Mr Michael Gibson - Chairman

Mr Michael Gibson has over 30 years experience in livestock production in the North-East both as primary producer, processor, judge and consultant. He is a founder board member of the Food Standards Agency and chairs the independent Scottish Food Advisory Committee advising the Agency in Scotland. He is also a member of the Scottish Food & Health Committee. Mr Gibson was Vice Convenor for the SLF from 2000-2002 having previously chaired its Agricultural committee and its Highland committee.

Professor Brian Clark

Professor Brian D Clark is Professor of Environmental Management and Planning, at the University of Aberdeen and Co-Director of the MSc in Sustainable Rural Development, a Director of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), and Chairman of both the North Region Board and the Planning & Finance Committee of SEPA. He has forty years’ experience in urban and rural planning and environmental management in Scotland, the UK, Europe and overseas.

Helen Dickinson

Helen Dickinson graduated from Aberdeen University with a degree in Genetics. After a short spell as a research assistant with the university she made the career change into accountancy and qualified as a Chartered
Accountant in 1994. She is currently Finance Director at International Paper (UK) Limited in Inverurie with particular interest in alternative energy applications and land development.

Dr Laura Meagher

Dr Laura Meagher is a senior partner of Technology Development Group in Fife, a company specialising in strategic organisational change. Originally from the United States, she has been based in Scotland since 1999. Dr Meagher has a background in biotechnology both from a research and a commercialisation perspective. She was a co-founder and first vice president of the North Carolina Biotechnology Centre and was associate dean/director of research for Cook College, Rutgers University from 1994-1999.

Ms Franceska van Dijk

Ms Franceska van Dijk is based in Edinburgh and is currently an Associate for SustainAbility Ltd and is Associate Editor (Europe) for the Journal of Corporate Environmental Strategy. She is an External Examiner, Critical and Contextual Studies for the Leeds Metropolitan University and is a freelance consultant. She has been working in environment and sustainable development since 1987 and is an expert in triple bottom line business strategy, working with international corporations at senior management level to help define strategic and operational approaches to sustainable development. She graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1986 and has a Masters in Environmental Management and Business from EAEME.

Dr George Paterson

Dr George Paterson has been the Director of the Foods Standards Agency for Scotland since its formation in 2000. He is responsible for the development and implementation of the Agency's programmes in Scotland. He retires from this post in June 2009.

A graduate in Chemistry from the University of Edinburgh, followed by a PhD in Protein Chemistry, George’s career took him to Ottawa in Canada where he worked for a range of departments within the Canadian public service predominantly on food safety and nutrition.

Dr Julia Brown

Julia Brown is the Director of Research and Development at ITI Life Sciences, based in Dundee. A well-known and respected member of the Scottish life sciences community, her role includes commissioning and developing research programmes with the aim of generating intellectual assets which can be commercialised for the benefit of the Scottish economy. She is also a Director of Genomia fund which supports the commercialisation of ideas from Public Sector Research Establishments.

Mr Eric Baird

Eric Baird is currently Head Ranger on the Glen Tanar estate, and Deputy Convener of the Cairngorms National Park Authority Board. He is has specialist knowledge of countryside issues and sits on the Grampian Regional Forestry Forum.

A former deputy chair of the Forest Education Initiative, Eric has a wide range of experience in developing policy and contributing to the promotion of land management issues, especially in relation to social as well as environmental aspects.

Prof Nigel Curry

Nigel Curry is Professor of Countryside Planning at the University of Gloucestershire and Director of the Countryside and Community Research Institute (a collaboration between the University of Gloucestershire, University of the West of England, Royal Agricultural College and Hartpury College).  

A Member of both the Royal Town Planning Institute and the Institute of Leisure and Amenity Management with over 30 years experience of research into aspects of the rural economy, and the planning process in relation to communities in rural areas, Nigel has published widely on countryside recreation, access and land use planning.

Professor Alan Werritty

Alan Werrity is the Professor of Physical Geography at the University of Dundee (1994 - ) He held the post of Head of the Department of Geography from 1997-2001 and has been Chair of the Council of British Geography since 2004.

Alan is also the Director of Research at the Dundee UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science a post he has held since 2007.

An advisor to the Scottish Government on and flooding, Alan sits on the UN High-Level Expert Panel on Water and Disasters created by the United Nations to develop and promote concrete solutions related to water related catastrophes.

Mr Bob Kay CBE

Bob Kay has over 35 years experience in land and farm management and was the South of Scotland Regional Manager for the Scottish Landowners' Federation.

An Honorary Fellow of Borders College of which he was Chairman for 12 years, Bob was instrumental, along with others, in founding the Association of Scottish Colleges, and was their Chairman for a period of seven years.

Bob is also the Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Tweed Forum, a broad membership of organisations and individuals representing a spectrum of interests throughout the River Tweed catchment.

Ms Shireen Chambers

Shireen Chambers is the Executive Director of the Institute of Chartered Foresters. She has an extensive background in forestry in the UK and internationally, spending time working with the Government of the Bahamas to set up a new forestry department.

She was a non-executive director of Scottish Natural Heritage’s West Area Board and was a former Chair of the Forestry Commission's Regional Advisory Committee for Mid-Scotland.