GREEN ACTION TRUST - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Charity Trustee
- Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers
- Head of Infrastructure and Design at North Ayrshire Council
Angus is a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers. He has worked in local government in Scotland for over 30 years.
After being Head of Infrastructure and Design at North Ayrshire Council, Angus set up his own consultancy in 2013. He supported Transport Scotland in the planning of the national transportation needs of the Commonwealth Games in 2014, before taking the lead on the Scottish Roads Collaboration Programme until 2021. He is an Associate Consultant of SOLACE (the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives).
Angus is currently providing strategic senior management support to several Councils, driving service transformation and improving community outcomes, whilst responding to the emerging challenges of the national Climate Emergency Declaration. He is committed to the need to act now to adapt infrastructure and maximise all opportunities for green infrastructure.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Charity Trustee
- Member of the Management Committee of Castlehill Housing Association
Ben joined the Board in 2020. Currently the Director of The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in Scotland, Ben's career to date has been mainly in economic development supporting the built environment, including several years with Scottish Enterprise as Construction Sector Manager, in a senior role establishing the Construction Scotland Innovation Centre and three years in consultancy.
Ben is also a member of the management committee of Castlehill Housing Association covering Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire & Moray and a Director of their commercial subsidiary, and is previous Chair of a small Fife-based charity that supports the personal development and employability of young people through a focus on STEM and motor racing.
Carwyn joined Green Action Trust in 2023 having previously worked in the Geotechnical industry undertaking geological site assessments all over the UK for over 10 years.
Carwyn holds a BSc (Hons) in Geology, a Fellowship with the Geological Society of London and is SMSTS qualified.
In his role as Project Officer, Carwyn is involved in project delivery in both urban and rural settings. Carwyn works on a variety of projects that bring environmental improvements and deliver regeneration outcomes, such as woodland creation as well as other habitat creation/management and access improvements.
Dan has over a decade of GIS experience across multiple sectors including geoscience consultancy, rural estate management, forestry, energy, utilities, land and property, and ecology. His expertise include a wide range of GIS analyses and visualisations as well as extensive experience managing GIS datasets and developing GIS within organisations.
Dan holds a degree and PhD in geology from the University of Glasgow, and is a chartered geographer and member of the Royal Geographical Society.
David is an Edinburgh-based chartered accountant and a highly experienced finance professional with a big firm accountancy background followed by more than 20 years in the private sector with Noble Grossart, the Edinburgh-based private merchant bank.
He has also spent more than 10 years in the not-for-profit sector in senior executive roles, including Director of Finance with EMMS International, an international healthcare charity, and with Capital Credit Union as Director of Finance and Compliance. In his role with EMMS international from 2011-2018, David travelled extensively in Malawi, northern India and Nepal, working with EMMS International's overseas partners to develop, implement and monitor healthcare projects funded by grants and donations from government, institutional, private sector and public fundraising income.
David has a keen interest in the environment and recreational use of Scotland's natural and created heritage assets and was a non-executive director of the Scottish Waterways Trust from 2013-2018. He has recently been involved as an adviser to Pentlands Community Space, a registered charity set up to redevelop a derelict former public toilet into a Community Hub in his local area of Juniper Green in Edinburgh.
David currently provides freelance finance director and consulting services to commercial and not-for-profit businesses. He hopes to bring his extensive strategic knowledge and experience to assist Green Action Trust as it grows and develops.
David joined Green Action Trust in 1988, initially involved the introduction of computerised systems within the accounts department.
In his role as Web and ICT Officer, David oversees and supports all the Trust's IT systems and communications infrastructure.
Job Titles:
- Behaviour Change Officer
- Engagement Officer
Diane joined Green Action Trust in 2023 having previously worked as Project Officer on the Wild Oyster Project helping to restore Native Oyster populations in the UK and before this worked as a secondary science teacher both in Scotland and Thailand. She has also worked on a variety of internship projects worldwide in wildlife conservation and community work which contribute to the long-term management and conservation of natural habitats and of endangered or vulnerable species. These included fieldwork in Costa Rica to conduct biological assessment survey work to monitor abundance of native mammals, reptiles and bird species, animal care in Sri Lanka working with rescue elephants and local communities on human-elephant conflict and work in Spain carrying out research on cetacean populations.
Diane has a BSc(Hons) in Applied Bioscience and Zoology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in Science and Biology Teaching.
In her role as Engagement and Behaviour Change Officer, Diane is involved in the community engagement aspect of the Leven Programme, to build positive relationships with the community, partners and stakeholders as well as helping to develop behaviour change within the Leven area to improve health and help create a more sustainable environmentally friendly place to live. This involves working with community stakeholders in the design of an engagement and empowerment plan and the management of consultants.
