Team

Email: Gair Brisbane

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2011

Nominated by: Kate Barclay, Jeremy Prall, Stuart Brooks, James N Gibson, Derek Johnston

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

I am a former outdoor instructor and graduate with a Master of Arts in Environmental Management (Aberdeen University) where I completed my dissertation in Environmental Education, considering how effective education can reduce the impact from informal recreation.  This led to me completing a contract with Scottish Natural Heritage to prepare the way for what became the Outdoor Access Code.

I have worked for the US Forest Service in Washington State where I surveyed forestry plots for logging and conservation, selecting individual stems for habitat protection (and also qualified as a Forest Fire Fighter).  During my time serving as an Officer in the Royal Air Force I maintained my passion for developing young people through leading expeditions to the Andes, the Alps, Corsica (GR20) and Germany.

On leaving the RAF I was a full time charity director for 2.5 years while I studied my investment exams and now in my current professional role I am a full time specialist charity investment manager with Aberdeen Standard Capital, headquartered in Edinburgh.

I work on a daily basis with charities across Scotland, working closely with these charity clients, considering their charitable objectives and aligning their investments with these. 

During my time as a member of the Trust I have organised and hosted a dinner where I invited guests to hear from (former Chief Executive) Stuart Brooks which I believe led to significant donations to the Trust.

I have been a trustee and finance committee member of the Officers’ Association Scotland, a military charity, and I would be delighted and privileged to be appointed as a trustee of the John Muir Trust.

Email: Alan Dobie

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 1991

Nominated by: Patrick Gray, David K J Gibson, Duncan Macniven, Maryanne Freer, Hugh Tooby

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

I am standing for re-election to continue supporting the Trust.

What have I to offer?

It has taken time, but now feel well established in the Trustee role, understanding the way the Trust works and contributing positively. My niche, such as it is, is governance and I am currently heavily involved in taking forward the governance review, updating and enhancing the framework within which the Trust operates. In this work I am constantly aware of the importance of both retaining what’s best about the Trust whilst promoting ways to improve it for the future. Maintaining continuity and helping to marshal member consultation over the summer will be key.

The Trust has great strengths - a clear vision, supremely committed staff and members, an informed approach to management, an enviable campaigning pedigree, sound policies and effective public engagement through inter alia the John Muir Award. As Trustees our role is to support staff in continuing to move all of this forward. However, doing so is challenging and to do so we need to remain smart, innovative and adaptive.

Within the above context, I support the purchase of additional property where the case is strong and continuing to develop effective partnerships – local partnerships with neighbours on our properties and wider landscape-scale partnerships where they present opportunity to make a real difference. We also need to remain both focussed and ambitious in our campaigning – wild land cannot survive as ‘islands in a desert’.

If re-elected I will continue to work hard to promote the Trust’s values and help ensure its continuing effectiveness.

Email: John Finney

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2004

Nominated by: Duncan Macniven, Patricia Jordan, Chris Townsend, Steve Green, Deirdre Wilson

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

Escaping to wild places has kept me sane during a lifetime of scientific research and teaching, strategic planning and project management, in both universities and the public sector. Outside the day job, my voluntary sector work has focussed on influencing government through campaigning for evidence-based policies with politicians, officials and the public. In addition to raising financial support of over £3/4M, working within a grant-giving charity has given me experience of ‘both sides’ of fund-raising, and of the intricacies of charity law.

As a JMT trustee from 2011-2017, I served on the Finance Committee, Wales Working Group, and convened the Governance Working Group. In addition to actively supporting the Trust’s campaign to protect Scotland’s wild land, I was involved in JMT’s expansion into England and Wales that resulted in the leasing of Glenridding, as well as advocacy in Westminster concerning non-devolved policies that drive wild land loss. For seven years, I was one of the team that organised the Southern Members’ Gathering.

Since leaving the Board, I have legally challenged the Welsh Government on wind farm planning, and am currently working with a Welsh Wildlife Trust to restore and conserve a rare wild upland meadow.

The main immediate priorities I see for the Trust are:

• Continued campaigning to legally protect wild land, and to get more environmental justice into the planning process;
• By making a real success of the Glenridding Common lease, demonstrate that JMT and the local community can work together to sustainably restore sensitive environments;
• To further expand its outreach work, both through the Award and with the general public. In both cases, my experience in targeted communication could be useful.

Finally, working on a UNESCO report on land use is giving me a great opportunity to put JMT’s land management principles onto a global stage.

Email: Dave Gibson

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2007

Nominated by: David Gordon, Chris Todd, Peter Willimott, Nick Kempe, David S Batty

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

I joined the Trust in February 2007 and seek election because I believe in its vision and mission, and that I can contribute positively to its governance.

