SCOTTISH CIVIC TRUST - Key Persons
Alan is a Charted Accountant with over 30 years experience gained in the UK and internationally. The majority of Alan's career was spent in Senior Finance roles in a number of sectors (financial services, consultancy and tourism) often with a focus on their technology and property divisions. In recent years, his focus has changed to supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), charities and other social enterprises across Scotland with their strategic and commercial planning.
Anna is an accountant and has over 20 years practice experience. She is passionate about working in the charity sector, and also works for another construction charity part time.
Anna works Tuesday, 8.30-11.30; Wednesday and Thursday, 8.30 to 1.30; and Friday, 12- 4pm.
Calum is a conservation architect accredited at advanced level by the RIAS. He has over 25 years of experience working in private practice, managing the design and construction of building projects. He is the founding director of MAAC Studio ltd, which is based in Inverness and is focused on the conservation of historic properties and scheduled monuments throughout the Highlands. He has carried out extensive research on the history of architecture in the Highlands. He is the author of The architecture of inverness and Alexander Ross: Architect of the Highlands. He is involved in promoting community engagement in local heritage. He regularly participates in talks, exhibitions and events within the Highlands to develop public awareness and appreciation of architecture and our built environment. Calum is also the Cathedral Architect for St Andrew's Cathedral, Inverness.
Job Titles:
- Strategy & Development Officer, Diverse Heritage
Jen works for the Trust as the Diverse Heritage Project Officer. She is an historian and archaeologist. Her heritage projects include the University of Glasgow's First World War centenary commemorations, the Erskine Centenary Community Project, and ‘Justice Not Charity Was Their Cry' in partnership with Disability History Scotland. She cares deeply about public history / heritage and making the past accessible to all.
Eleanor is a civil servant working on Tourism Policy in the Scottish Government. Her background is in the heritage and culture sector, having worked as a consultant with clients across the UK, gaining experience in developing and delivering a wide range of complex projects. Prior to this she worked as a project manager at the National Trust.
Job Titles:
- Doors Open Days National Coordinator
Emily joined the Trust in August 2021 as Heritage and Administration Officer and in March 2023 took up post as the Project Officer for Doors Open Days. She holds a MA(Hons) in Ancient History and Archaeology from the University of St Andrews and a MPhil in Classical Archaeology from the University of Oxford. Emily has experience working in libraries, archives, and museums across the UK and Greece, including time spent working on archaeological excavations. She is interested in innovative ways of sharing heritage with wider audiences and encouraging these communities to share their own stories.
Job Titles:
- Communications and Events Officer
Erin joined the Trust in June 2019 as a Doors Open Days Project Intern and has now taken up a full time post as the Communications and Events Officer. They hold a BA in Postcolonial History from Colgate University in New York, and an MSc in Museum Education from the University of Glasgow. Erin has previously worked as a Volunteer Organiser at the Kelvingrove Art Gallery & Museum and the Audience Development and Outreach Assistant at Glasgow Building Preservation Trust.
Ewan is a Chartered Surveyor with over 25 years experience in the Commercial Property Investment market. He is a Director of Saligo Real Estate and RDM Property Company, a niche advisory and commercial property company respectively. He is also a founding Director of iStow Storage Parks, who have shipping container storage parks at Glasgow Hillington Park, Glasgow West End and Glasgow Govan. Ewan is a former Trustee of Glasgow City Heritage Trust.
Professor Gordon Murray is an architect, teacher and design mentor. His work has been exhibited widely over the last twenty years at the Royal Institute of British Architects, the 2004 Venice Biennale and Royal Scottish Academy. He has previously taught at Schools of Architecture in Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Dundee and Newcastle, and was Professor of Architecture and Urban Design at the University of Strathclyde from 2007-2016. He is now Visiting Professor at Strathclyde as well as External Examiner at Liverpool John Moore's University. He also currently assists in studio in Manchester Metropolitan University on the Continuity in Architecture Course - Adaptive Re-use. He was President of The Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) from 2003-5 and a Trustee of the Lighthouse from 2003-09. Gordon was also a former member of the Board of Architects Professional Examination Authority Scotland, Chair of the Standing Conference of Heads of Schools of Architecture and Chair of the RIAS Doolan Prize Jury. He is currently Chair of RIAS Services Limited. A founding principal in architectural practices gm+ad and GMA, he merged with Ryder Architecture in 2011/12 and became a Partner in that organisation as well as design champion for the global practice. He retired in 2020 and set up a research and design consultancy.
Ian Leith is past chairman of the Wick Heritage Society, a post he held for 5 years. Ian is dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the heritage of Caithness in particular, and the North of Scotland in general. As such he sits on the Boards of the John O'Groats Development Trust and the John O'Groats Mill Trust. He is also a qualified genealogist and member of the Association of Scottish Researchers in Genealogy and Archives (ASGRA). In this respect he runs his own company, Baseline Research, with a focus on researching the history and heritage of the North of Scotland. Previously Ian has worked in the research and development of community and family capacity building tools and programmes. He is the author of three books - Caithness to Patagonia, The Man Who Went To Farr and Grannies and other Folk, and has recently contributed to a forthcoming publication from the University of Patagonia.
Jane is an experienced community & heritage professional with a background in public and private museums and heritage organisations, including New Lanark World Heritage Site, National Museums Scotland, and the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS). Her passions lie in developing engaged and resilient communities, and fostering an understanding of the importance of our heritage to the way in which we live, learn and work today. Jane is currently Business Development Manager for Healthy Valleys where she is responsible for developing the social enterprise to support the reduction of health inequalities, and the strengthening of communities in Clydesdale. Jane also sits on the Board of Lanark Community Development Trust and works extensively with partners in building sustainable communities. Jane is married with 3 young children and in her downtime, teaches ballet and choreographs for local amateur dramatic groups.
