From Finance to the Arctic: Tommy Radclyffe-Thomas Q&A

Meet Tommy Radclyffe-Thomas, whom we recently had the pleasure of catching up with at his home in South East London. After retiring from a 30+ year career at HSBC, he has taken on a new role as an active board member of the Fourth Reserve Foundation, a charity dedicated to protecting one of the last ancient woodlands in London, an important nature reserve.

Beyond his work in conservation, Tommy is an adventurer, craft enthusiast, and sartorialist. His travels have taken him from the taiga steppes of Mongolia to the Arctic tundra, where he has spent time with nomadic herders and Sámi reindeer keepers, experiencing firsthand how indigenous communities have lived in balance with nature for centuries. We sat down with Tommy to discuss his career transition and thoughts on craft, conservation and remote travel experiences.

At home with Tommy Radcylffe-Thomas. ©Kenneth Lam

Q: Tommy, your career has taken a fascinating turn – from decades in finance working as a senior manager in risk change delivery with HSBC, to now working to protect one of London’s last ancient woodlands. Could you describe and share some reflections of your career?

My professional career choice was never intentional… as a young father-to-be in the late 1980s I was applying for and taking any work I could find, including night shifts at a biscuit factory and labouring at a sugar refinery. The bank offered me a role at the most junior level possible in the head office function and I grabbed it. Banking then was very different. When I joined, they issued you with a work pass, a pencil and an ashtray as everyone smoked at their desks. There were no computers in my first department, it was all paper files and handwritten vouchers. It was also still very military-based as the founders and a lot of the senior management were all ex-services. But they were great employers, and supported as I rose through the ranks.

Midway through my career, I was given the chance for an overseas posting and the bank relocated my family and me to Hong Kong, which was an amazing opportunity for us all. We used our time in Hong Kong to explore many parts of Asia and it was certainly a formative experience for the whole family. What many people don’t realise about Hong Kong is that behind that Bladerunner-esq image of skyscrapers, HK is 40% national parks. It has some amazing hiking trails, white sand beaches and undeveloped wild areas, and we were able to get out into this almost every day. 

After Hong Kong I was posted to Buffalo, the USA’s so-called snow capital, so quite a shock to the system. During our time there we lived in Buffalo City and then in Niagara Falls. Thanks to the work of Frederick Law Olmsted in the 1860s, Buffalo has the USA’s oldest system of public parks and parkways, and Niagara Reservation is the country’s oldest state park. So even though we were living in New York state, it felt as if we were living out in nature and a wonderful dog walk was never far away.

After 30 years, banking had changed dramatically. Having started in a computer-free environment, by the time I left, it was a paper-free environment, and I was involved in projects looking at the future use of AI. 

I was given the opportunity to take early retirement, so in late 2019 I did this with plans to travel the world. Then of course Covid came along and locked us all down. I started looking around locally for opportunities to use some of my time and professionally acquired skills to help with something more meaningful, localised and tangible. I wanted to spend more time outdoors and learn new crafts and skills – that’s when I stumbled upon a local nature reserve where I could volunteer and help.

Mementos from Asia. ©Kenneth Lam

Q: The Fourth Reserve Foundation is dedicated to preserving ancient woodlands in an ever-changing city. Can you share more about the charity and explain what an ancient woodland is, and its importance in a city? What drew you to conservation?

The charity was started in 2018 by a group of local residents keen to make something of a patch of old railway sidings that had become completely choked with bramble and weeds. After countless volunteer hours, they’ve created the Buckthorne Cutting Nature Reserve. It’s an area of about four acres with multiple structures, paths, gardens and wildlife rehabilitation and release facilities, now used by local community groups, schools, animal rescue groups. They use it for  after-school clubs as a peaceful green space in the heart of London, helping to educate children about the importance of biodiversity.

The reserve sits next to one of the most nature-deprived areas in London, where residents lack access to any sort of green space – along with the proven mental and physical health benefits such access can provide. The charity continues to work to address this issue.

In 2020 the charity started campaigning to save the wild space adjacent to the nature reserve. Part of the campaign has been about putting formal recognitions of the site's biodiversity and historical importance in place. This includes working with the Woodland Trust to confirm its status as ancient woodland. This designation is only granted when you can prove that an area has been continually wooded for more than 400 years, which it has, making it the closest remaining ancient woodland to the City of London. Research has uncovered maps from the 1700s showing the area to be the Gorne Wood, part of the Great North Wood that used to stretch southwards from London Bridge all the way to Croydon.