I’ve appreciated and walked in mountains and wild places at home and overseas for over 25 years, and for nearly 12 years their protection was a major part of my working life at Mountaineering Scotland. My business experience includes 25 years at board level in both the private sector and at Mountaineering Scotland as CEO and Company Secretary.

I offer proven experience in strategy development, finance, fundraising, organisational and business development, and I have an MBA and marketing degree. My experience in business development and membership recruitment may add value to the Trust, as sustainable membership growth is essential, providing income and evidence of a strong mandate for policy work.

As lead spokesperson for Mountaineering Scotland I enjoyed partnership working with a range of NGOs, including Trust staff involved in policy and communications, and influencing relationships and outcomes with the media, sporting and youth organisations, government agencies, local and planning authorities and occasionally, cabinet ministers and their advisers.

It is clear that wild land in Scotland is under unprecedented and continuing pressure and, following retirement from full time working in March 2018, I will continue to devote energy to its protection and appreciation. With more time available for the important things in life, I am looking forward to volunteering at Sandwood and on Ben Nevis, and was pleased to support the Trust’s recent peaceful presence at Holyrood.

My experience will inform my role as a Trustee, through which I would seek to support and positively influence the aims of the Trust, encourage staff and fellow volunteers, and enthuse others to share my passion for wild land. Thank you for reading my statement.

Email: Jim Gibson

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2009

Nominated by: Vivian R Davey, Jo Moulin, Chris Lennox, Heather Alexander, Douglas Wynn

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

Passionate about the preservation of wild land, I believe in nature’s power to counterbalance the frenetic pressures of modern life. As a Munroist, I adore the rugged beauty of Scotland’s hills and wish to continue to give time and energy to the Trust in its endeavours to preserve our heritage.

I was a trustee for two terms running from 2013 to 2017. As a practising Chartered Accountant I have used my skills to add value to the work of the Finance Committee, which I convened from 2015 to 2017. I have also taken an interest in the work of the John Muir Award and represented the Trust at the Royal Highland Show. After a fallow year, my passion for the work of the Trust, its vision and its professionalism is undimmed, and I would welcome the opportunity to be re-elected.

Today’s charity world demands focus, flexibility and flair, and I see the Trust’s priorities in the next three years as:
• maintaining momentum and influence in the debate about wild land
• maximising the use of our resources of finance and personnel
• making the most of our abilities in exemplary land management

My accountancy work has been with charities, family businesses, farms and estates, and has entailed a significant involvement with student education and staff mentoring. As Treasurer of several charities, Independent Examiner of some others, and as a member of the Charities Panel of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, I believe firmly in the need to get behind the figures, strip out the jargon and communicate what they really mean.

I offer the Trust my expertise in charity finance, management, governance and good practice, with the aim of ensuring that business decisions are based on sound foundations, and that processes are efficient, focussed and appropriate.

Email: Philip Graves

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2015

Nominated by: Ian Buchanan, Susan Graves, Ralph Brook-Fox, Roberta Downes, Richard Allan

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

Soon retiring from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and, with more time on my hands, I’m looking to ‘give a little back’ for the 33 years spent wandering the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. My interest in JMT was heightened by an inspiring evening in a Sandwood Bay bothy, with Don O’Driscoll, the Trust’s local manager.

Conservation for me began in England, where as a teenager my Mum taught me to plant trees. Together we expanded the school estate’s woodland with the help of the Woodland Trust. Similarly 30 years ago we re-established a small woodland at our home here outside Glasgow, and know all about browsing deer!

As a student I was an active member of the Conservation Volunteers and even walked from Land’s End to John O’Groats to raise money for the charity.

For 23 years I worked in the Glasgow investment world for major pension providers, with a short break for an MBA. Meeting many top business executives, I learnt what makes businesses tick and how to interpret financial statements. I regularly represented my employers on national radio, communicating complex financial stories in simple language.

In 2009 I completed an MSc in Environmental Studies at Strathclyde. My dissertation covered the environmental impact of windfarms. On the back of this I joined the research team tasked with updating the Scottish Government’s carbon calculator used for windfarms.

In early 2013 I joined SEPA’s Small Business Strategy team, writing the Annual Report and other papers for the Board. Recently we’ve taken the lead on Equality & Diversity reporting.

I believe my broad experience of business, the media, the environment and planning issues related to windfarms should contribute substantially to growing the Trust, and especially the John Muir Award which has great potential to encourage youngsters to take a pride in the environment.

