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As a membership organisation, the Trust is governed by a Council of Trustees elected by members.

Each year Council reports to the members at the AGM. Trustees are elected either at the AGM or by postal voting in accordance with the rules laid down in the Articles of Association.

The Trust’s activities are bound by the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005, which is regulated by OSCR. The Scottish Wildlife Trust is also a company limited by guarantee and all Trustees are registered as directors of the company. The running of the day-to-day operations is delegated to the Chief Executive, who is responsible for the employment of staff.

Chair and Vice Chairs

In this section

Get in touch

To contact the Chair, Vice-Chairs or any member of Council, please call 0131 312 7765, or email enquiries@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk.

Dr Kenny Taylor
Chair

Dr Kenny Taylor FRSA  is a well-known figure in the world of conservation as an ecologist, writer, editor, broadcaster and musician. He has extensive knowledge of the Scottish Wildlife Trust as Chair of the North of Scotland Local Group and previously a Vice Chair of the Trust and Convenor of the Trust’s Conservation Committee.

He has been involved when the Trust supported the community buy-out of the Isle of Eigg in 1997, along with more recent involvement in the campaign to save Coul Links and the establishment of Riverwoods.

Dr Ian Jardine OBE
Vice Chair (Convenor, Conservation Committee)

Ian was born in Edinburgh and lives in Perthshire. He has degrees in Ecology and Zoology and spent most of his career with Scottish Natural Heritage (now NatureScot) where he was Chief Executive for 15 years. He also worked for Scottish Government and the European Commission, helping to review its nature legislation. He has a life long interest in wildlife and in helping people to experience and enjoy it sustainably. He is also a Trustee of the Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh.

Bill Lambert
Vice Chair (Finance)

Bill worked in the investment management industry for 27 years, holding a range of positions from fund management to oversight of investment activity.

Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Ernst & Whinney in London, Bill moved to work in fund management with Martin Currie in Edinburgh. Bill moved to Standard Life Investments in 2003, where he was a member of the Executive, holding a range of responsibilities across the global Investment Team. These included responsibility for oversight of all investment activity globally and the Sustainable Investment.

Bill retired from Standard Life Investments in March 2017 and now holds a number of non-executive roles. Bill is an active participant in a number of outdoor activities, including golf and hill walking.

Members of Council

Chris Arnold
Council Member

Chris’s passion for nature is borne from being brought up in the countryside and, more recently, living next to a Local Nature Reserve in Edinburgh. He has particular interests in birds and bees, having completed a beginners’ beekeeping course. A member of several conservation charities, Chris has been involved in a number of charity fundraisers and is a keen wildlife photographer, regularly contributing photographs to nature websites. Having retired in 2016 from a career in construction law, Chris now holds various voluntary roles, including as a Trustee of the Scottish Seabird Centre and the founding Chair of the Scops Arts Trust.

Jen Baxter
Council Member

Jen inherited her love of nature from her parents and spends hours in her garden and surrounding green spaces. She regularly encourages others to reconnect with the natural environment to support their wellbeing when teaching meditation. She does this alongside her role as Programme Manager, having worked in the change environment for over 20 years, managing projects/programmes and leading governance and assurance work. As a Trustee, Jen will strive to encourage changes that build a deeper connection between people and wildlife, to support nature’s recovery, help us to thrive in harmony and to protect nature for future generations to enjoy.

Julian Caldecott
Deputy Convenor, Conservation Committee

As an ecologist, Julian has mainly worked on tropical wildlife research and conservation, and on consulting and writing about solutions to challenges around biodiversity, ecosystems, water and climate change. His priorities include promoting ‘peace with nature’ and the climate emergency response by advising official aid donors on partnership-based ecosystem protection, education and governance. His interests include history, natural history, and exploring Scotland’s landscapes. His key aim is to promote globally aware and networked actions that build on Scotland’s precious resource of public enthusiasm for safeguarding heritage, natural beauty and ecological integrity.

