ever a person to be the face of the living collections team, to show how our zoo matters, the work we do matters, and answer any questions relating to the operation of the living collection department, it was Lisa.”

They added: “...she has given Paignton Zoo institutional excellence, and we look forward to how Lisa leads us in a new direction, under the new ownership ‘Libema’.”