Email: Emily Henderson

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2019

Nominated by: Christine Thomson, Godfrey Cantley, Neil Douglas, Alan P Scott, Christina Riley

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

I became fascinated by the life and work of John Muir while I was researching a BBC documentary about him and other Scottish explorers a number of years ago. This sparked my interest in the John Muir Trust. When I learned it was looking to appoint more women as Trustees, as well as communications specialists, I thought my skills and experience would fit the bill.

Based in Glasgow, I am the Press Manager at Scottish Opera, Scotland’s national opera company and the largest performing arts organisation in Scotland. Prior to this, I worked in journalism, television production and PR. I’ve developed and managed media campaigns for events and charities including Sport Relief (part of Comic Relief), and the Glasgow 2014 Queen’s Baton Relay during the Commonwealth Games.

The Wild Words campaign is a powerful example of how the Trust can broaden the appeal of wild places. I recently interviewed the founder of The Nature Library in Glasgow, who was inspired by the campaign, and had articles published on The List and Scots Magazine websites.

Growing up in a family of outdoor enthusiasts, at a young age I developed a love and respect for the wild places of Scotland, especially the Outer Hebrides. These days I’m a keen hill walker, which gives me the perfect opportunity to explore our magnificent terrain. However, it’s easy to see that our countryside is not always treated with the respect it deserves.

I see the work of the Trust as crucial in the fight to preserve and protect our wild places. If elected, I would strive to find new ways to support and promote its work, and hope my media skills and contacts would prove useful on this front. I’d also help the Trust engage more with young people, to inspire future generations to love and care for our land.

Email: Patricia Jordan

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2008

Nominated by: John Fox-Davies, Alex Gillespie, Mary Gillespie, John Hutchison, Helen McDade

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

It has been a privilege to serve as a trustee for the past three years and if re-elected I will continue to contribute to the best of my ability with enthusiasm and commitment.

My term as a Trustee has increased my appreciation of the issues and challenges faced by the Trust. The invaluable contribution JMT plays in its vision to manage and protect wild places for the future, influencing policy making and public opinion, and campaigning for the protection of wild places, has never been more crucial than it is today.

I am a community activist born and brought up in Fort William, involved in projects and campaigns over a number of years and a member of Fort William Community Council. I am a director of the Nevis Partnership and Chair of the £3.9m Nevis Landscape Partnership programme, a community and stakeholder collaborative enterprise funded
by Heritage Lottery delivering 19 projects over five years in the Ben and Glen Nevis area, now nearing successful completion.

I have a good knowledge of the social and economic issues affecting rural areas and feel that rural communities need a strong voice. I consider it important that Trustees are drawn from members living near to our estates. If re-elected I will continue to advocate effective consultation and communication with nearby communities and encourage partnership working.

The Trust’s future lies with the younger generation and the wonderful work of the John Muir Award is essential in engaging and connecting young people to the message of protection and enhancement of our environment.

I am retired and despite the rain and midges, continue to enjoy cycling, walking and volunteering, importantly introducing my grandchildren to the delights of the Highland countryside. My overarching passion is the protection of the landscape, the environment and our rich natural heritage.

Email: Chris Loynes

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2001

Nominated by: Will Williams, Graham Watson, Judith Cooke, Dominick Spracklen, Jude Spracklen

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

The Trust has a significant contribution to make at this time of environmental crisis. Restoring and extending wild lands and working with resident and visitor communities to conserve these places, has the potential to inspire and involve many more people as a crucial part of an emerging vision for a flourishing future. My experience could contribute to a number of Trust activities - publications, social research and evaluation, educational opportunities such as the John Muir Award, policy development and community engagement.

After graduating I became an outdoor educator in schools and then in youth work. Scouting expeditions to the Hebrides were followed by annual school visits to Knoydart and the Small Isles and a love for the west coast. Exploring Scotland’s remoter places and being immersed in the culture and wildlife has been a passion ever since. I joined the Trust not long after it was formed and, in the 1990s, as a volunteer, ran fundraising sailing cruises for the Trust in the Hebrides.

For the last 35 years I have lived and worked in the Lake District as an educational advisor founding the Outdoor Education field’s journal, Adventure Education and Outdoor Leadership and helping the development of outdoor education in several countries. I then became a university lecturer and researcher in outdoor education, first at Murray House College and then at Charlotte Mason College (now the University of Cumbria - UoC) and, latterly, becoming the research lead for Human Nature Relations in the Centre for National Parks and Protected Areas at UoC reflecting my interest in the relationship between communities and landscapes.

Since the Trust established its presence in Cumbria it has been a pleasure to support this development as a volunteer at John Muir Award events, volunteer meets and by hosting regional members gatherings at the UoC.