Fiona has over 30 years leadership and people development experience. Upon taking early retirement as a training manager with Police Scotland in 2018 she decided to invest in her own development and returned full time to University to complete a Masters in Leadership and Innovation, through the School of Education and Social Work at Dundee University.
She is now a self-employed organisation and people development consultant working with the public, private and third sector and continues her academic involvement, now as a part time tutor/assessor at Masters level.
Fiona initially became aware of The Green Action Trust through facilitating a creative decision-making workshop. A keen gardener (obviously) she is actively involved in rewilding locally.
Gavin joined Green Action Trust in 2018 following extensive commercial experience in the private sector, including 12 years as a Product Manager, bringing new products to a global market from initial concept and managing the full product lifecycle, including sales promotion and digital marketing.
Gavin holds a BSc (Hons) in Business and Management and MSc in Integrated Product Development.
In his role as Development Officer, Gavin's main responsibility is to support the development of the Trust's marketing and business development strategies. This includes delivery of marketing plans and production of digital content to raise the profile of the Trust's services and key projects including the Central Scotland Green Network and the John Muir Way.
George joined Green Action Trust in 1986 and is one of the longest serving members of staff for the organisation, fulfilling a variety of roles within the Trust.
George holds a NEBOSH National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety & National General Certificate and BNUC-S UAV pilot qualification.
In his role as Facilities Officer, George provides advice to staff and management including CDM services associated with construction project delivery. As a qualified drone operator, George conducts aerial surveys associated with project design, verification, and GIS requirements. He additionally manages the maintenance and running of buildings and grounds.
Gillian joined Green Action Trust in 2007 having previously worked with both the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park Authority and the Scottish Borders Rural Partnership. In both roles, she worked directly with communities supporting them to develop and deliver a wide range of environmental projects and initiatives.
Gillian holds a BSc in Geography and MSc in Ecological Design.
In her role as Development Officer Gillian is responsible for project development across both urban and rural settings. Gillian has worked on a variety of projects that bring environmental improvements and deliver regeneration outcomes. Recent projects include the creation and management of woodlands, play spaces, community gardens and growing spaces as well as public art and paths and active travel projects.
Job Titles:
- Charity Trustee
- Chartered Planner
- Member of the Academy of Urbanism
Heather is a chartered planner and urban designer, with a background in geography. She has over 13 years' experience of working in the public sector. At Glasgow City Council, Heather shapes place policy and facilitates environmental regeneration. She has previously supported local and creative partnerships within Glasgow's Canal Corridor and helped grow the Stalled Space initiative, activating vacant and underused land. She played a leading role in developing Glasgow's greener legacy projects for the 2014 Commonwealth Games. Heather is passionate about addressing social and environmental inequalities and has contributed to multiple complex green and blue infrastructure projects in Glasgow's east end.
In 2019, she was seconded to Architecture & Design Scotland to develop a new ‘carbon conscious places' service, working with the Scottish Government and local authorities in rural, islands and urban settings.
Heather is also an active member of the Academy of Urbanism, an affiliate of the UN Habitat's Planners for Climate Action and was titled Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) UK Young Planner of the Year in 2018. Outside work, Heather enjoys hillwalking, travelling and spending time with her family.
Izzie joined Green Action Trust in 2023. Izzie worked for several years in UK-China relations and corporate events before embarking on a career change.
Most recently Izzie worked with the City of Edinburgh Council to develop their Wilding Wee Spaces project; the project aimed to give schools the tools to transform their grounds or part of a local park to boost biodiversity, capture carbon and work with water.
Izzie holds a BA in Mandarin Chinese & Spanish and an HND in Wildlife and Conservation Management.
In her role as Development Officer, Izzie is responsible for the development of urban and rural greenspace projects, working closely with local communities and stakeholders, to bring environmental improvements and deliver regeneration outcomes
Jayne joined Green Action Trust in 1991.
In her role as Finance Officer, Jayne is responsible for all our accounts processing requirements, administering our payroll, issuing invoices and ensuring all our suppliers are paid on time. Jayne is also responsible for issuing our monthly internal finance reports and preparing for our year end audit.
Kirsty has over fifteen years communications experience and joined Fred. Olsen Renewables as its Community Liaison Manager in early 2021.
At Fred. Olsen Renewables Kirsty is responsible for wider corporate positioning and relationship building, alongside guiding the team through their wind farm PR strategies.
Kirsty previously worked at a range of leading PR agencies, creating innovative public relations and public affairs strategies, alongside developing campaigns to further engagement at local, national and regional levels.
She is passionate about furthering engagement at all levels in support of inclusive environmental change and improvement. She also enjoys a very slow jog and CrossFit!
