Board of Directors
Mr David Crawley MA
Chair
Date of appointment to Board: 13 April 2007 (Chair February 2008)
A former Senior Civil Servant, David held the posts of Europe Director for Scottish Executive (2005-2006), Head of Scotland Office (2002-2005), Head of Food and Agriculture Group, Scottish Executive (1999-2002). He has a breadth of experience of Government at Scottish, UK and EU levels.
David is a board member of Scottish Natural Heritage; a member of the Joint Nature Conservation Committee; a non executive member of Wales Office Management; board and chair, and audit committee, HM Commissioner, Queen Victoria School; and independent chair of Mixed Stock Fisheries Working Group (sponsored by Scottish Government Marine Directorate).
Mr Guy Watt BSc B Litt C Dip Fellow of Institute of Chartered Foresters
Vice Chair and Chair of Audit Committee
Date of appointment to Board: 6 November 1992
Guy worked in the Solomon Islands as Assistant Conservator of Forests before joining the Forest Research Institute in New Zealand as a forest economist. He was seconded periodically to the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs to assist with aid programme and also undertook consultancy assignments for FAO, UNDP & AsDB. Guy returned to the UK in 1979 to join the Economic Forestry Group as forest economist specialising in forest investment as well as consultancy in UK and for the Department for International Development and FAO. In 1988, Guy joined John Clegg & Co, becoming a partner and then Managing Director of John Clegg Consulting Ltd in 1992.
Guy is also a partner of Beacon Forestry, a director of Thomas Dixon Developments Ltd, a trustee of Scottish Forestry Trust, a member of the Institution of Economic Development and a member of the Central Scotland Forestry Forum.
Mr Simon Rennie MBE MBA BSc Forestry
Chief Executive & Director
Date of appointment to Board: 14 March 1995
After graduating in Forestry from Aberdeen University in 1981, Simon spent nine years in the tropics in forestry working for Unilever in Nigeria and the Solomon Islands and for Inchcape in Malaysia. In 1990, he returned to Edinburgh to study for an MBA and then spent nine years working for the Wise Group based in Glasgow tackling social inclusion and environmental justice issues. Following a spell as a non executive director at CSFT, Simon joined the staff as the Chief Executive in 2000.
Simon is a Member of FCS National Committee, a Member of FCS Audit & Risk Committee, Chair of the Central Scotland Regional Forestry Forum, a Director of the HELIX project in Falkirk and a Director of Edlo Design Ltd.
He is currently chairing the working group considering the creation of a ‘Central Scotland Green Network' in the second National Planning Framework.
Ms Christine Bell BA Hons
Director
Date of appointment to Board: 3 October 2008
Christine spent 20 years as a technologist in the textile industry where she was involved in extensive travel throughout the UK and Europe. She then studied full time at Stirling University whilst raising two children and graduated in 2008.
Christine is an active volunteer and her involvement in campaigning on environmental issues in her local community led to the formation of a constituted group in June 2008 named the Community Green Initiative. The group has achieved an exceptional amount of success in its first year of operation. Since 2007, she has been a member of Denny & District Community Council and a member of the local heritage society since March 2009.
Christine is currently a partner in C & M Community Consultants LLP, established in November 2008, specialising in community consultation projects for local government in relation to environmental enhancement.
Cllr William Boyle
Director
Date of appointment to Board: 1 June 2007
William, a builder to trade, studied Engineering through SCOTEC before returning briefly lecturing in the Building department of West Lothian College. He then worked for 18 years as a financial adviser with a large UK insurance company. William then set up a small company in the home improvements sector before being elected in 2007 as a local Councillor in West Lothian.
William is a board member of Voluntary Action West Lothian, Volunteer Centre West Lothian, Firefly (West Lothian Youth Theatre), Acredale House (Bathgate) and the Regal Community Theatre (Bathgate).
Ms Marjorie Calder MA MBA
Director
Date of appointment to Board: 3 October 2008
A director of The BIG Partnership, the UK's largest PR company outside London, Marjorie began her career in Financial Services and was Group Marketing Manager for Murray Johnstone before moving into journalism for 10 years. She joined The BIG Partnership in 2003 and was appointed to the Board in 2006. Her role involves working with a range of clients, from Dundas & Wilson and Deloitte to SAGA Radio and Inverawe Smokehouses.
Marjorie is patron of Dyslexia Scotwest, a member of the Institute of Directors and a member of the Chartered Institute of Public Relations.
Dr Roddy Fairley
Director
Date of appointment to Board: 2 April 2004
Roddy worked for the opencast executive of British Coal before joining the Countryside Commission for Scotland in 1984. Joined SNH in 1992 as Head of Corporate Planning. He undertook roles in Organisational Development and Operational Management, becoming Director of Operations for South Scotland in 1997.