Alasdair Lemon
Council Member

Alasdair has volunteered for the Trust for a number of years, currently he is a Trustee and sits on the Conservation Committee. Previously he sat on the committee for the Stirling and Clackmannanshire Local Group and was a Young Leader. He has an Honour’s degree in Marine Biology and a Master’s degree in Wildlife Biology and Conservation. Having previously worked for Froglife, Buglife and the RSPB he currently works for NatureScot as a Marine Ornithology Adviser.

Craig Marshall
Council Member

Craig has worked in financial management roles within the public sector for nearly 20 years, specialising in financial planning and strategy. Having qualified as a Chartered Accountant, he initially worked within the NHS holding a range of responsibilities before moving to Historic Environment Scotland in 2018. In addition, he is the treasurer and a trustee of the Edinburgh Dog and Cat Home as well as being actively involved in the governance of the Scottish Seabird Centre. In his spare time, Craig enjoys various outdoor activities as well as growing his vinyl collection.

Alistair McVittie
Council Member

Alistair is an environmental economist working in the research and analysis of environmental and agricultural policies for a range of funders including Scottish and UK Governments, and the EU. He has engaged with Scottish Wildlife Trust for several years through its initiatives including the Scottish Forum for Natural Capital and the Nature Finance Pioneers. He also contributes to teaching of undergraduate and masters programmes. In his spare time, Alistair is a keen cyclist, particularly enjoying the opportunity this gives to get into the countryside and to enjoy nature and landscapes.

Stephen Metcalfe
Council Member

Stephen is passionate about the need to conserve, restore and enhance the natural environment. A birdwatcher since childhood, he volunteered as an assistant warden at several RSPB reserves in his youth. Since retirement, Stephen has volunteered for several wildlife charities including the Trust’s conservation team based in Dalkeith, as well as organising and conducting bird surveys for the BTO. He would bring to Council his experience as a solicitor, with expertise in risk management, governance and good working practices.

Dr Martyn Murray
Council Member

A scientist, conservationist and writer living on Lismore, Martyn worked on fig wasps in Malaysia and then ungulate grazing ecology in the Serengeti in the 1980s before working as biodiversity consultant for the EU. Travelling to remote areas of the world, he advised on conservation strategy, policy and the project cycle. He developed the EU’s ‘Key Landscapes for Conservation’ concept which led to his bioscape model of conservation to improve the effectiveness of protected areas whilst simultaneously enhancing rural livelihoods.

Emma Steel
Council Member and Young Leader

Emma grew up on her family’s dairy farm in Stirlingshire and has a degree in Zoology and an MSc in Environmental Science, both from Aberdeen University. Currently, she works as Policy Officer for Whale and Dolphin Conservation, expanding the Shorewatch citizen science programme into the Northern Isles (Orkney, Shetland and Fair Isle). Shorewatch involves training and supporting local community volunteers to collect sightings data on whales, dolphins and porpoises. Based in Stromness, Orkney, Emma also volunteers as a Young Leader for the Scottish Wildlife Trust and is the Internal Communications Officer with A Focus On Nature. Emma is passionate about Scotland’s wildlife and enjoys spending time by the coast.

Andrea Tomečková
Council Member

A keen hiker and outdoor enthusiast, Andrea loves exploring local beauty spots and rugged areas in the North of Scotland. Having worked in finance for 15 years, she has gained experience across various sectors, focusing on charity accounting practices including leading on budgeting, forecasting, financial statements preparation and audit. Now looking to dedicate her time, skills and expertise to the Trust and the conservation of nature, Andrea is thrilled about the opportunity to help deliver this vision.

Hayley Whyte
Council Member

Hayley works in Marketing & Communications for a global business consultancy, leading efforts to communicate the importance of sustainability for business and for people, and advocating for sustainable transformation within the corporate sector. She is involved in a variety of nature-related projects, from bringing cross-industry organisations together to identify and address biodiversity loss that business contributes to, to exploring how we might leverage technology to engage and inspire people to support conservation. Hayley enjoys spending time in the outdoors, particularly the Pentland Hills on the outskirts of Edinburgh, and credits her grandma for igniting her passion for nature.

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