Kylie's passion for the environment led her to join Green Action Trust after completing her MSc. in Environment, Culture and Society. She has experience working in the TV industry, marketing, and communications within the private sector, and is looking to expand her skills to provide a unique perspective as a Communications Officer.
Kylie primarily works on the Leven River Parks Route Project to deliver communication activities across platforms. She is also working with other colleagues on the communications of the Trust.
Louisa joined Green Action Trust in 2022, coming from a Biodiversity Officer and Field Ecologist roles within the private, public and charitable sectors.
Louisa holds a BSc in Ecology (Conservation and Ecological Management).
In her role as a Development Officer, Louisa is responsible for project development across both urban and rural settings, working on a variety of projects that bring environmental improvements and deliver regeneration outcomes.
Job Titles:
- Charity Trustee
- Councillor at Glasgow City Council
Martha Wardrop is a councillor at Glasgow City Council. She was elected in May 2007 and represents the Hillhead Ward in the West End of the city. At the RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards 2015, Martha was joint winner of the Politician of the Year Award.
Martha has a Postgraduate Degree in Youth and Community Work from Strathclyde University and Masters in Urban Policy and Practice from the University of Glasgow.
She has a background of work experience from coordinating volunteers, developing health improvement initiatives, supporting environmental justice and representing the views of the Voluntary Sector.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Chairman of the Board
Michael has always had a keen interest and passion for anything related to nature and conservation.
Since becoming a trustee in 2021, he has been impressed by the excellent work that the Trust is undertaking to create and maintain greenspaces and to restore nature across the Central Scottish Green Network (CSGN) and more widely.
He strongly believes that the Green Action Trust is privileged to be in a position to do something tangible and lasting to regenerate our environment and to reverse the loss of biodiversity for the benefit of our communities.
As well as being Chair at the Green Action Trust, he chairs the environment committee of his golf club and is a trustee for the Friends of Cammo (a local nature reserve in West Edinburgh) with responsibility for maintaining the website and wildlife recording.
Michael brings with him the industry and commercial experience of a long career in Financial Services and maintains an active involvement in this sector.
In his spare time, Michael is busy with family, golf, tennis, playing the guitar and learning Italian.
Mike joined Green Action Trust in 1996 having previously worked on environmental regeneration projects in central Scotland for over 25 years. These have ranged from restoring upland native woodlands to developing projects within some of the most disadvantaged communities in Scotland
Mike holds a BSc (Hons) in Geography, MSc in Arboriculture and Post-grad Diploma in Land Surveying. He is a Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and Member of CIEEM.
Job Titles:
- River Leven Parks Community Engagement Officer
Naomi joined Green Action Trust in 2022 working as a Creative Producer on Dandelion's Unexpected Gardens project in Leven. She now continues to work for the trust as a Community Engagement Officer on Leven's River Parks project.
Naomi holds a degree in Textile Design from Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design, has experience working within communities, and applies creative thinking to projects.
Naomi's role within The Trust is to lead on the community engagement aspect of the Leven River Parks Project, and build positive and long-lasting relationships with the community, partners and stakeholders.
Ned joined Green Action Trust since 2017 coming from time within the private, public, and charitable forestry sectors.
Ned holds a MSc in Environmental Forestry and is an associate member of the Institute of Chartered Foresters.
In his role as Senior Forester, Ned is involved overseeing and supporting the delivery of a range of projects including forestry and woodland based schemes, throughout Central Scotland. He produces woodland management plans and serves as a contract administrator for several green travel initiatives.
Job Titles:
- Landscape Architect
- in 2019 As Landscape Architect
Nicola joined Green Action Trust in 2019 as landscape architect with over 20 years' experience working mainly within the public sector. She has a proven track record of delivering a varied range of projects to regenerate communities within central Scotland.
Nicola holds an MA (Hons) in Landscape Architecture and is an Associate member of the Landscape Institute.
In her current role, Nicola oversees and supports a range of projects from design to construction phase.
Rachel re-joined Green Action Trust in 2021 having previously delivered a pilot project for Raingardens. Her previous experience includes working in multidisciplinary teams in health, community, play-based and green infrastructure schemes.
Rachel holds an MA in Landscape Architecture and is a Chartered Member of the Landscape Institute.
In her role as Raingardens Officer, Rachel oversees the development of a robust monitoring and evaluation framework for the 10,000 raingardens project, with the responsibility of implementing this framework across a number of demonstrator neighbourhood raingarden schemes. This involves working with stakeholders in the design of the sites and management of consultants and contractors.
Stuart Tait (Former Chairman) said "We are delighted to join with many other organisations across the globe to align our strategic aims with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainable development is at the core of the Trust's Vision and Mission and the work that we undertake across Scotland. We are looking forward to continuing our commitment to the SDGs and for supporting action that will address the climate challenges that lie ahead of us."