Email: Xander McDade

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2018

Nominated by: John Hutchison, Nancy Dyer, Greig Honeyman, Tim Fison, Keith Miller

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

My first involvement with the Trust was taking part in the Journey for the Wild, 13 years ago. This involved canoeing down the Tay from Pitlochry to Perth. As a young person this gave me an appreciation of how beautiful the area I lived in was, and a lasting love of nature with a desire to protect it.

Subsequently I got involved with my eco-schools committee and worked with local conservation organisations to engage young people in looking after the wild places around them. We took a work party of pupils onto local community owned land and a visit to Schiehallion. This project led to the establishment of the John Muir Award in Pitlochry High.

The Trust has called for young people and people living in the Scottish Highlands to stand this year, and I believe I could bring a lot of experience about engaging and enthusing young people to love our wild land and places.

I’m currently an Independent Councillor serving Highland Perthshire, which includes some of our most beautiful landscapes including Rannoch Moor, Schiehallion, and some of the Southern Cairngorms.

I’m currently the Convener of the Cairngorm National Park Authority Board and although I’m only 25, I have served on a number of Boards including: Perth College UHI; Perth & Kinross Integration Joint Board (Health & Social Care); and a number of local charities.

I’m a strong advocate of good governance and believe that Boards should focus on: ensuring strong financial stewardship; setting the strategy of the organization; and agreeing policies and plans in line with that. 

The Trust should focus on its core objectives of managing some of our most important landscapes through land management, advocating strongly for the protection of wild land through its policy work and enthusing future generations about wild places through the Award.

Email: Raymond Simpson

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2019

Nominated by: Geoffrey Cohen, Robert Aitken, R I Ferguson, Sue Atkinson, Linda Simpson

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

I am committed to the appreciation of wild land and promoting an ecology where flora, fauna and human communities can thrive and mutually sustain each other rather than simply be exploited for resources or recreation.

Experience and contribution:

My mountaineering experience extends over 56 years in Scotland, Scandinavia and the greater ranges of five continents. An expedition to Arctic Norway in 1970 introduced me to Norwegian philosopher and mountaineer Arne Naess’ “deep ecology” theory of wild land.

As a mountain leader with 25 years’ experience in Europe and Scandinavia I have enjoyed sharing the mountains with people of all ages. I have published articles on wild land appreciation and regeneration in mountaineering magazines.

Professional work as a child and family psychologist has shown me how experiences of landscape and community can empower and sustain people.

I have been an advocate of Scottish land reform and community engagement in land management and ownership for over 20 years. I have followed closely the John Muir Trust’s model of community engagement and am inspired by its efforts.

As a long-term resident of Dunkeld I have been a community activist in successfully opposing Hydro schemes in sensitive wild land areas. I am also founder of a successful Community Supported (organic) Agriculture project pursuing core values of community involvement, biodiversity and soil quality. 

I am an experienced deer stalker (SNH registered deer controller) and collaborated with the late Simon Pepper to promote ethical deer management in the service of natural resource management. To achieve this locally I founded a successful community deer management forum which protects woodland and promotes habitat regeneration.

I hope that these experiences could contribute positively to the trust’s aims and I would like to become more involved particularly in its pioneering land management and community engagement work.

Email: Jane Smallman

Call: 01796 470080

Member since: 2014

Nominated by: John Fox-Davies, Andrew Whitfield, Duncan Macniven, Christopher Judson, Thomas Bruce

Trustees are elected by the membership of the John Muir Trust. As part of the process they produce a candidate statement.

Candidate statement

I was born and brought up in the industrial West Midlands. I always enjoyed walking but was a relatively late starter to wild land, making my first visit to Scotland at the age of 24. I have never looked back, and enjoy hill walking in Scotland as often as I can. I live in Oxfordshire and Edinburgh.

I worked in civil engineering for all my career. When I retired from full time employment in 2015, I was Managing Director of a specialist civil engineering consultancy - managing the business, developing markets and, most importantly, ensuring our staff were able to reach their full potential.

Since retirement, I have been involved with various organisations. I am a Trustee of the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), and their Vice President for Finance. I chair the ICE Finance, Assurance and Risk Committee. I was a Trustee (and past President) of the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST) until 2017 when I stood down due to term limits. Since 2014, I have been a Non-Executive Director of the Centre for Ecology, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science - an Executive Agency of the UK Government’s Department of the Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs (Defra) - currently chairing the board and sitting on their Audit and Risk Assurance Committee. I am also an Honorary Visiting Professor at the School of Engineering at the University of Edinburgh.

I would bring a wide range of different experience to the Trust through my business experience, and as a charity trustee and a non-executive director. My background and skills are rather different from many of the Trustees and, as a consequence, I would bring diversity of thought and experience to the Trust Board. I would consider it a privilege to be a Trustee of John Muir Trust.