Trustees

Aedán is Head of Policy and Advocacy for RSPB Scotland and a board member of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland and the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland. He is a chartered town planner and has worked on some of Scotland’s most high profile and contentious environmental planning cases. Aedán has particular experience of reconciling the wildlife and climate impacts of plans and projects and of working with governments and public and private sectors to further environmental objectives.

Alan is Head of Nature Restoration at Trees for Life and has worked in conservation in Scotland for twenty-five years, first with SNH on Islay and in Argyll and Stirlingshire. His role at Trees for Life sees him focusing on projects that can make rewilding work and for that to bring tangible benefits to people, while getting past the polarisations that divide land use interests and engage meaningfully across those divides. He has been Convener of LINK’s Woodland Group for the past four years.

Arina is the Senior Policy Manager for WWF Scotland, leading a team of policy experts working across agriculture, food, climate, energy and nature restoration. Prior to this she led the policy and advocacy work for the Woodland Trust Scotland.  She brings a wealth of expertise in Scottish nature and climate policy and public affairs. Over the years Arina has played a key role within LINK as an active member of various groups and in recent years as the vice convener of the LINK Woodland Group.

Dr Helen Senn was elected as a trustee in 2017. She is Head of Conservation and Science Programmes at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland.

Dr Karen Blackport was nominated onto LINK Board as a co-opted trustee in 2020. She is an experienced scientist and businesswoman, with over 20 years of experience in the international life sciences industry, gained from senior management and commercialisation roles within private and public organisations in the UK and Australia, including Kyowa Kirin International and the University of Queensland, Brisbane. A Trustee of the wildlife conservation organisation, The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland since 2014, Karen established Chorus Environmental, an environmental and sustainability consultancy in 2020, which aims to engage with and support individuals and organisations in reconnecting with the importance of biodiversity and the environment.

Karen gained her PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Glasgow, working in Maggie Cusack’s laboratory and later gained her MBA from the University of Edinburgh. Karen is currently undertaking a MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health at the University of Edinburgh. Karen is a prior member of the Government’s Scottish Science Advisory Council and is a co-founder of Alfacyte Limited (now ILC Therapeutics).

Karen lives near Earlston in the Scottish Borders with her husband Jamie and their two children.

Eric Baird was elected onto LINK Board in 2023. Eric is the LINK Representative for Scottish Countryside Rangers Association and Head Ranger at Glen Tanar Charitable Trust. He joins LINK’s Trustees with significant experience in conflict resolution, including with his work on the Cairngorms National Park Board. He also has experience with EDI (Equality, Diversity  and Inclusion) through his role as vice-chair of ‘Inclusive Cairngorms’, set up to represent the interests of minorities in the Cairngorms National Park.

James has a background in environmental science – particularly meteorology, oceanography and hydrology. Early in his career he designed and installed an automatic weather station on the summit of Cairngorm. Through various posts within government and agencies, he became Chief Executive of SEPA, retiring in 2015. For a while he also founded and ran an eco-store/cafe in Glasgow. He has been an honorary professor of Stirling University and has chaired the WWF Scotland advisory council and the Scottish Sustainable Development Forum. James has a long-standing concern about climate change, having been a UK government reviewer of IPCC reports, and served on the Scottish Government’s climate change delivery board. He was Chair of the James Hutton Institute, chaired Climate Ready Clyde, was on the Board of the Green Purposes Company, set up to oversee the privatised UK Green Investment Bank, and has prepared the climate change action plan for the Isle of Man Government. He is currently a Visiting Professor at the Centre for Sustainable Development in the University of Strathclyde.

James was appointed as a co-opted Trustee in November 2022 and became LINK’s Treasurer in November 2023. James Woodhouse studied at Heriot Watt University from 2007 to 2011 and graduated 1^st class honours. He trained with PriceWaterhouseCoopers and qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2011, whilst working for PriceWaterhouseCoopers James provided audit and assurance services to high profile clients. He currently works for NatWest Group and is Head of Retail Banking Forecasting & Insight, James is responsible for strategic planning, forecasting and performance management, supporting and challenging our franchises to drive sustainable and purpose-led value, providing insight and guidance to the bank’s executive team.

Kathy Wormald was elected trustee in 2021. Kathy is CEO of The Froglife Trust, which she joined in 2007. With an Accountancy, Economics and Political History background, Kathy has worked in various sectors within the charitable sector including Human Rights, Environment, International Development and Nature Conservation. Working for and being a trustee of smaller charities had developed an appreciation of how smaller charities operate and the pressures they face particularly with limited resources.