Image Carousel: Gorne Woods and Buckthorne Cutting Nature Reserve. ©The Fourth Reserve Foundation

“Blessed are those who plant trees under whose shade they will never sit.”

Q: After 30+ years in finance, where decisions are often driven by protecting monetary growth, you’re now in a field that requires intangible preservation and the consideration of long-term impacts. What reflections can you share about this shift and how has it changed your perspective? 

The majority of my career was spent on identifying problems, finding solutions and implementing change. Sometimes this might have been about monetary growth or cost management but it always came down to people, process or the tools being used, i.e. the technology. In other words the problem was with one or more of the who, the what or the how. Most often it was people and the challenge was always about encouraging change. What helped in these situations was being able to articulate a vision that was both achievable and desirable.

The challenges that the charity is working to address all seem to have the same factors: who, what and how. In the case of the nature reserve, it has been easier to articulate that desirable end-state as everyone can readily see the need to save and nurture this rare wild space.

Perhaps the one major difference I’ve had to adjust to is timeframes. At the bank, the required change would most often have to be made within an annual budget cycle or to meet people’s annual objectives, whereas in the reserve many of the changes being made are far more long term – I might not see the full benefit of them in my lifetime. 

Working at the reserve has coincided with the arrival of two grandchildren, whose presence additionally makes one reflect on personal timeframes. As the saying goes “Blessed Are Those Who Plant Trees Under Whose Shade They Will Never Sit”.

Preparing the kindling. ©Kenneth Lam

Q: You’re an avid crafter – woodworking, leatherwork, and bushcrafting. What draws you to working with your hands? What inspired you to get into crafting and how does one start learning these skills?

It’s only upon reflection that I realised that working with one's hands was an intrinsic part of my childhood. My mother was an amazing, all-round craftsperson. She could sew, knit, embroider and create anything. She would make clothes and toys for my sister and me, as well as many of our home furnishings. We still use her beautiful quilts every day. My father was an engineer and could build pretty much anything. I can remember him buying a derelict postal van and turning it into an estate car for the family. My paternal grandparents were smallholders, growing and raising most of the food they ate. Whatever was needed, the first response was always “Can we make it ourselves?” If the answer was “not sure” the attitude was to have a go.

So, I’ve always been a keen DIYer but when I retired, I found I had the time to indulge in other crafts. Woodworking arising from a love of working with wood and leather-working out of the frustration that I could not buy the perfect belt, so I had to make it myself! In all cases I have attended short courses, but only after having a go.

Lighting the fire. ©Kenneth Lam

Q: You’ve had the chance to visit some of the world’s most remote landscapes, from Mongolia to the Arctic. How have these experiences shaped your understanding of heritage and conservation? 

It all comes back to the people. Heritage and the importance of conservation lives within them. In many cases, it will not be a conscious decision, just the result of “this being the way things are done and always have been done” – but it is easy to see just how fragile that is. We are just one generation away from forgetting or irrevocably changing and losing something essential.

As I have started to learn heritage crafts myself, I can see how this has happened time and again. In many cases the struggle for that craft is reminding people about it and trying to make sure it’s not forgotten.

Mongolian horses of the Khangai Mountains. ©Baramsaidorj Alimaa 

Q: The Sámi and Mongolian herders both have deep textile traditions, using wool, hides, and natural materials passed down through generations. You’ve spent time exploring the Scottish highlands and textiles heritage as well. What observations can you share? How has this informed your fashion sensibilities and personal style?

My fashion sensibilities have evolved over time, from some unfortunate teenage styles to where I am today. I recently did a big spring clean of my wardrobe and the items I most treasured or would never think about getting rid of are those worn by and handed down to me from previous generations or made for me.

I still have and wear Harris Tweed jackets and leather work boots that my grandfather wore. I still have a leather jerkin that was issued to my dad when he was a young recruit in the RAF. I have gloves and jumpers knitted for me by my mum, and socks lovingly made for me by my partner, Natascha. As my career progressed and I was able to spend more on clothes, the temptation has been to buy less but better quality, rather than more. I’m now looking for clothes that are timeless and will outlive me – things I can pass down to a younger generation.

Top image: Tommy wearing a handknitted sweater made by his mother.

Bottom left: Treasured heirloom pieces: Grandfather’s RAF-issued leather jerkin, handmade leather belt, and gloves and socks handknitted by Natascha.