He is a director of Paths for All Partnership, a director of Cairnhead Community Forest Trust, and a former director and chair of Reforesting Scotland.
Roddy is a member of the Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership, a member of the Programme monitoring Committee of the Strathclyde European Partnership, on the steering group for the Central Scotland Green Network, and a member of the Forestry Commission's South Scotland Regional Forestry Forum.
Mr Ian Howarth Bsc BD
Director
Date of appointment to Board: 21 February 2003
Ian has over forty years' business experience, working with a variety of different business sectors including the private sector, local authorities, the farming and agricultural sectors, the third sector and a range of community groups.
Before taking early retirement, he was Legal Advisor and Estates Administrator for BP Grangemouth, responsible for the building of Pumpherston Golf Course during the period 1997 - 2002.
Ian is a director of Forth Valley & Lomond LEADER and the River Forth Forum, a member of Church of Scotland Rural Priority Parishes Working Party, an executive member of Stirlingshire Golf Union, a Trustee for Denny Youth, an executive member of the Scottish Golf Union and a Lifetime Ambassador for Girl Guides in Scotland.
In addition, Ian has been involved in a number of fundraising projects including the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research, Maggie's Centre, Junior Golf and Young People in Rugby.
Mr Alan Rodger BSc DipTp MRTPI
Director
Date of appointment to Board: 5 April 2002
Alan has spent his career working for Falkirk Council and has held positions of planning officer, senior planner, principal planner and planning and environment manager. Mid career he took a degree in economics. His current position is to lead multi-disciplinary teams of professionals engaged in the preparation and implementation of corporate strategies and policies, covering land use planning, built heritage, outdoor access, biodiversity, sustainability, open space and countryside management.
Falkirk Council's representative on the board of Central Scotland Forest Trust for seven years, Alan has recently been appointed a director of Falkirk Environment Trust. He is also an alternate director of Falkirk Town Centre Management Ltd and a member of the Scottish Society of Heads of Planning, serving on its Development Plan sub committee and currently its National Executive Committee.
Mr Keith Wishart BSc Hons For, MBA, MICFor
Director
Date of appointment to Board: 17 February 2006
Since graduating from Aberdeen University, Keith worked for a brief spell with Fountain Forestry in South West England before joining the Forestry Commission in 1989. Since then, he has worked in a variety of roles throughout Scotland, including Harvesting Forester in Lothian & Tweed Forest District, Central Scotland Woodlands Project Officer, Community Woodland Adviser for Scotland based in Glasgow, Operations Support Officer in FCS National Office, Edinburgh and Conservator for Strathclyde. Keith is currently Forestry Commission Scotland's Conservator for Central Scotland.
Keith is a board member of the Glasgow & Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership, a director of the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust, chair of the Clyde Valley Regional Project Assessment Committee (RPAC) for Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities (part of the Scotland Rural Development Plan), a member of the Forth RPAC; a member of the National Proposal Assessment Committee (NPAC) for Rural Development Contracts - Rural Priorities, member of the ERDF Advisory Group for Lowland & Upland Scotland, a member of Edinburgh & Lothian's Forest Habitat Network Partnership and a member of the Commonwealth Games 2014 Legacy Greener Sub-Group.
Alternate Directors
Mr Chris Alcorn MA (Hons) PG Dip
Alternate Director
Date of appointment to Board: December 2008
After leaving Heriot Watt University in 1988, Chris joined West Lothian District Council as a Planning Assistant specialising in environmental improvements across the District. He later became area planner for the Calders Area and joined West Lothian Council at local government re-organisation as a senior planner. In 2003, he became the Principal Planner within the Development Plan section. Since the retirement of the council's Environment Manager in late 2007, he has taken over that role covering access, biodiversity, climate change and carbon management, among other planning issues.
Chris is a member of Pentlands Hills Regional Park Management Group.
Ms Lorna Bowden
Alternate Director
Mr Iain Rennick BSc PG Dip
Alternate Director
Date of appointment to Board: 17 February 2006
Iain Rennick has been an Area Manager for Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) since 2004, leading SNH's operational work across the local authority areas of Fife, Falkirk, West Lothian, Midlothian, East Lothian, Edinburgh and the Borders. He chairs the Forth Regional Proposal Assessment Committee (RPAC) which allocates government funding to rural businesses and communities across the eastern central belt. Iain has worked for SNH for over 20 years in a variety of different posts, having previously been a research consultant specialising in access and countryside recreation.
Iain is a director of the Forth Estuary Forum and a director of the Edinburgh & Lothians Greenspace Trust.
