In just a few days I’ll be joining SCOTLAND: The Big Picture, and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s an honour to have been selected to lead the charity, and I can’t wait to get started. Pete Cairns, SBP’s visionary founder, is an almost impossible act to follow, but I’ll be building on the strong foundations he’s put in place.

So, what led me to SBP? I’m a farmer’s daughter, an ecologist, a conservationist and a communicator. But above all I’m a joiner-upper. I love bringing people together, finding common ground, overcoming obstacles, and exploring how we can all achieve more through collaboration.

To me, the emergence of the rewilding movement is the most important development in the environmental sector for decades. SBP’s collaborative approach to making rewilding happen across Scotland greatly appeals to me, and I’m hugely inspired by partnerships such as the Northwoods Rewilding Network and Loch Abar Mòr.

I’ve spent the last four years immersed in the world of biodiversity data and technology, as Chief Executive at the National Biodiversity Network Trust, a charity with the mission of ‘making data work for nature’. It’s been both fascinating and rewarding, and I’ll undoubtedly be championing the value of shared data and citizen science within the rewilding community. Nature has been calling though, and I couldn’t turn down the chance to join SBP, get my boots muddy and support rewilding in action. See you soon!