Bottom right: Grandfather’s Harris Tweed jacket, waistcoat with leather buttons handknitted by Natascha, natural linen shirt, knitted yak tie by Tengri. ©Kenneth Lam

What I observed from my time with the Sámi and Mongolian herders is that their clothes have evolved over generations and perhaps multiple iterations to be fit for purpose, both in terms of the extreme climates they live in and also in terms of the very physical nature of their work. They make clothes to last, perhaps multi-generational, and hence timeless. Also, I really fell in love with the leather utility belts that are part of the Mongolian herders’ attire, being gifted a belt at 16 and then being gifted the tools to hang from it at subsequent milestones.

Q:  A part of sustainable fashion is having clothing that is versatile and easy to travel with – we recently collaborated on a mountain shirt jacket that you wore to the Arctic. Talk us through the technical features and reasoning behind the design elements you chose for this piece.

Yes, I love my Shacket… or is it a Yaket? Thank you again to you and Tengri for making it happen. Having seen how wonderful and remarkable yak fibre is, it was important to me that it was made from that noble fibre so I could enjoy all its amazing properties. 

Whilst I’m no longer walking into boardrooms, I wanted something smart enough to not look out of place in such a setting, but also something I could wear while out hiking, working in nature or sitting around a campfire. In terms of practicality, it needed to allow for a wide range of movement and I wanted something with pockets big enough to be useful (fitting a phone, a map or tools). Likewise, I needed a longer-length jacket so it could be worn with a utility belt – perhaps one of those Mongolian ones!

Tommy is wearing his custom design Mountain Shirt Jacket, by Tengri, featuring our 550g twill weave, Khangai Yak Noble Fabric and re-loved vintage horn buttons. Leather belt and leather tool holders handmade by Tommy. ©Kenneth Lam

Q: You’ve seen some of the world’s most fragile landscapes, from the Arctic to Mongolia to ancient forests in London. What’s the biggest lesson nature has taught you?

That nature will get along just fine if we leave it alone. Its greatest threat is people and indifference and that’s where the need for careful and considered management comes in. It seems that every change that is needed or problem that requires a solution arises from that people factor again!

We are all part of a vast ecosystem – even though we may be thousands of miles away, our actions still have an impact, or at the very least add towards a cumulative overall impact.

Tommy in his Mountain Shirt Jacket in the Arctic. ©Babette Radclyffe-Thomas

Q: If you could share one message about conservation, craft, and how we engage with the world around us, what would it be?

As part of my woodworking, I’ve been making lots of benches for the nature reserve, many of them engraved with a song lyric or a line of poetry. One bench has a line from the poem “Leisure” by W. H. Davies that comes to mind when considering this question:

“What is this life if full of care, we have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs.”

So, my message would be to take some time to stand and stare… or preferably to sit and observe!

Q: Any advice for younger people navigating career and life transitions, particularly those looking to align their work with their values?

Through my work at the reserve and having been able to spend time with many young volunteers, I’ve been incredibly encouraged to find many examples of young people who already manage to align work with their values far better than I managed to! 

For example, we’ve had young gardeners learning new skills, young people keen to learn all they can about heritage crafts such as hedge-laying, and young people keen to work with wildlife rescue groups. And whilst I appreciate that this work is more often than not lowly paid or perhaps even unpaid, I can say that the people I’ve met are making it work. 

The most memorable days from my 30+ years at the bank are those once-a-year occasions when we helped at a city farm as part of a community support initiative. I sometimes wish I’d been brave enough to make the leap from behind my desk into the great outdoors sooner.

Nancy Johnston and Tommy Radclyffe-Thomas at his South London home. ©Kenneth Lam

Thank you, Tommy, for such a meaningful and generous conversation – inviting us into your home, offering a window into your personal journey, and sharing thoughtful guidance for those navigating career transitions and seeking purpose. Your noble journey from finance to nature steward inspires us all to think deeply about how we live, work, and dress! From tales of Arctic tundras to treasured heirlooms, you remind us that craftsmanship, legacy, and care for the natural world go hand in hand. We are especially honoured that you’ve chosen to include Tengri as part of your carefully curated wardrobe – where every piece carries a story of heritage and intention.

Call to Action
If you’ve read this far, please support Tommy’s ongoing work to protect one of London’s last ancient woodlands by signing up to the Fourth Reserve Foundation.

We’re also offering 10 limited editions of the Tengri Mountain Shirt Jacket (shacket) – a timeless piece designed in collaboration with Tommy, crafted to order from our limited-edition Khangai Noble Fabrics, which are available only once a year. For every shacket sold, 10% will be donated directly to the Fourth Reserve Foundation. Get in touch with the Tengri atelier to reserve one of ten exclusive limited editions.