Joe has a passion for ensuring that heritage is relevant to all of Scotland's communities through both regeneration and place making. As Head of Museums Development at Museums Galleries Scotland, he led on the development and delivery of Scotland's National Strategy for Museums and managed the provision of associated areas of support. With extensive experience across the heritage sector, Joe is an advocate of the wider impacts of heritage on the lives of people in Scotland and beyond, whether to increase health and wellbeing, improve educational outcomes or provide inclusive career pathways. He is a Trustee of the Culture, Animal and Active Trusts at the People's Postcode Lottery, a former Trustee of the Education and Equalities Trusts, a Trustee of Glasgow City Heritage Trust and a Community Councillor for the Springboig and Barlanark areas of Glasgow. He is also a Fellow of the Museums Association, the Royal Society of Arts, the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and the Chartered Institute of Management.
John's original qualifications were in geography and town planning and later on also in HR and management. He had various planning roles in local and central government in England before moving to Scotland in 1990 to join the then Scottish Office and later the Scottish Government. He held a range of senior roles in the housing, business, culture and environmental sectors as well as being Private Secretary to 2 First Ministers. Some key successes during this time was piloting Scotland's initial climate change legislation through the Scottish Parliament, saving shipyards and steelworks from closure, and attracting numerous major events to Scotland. He was awarded the CBE in 2015 for his significant role in delivering the Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Gleneagles Ryder Cup. John has held numerous board and non-executive roles and, since retiring in 2016, has become chair of Linlithgow Burgh Trust (which includes oversight of the Linlithgow Civic Trust) and is on the RSPB Scottish Committee.
Job Titles:
- Communications Officer, Doors Open Days
Kyle works 2 days per week: Wednesday and Thursday, 9am - 5pm.
Kyle joined the Trust as Doors Open Days Communications Officer in July 2022. She holds a BA(Hons) in Events Management with Marketing from the University of the West of Scotland. Having previously worked for a cultural charitable trust, Kyle has experience of raising awareness of internationally recognised Museums and Heritage collections.
Mary Miers has worked in the field of architectural heritage, conservation and journalism since she started her career as Architectural Adviser at the Victorian Society. She did freelance work for English Heritage and SAVE Britain's Heritage while working on her first book, Scotland's Endangered Houses, published in 1990. In 1990, she joined the Scottish Civic Trust to set up the Buildings at Risk Register, which she ran until 1999. She then joined the editorial team at Country Life, where she worked until 2020, first as Architectural Writer and then as Fine Arts and Books Editor. She is now a freelance writer/journalist and editor. In addition to campaigning to protect Scotland's architectural heritage, Mary has researched and written numerous articles on buildings old and new, published seven books, done lectures and broadcasts and sat on the committees of various trusts and organisations (she currently does Highlands and Islands casework for the AHSS and is a Director/Trustee on the Board of the Highland Historic Buildings Trust and the Heritage BPT). She lives on the Black Isle and is president of the AHSS and an honorary fellow of the RIAS.
Nicola joined the Trust as Administration Officer in April 2023. She has experience working in administration and employability within the third sector and is passionate about supporting organisations and individuals in the local community. For many years Nicola worked in the textiles and fashion industry; she now runs her own sewing business.
Phoenix Archer is a heritage professional and multidisciplinary artist. She works for a mental health facility and Creative Lives. Phoenix has a history of engaging in the arts, culture and heritage sector in England and Scotland to promote healthy representation. She is a moderator at Queer Heritage Forum, a co-organiser at UnArchaeology and is the Creative Director at Progress in Dialogue. Phoenix runs the Scottish Black Owned and People of Colour Businesses and Opportunities groups. She likes to research diverse ways to increase respectful relationships with all kinds of people and create a more harmonious relationship between humans and the environment. Phoenix loves nature and exploring all things cultural and heritage based.
Phoenix works 3 days per week: Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 9am - 5pm.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman of the Trust
Sue Evans has been Chair of the Trust since 2020. She is a freelance landscape practitioner with over 40 years of experience working mainly in Scotland. Sue served 8 years on the Board of Architecture & Design Scotland acting as Deputy Chair and Chair of the Audit Committee before her term came to an end in 2022. She is a Fellow of the Landscape Institute (retired), where she served as a member of the Policy and Communications Committee over many years, and an Honorary Fellow of the RIAS. She is an active member of Landscape Institute's Scottish Branch and Vice Chair of the Landscape for Health and Wellbeing Working Group of the Scottish Landscape Alliance.
Sue spent 25 years supporting the development of the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) and before that the Central Scotland Forest. In 2016, she co-edited: Growing Awareness - How green consciousness can change perceptions and places, documenting five years of research undertaken by the CSGN Trust through the annual CSGN Forum. In 2008, Sue was awarded an MBE for services to Forestry. Before joining the third sector in 1993, Sue worked in private practice on a number of regeneration projects.
Thierry is a chartered architect based in Glasgow. Originally from Malaysia, Thierry graduated from the Mackintosh School of Architecture, and he has worked on many high profile projects across the UK. Since he joined Austin-Smith:Lord in 2021, Thierry found his interest in architectural conservation and building retrofit. Outside work, Thierry has been actively involved in the New Glasgow Society since 2015, and recently became Chairperson of the Society. Other than leading on campaign activities within NGS, Thierry is also keen to make architecture physically and culturally accessible to all. His charity works with NGS include NGS-GIA Hustings for the Built Environment (2022), and the annual Imagine Glasgow exhibition showcases new ideas in a curated format to the public.