Firth of Clyde Forum Annual Conference 2007

Speakers' Biographies

• Conference Home
• Conference Programmme
• Keynote Presentation
• Additional Presentations
  • The Growth Of Marine Leisure on The Firth of Clyde
  • Industry Initiatives
  • The Clyde’s Cool Seas: The Marine Conservation Society in Scotland
  • Paths Around the Water
  • Sailing in the Clyde Estuary
  • The Economy of the Coast
  • The Majestic Line
  • Marine Wildlife Watching on the Clyde: The Scottish Marine Wildlife Watching Code
• Speakers' Biographies
• Conference Exhibitors

Paul Naylor

Paul Naylor is a marine biologist and underwater photographer with a passion for showing people what beautiful and intriguing animals live around British coasts. He concentrates on portraying the animals in their natural habitat and, wherever possible, going about their busy lives. He is the author of books on marine life, culminating in the (2005) 2nd edition of “Great British Marine Animals”, and was a main contributor to the recently published “Seasearch Observer’s Guide to Marine Life”. Paul contributes to newspapers and magazines and works with the Marine Conservation Society, the Wildlife Trusts, WWF and other organisations to promote the appreciation and protection of our marine wildlife. Several of his recent projects have centred around the campaign for the introduction of a long-awaited Marine Bill which will enable vitally needed statutory marine reserves to be established. He has a doctorate in marine biology and is an Associate of the Royal Photographic Society.

Carolyn Elder Largs Yacht Haven

Largs Yacht Haven evolved from a greenfield site in 1984 and now berths 730 yachts. 130 full time jobs have been created within the marina complex servicing the growing marine leisure sector. Working in conjunction with the Scottish Sailing Institute, Largs plays host to many national and international sailing events with a full calendar of events already in place until 2012. The national centres of Inverclyde and Cumbrae also play a vital role in supporting the marina activities with training and first class facilities.

Largs Yacht Haven welcomes sailors and non-sailors to Scotland’s Finest Marina!

Julia Christie and Sarah Black The Green Blue Scotland

Julia has been sailing since potty training and has progressed from windsurfers, to dinghies and then to yachts. She can be seen regularly sailing a Mirage 37 ketch on the West Coast of Scotland with her husband and two dogs. Julia combines this enthusiasm for watersports with experience in applied environmental ecology and research. She graduated from the University of Bath with a First Class degree in Applied Biology and has worked for Wessex Water Plc, the Forestry Commission, Imperial College and the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI). In 2000 she gained a PhD with the University of Reading, department of Agriculture. Julia is based at the Royal Yachting Association Scotland (RYAS) in Edinburgh

Sarah Black has been Project Manager for The Green Blue, the joint environment initiative for the British Marine Federation and the Royal Yachting Association since June 2006. She has sailed since childhood and was delighted to be able to combine her passions and expertise in this new programme. Before joining The Green Blue she worked for WWF, the conservation organisation, in various areas of the UK as well as 2 years in Zambia as Communications Manager on a large wetlands programme. Before that she worked with the Urban Wildlife Partnership at The Wildlife Trusts UK national office in Newark.

Anne Saunders Marine Conservation Society

Anne graduated from Aberdeen University in 2003 with a BSc in Conservation Biology. Since graduating, she has worked at various RSPB wetland and coastal reserves until she took up the post of Scottish Projects Officer for MCS in May 2007. She is particularly interested in cetaceans, birds and butterflies.

Email: anne.saunders@mcsuk.org

Website: www.mcsuk.org

Geoff Atkins Scottish Natural Heritage

Geoff has been working for SNH for the past six years as an Area Access Officer for the Strathclyde and Ayrshire areas. He is currently working on the establishment of core path networks. Before his employment with SNH his career was in roads and transportation.

Website: www.snh.org.uk

Robin Cole Scottish Enterprise Ayrshire

40 years or so ago Robin went to Sheffield University and qualified in civil engineering and rock climbing. Using these skills he spent a year as a brick layers labourer, a year as a tunnel engineer, a year as a crofter in the Outer Hebrides and ended up with a year as a teacher in a girls school in Tanzania. He then settled down for 5 years herding coal tips in South Wales; filling in his spare time designing, building and testing remarkably unstable hang gliders.

Since then Robin has spent the last 27 years working in Scotland (firstly for the Scottish Development Agency and then Scottish Enterprise) on a whole range of regeneration projects. For the last 2 years his main work has been developing sailing in the Clyde. Apart from the above his main qualifications for this work is his love of the sea and sea kayaking. He has sailed a little and once (briefly) won a sailing race by giving up half way around the course and accidentally crossing the finishing line first on my way back to the slipway!

John Kelly EKOS Consulting

John Kelly is a Director of EKOS Economics and Regeneration one of Scotland’s largest independent consultancies. He is an Economist and Chartered Surveyor with a degree in Earth Science and has previously worked in the public sector, latterly as a Director in Scottish Enterprise, the corporate sector as a Business Development Manager in the Oil and Gas Industry, before starting in consultancy some 15 years ago. He has worked throughout the UK across all areas of economic development and specialises in economic and regeneration policy and strategy development. Of particular relevance he is currently leading the research team developing the Clyde Coast Framework for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise.

Ken Grant The Majestic Line

Dr Ken Grant is a medical doctor by background. After early training as a paediatrician he worked for Save the Children Fund in Ethiopia and Afghanistan. Having realised he could get paid spending his days in a land rover or on a mule he specialised in tropical public health. Apart from a spell as chief executive of a large London Health Board – which included Barts hospital he has worked primarily in Africa and Asia. He built up a successful consulting business in international health which he later sold - although he continues to work for the firm that took over his business.

He started the Majestic line in 2005 with another Clyde sailor Andy Thoms and when not travelling abroad for work Ken lives and sails on the west coast and races a J109 on the Clyde. He also combines business with pleasure by jointly owning The Bilge water Gin company with Andy Thoms marketing a high quality gin aimed at sailors.

Website: www.themajesticline.co.uk

Fiona Manson Scottish Natural Heritage

Fiona is a marine advisor in the Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Unit at Scottish Natural Heritage. Her remit covers a wide range of marine issues, including impacts of human activities on marine mammals, and promotion of the Scottish Marine Wildlife Watching Code.

Website: www.marinecode.org