Scottish Wildlife Trust Chief Executive wins prestigious award

Friday 22nd March 2013

The Wildlife Trusts are delighted that Simon Milne MBE, Chief Executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, has been awarded the Third Sector Director of the Year award by the Institute of Directors Scotland.

In his nine years at the helm of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Simon's determination and vision, combined with great humanity and humour, have allowed him to attract and retain some wonderful staff and to build the financial and operational strength of the organisation. He has the ability to work closely with landowners, the corporate sector, other voluntary sector bodies and local communities and these are critical aspects of leadership in our sector.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust is an active player in Europe and internationally through IUCN. Scotland is unique in Britain as a Wildlife Trust covering a whole country. In common with its county counterparts in England and Wales and the Trust in Ulster, Isle of Man and Alderney; the Scottish Wildlife Trust is owned by the people of Scotland. This accountability is critical and at heart of our movement.

Simon Milne said, “I am hugely honoured to have received this award. Working with the Scottish Wildlife Trust to protect our magnificent and valuable natural environment is a wonderful job. The secret of success is to enjoy your profession and to work with highly committed and able people, such as my colleagues and our terrific volunteers".

Stephanie Hilborne OBE, Chief Executive of The Wildlife Trusts said "This is well deserved recognition for a great man who has transformed Scottish Wildlife Trust into a leading light in the environment sector, both in the UK and beyond. It is an honour and a pleasure to work alongside him in our quest to achieve Living Landscapes and Living Seas across the length and breadth of our islands".

Notes for editors:

The Wildlife Trusts (TWT)
There are 47 individual Wildlife Trusts covering the whole of the UK, including the Scottish Wildlife Trust. All are working for an environment rich in wildlife for everyone. We have more than 800,000 members including 150,000 members of our junior branch Wildlife Watch. Our vision is to create A Living Landscape and secure Living Seas.

We manage around 2,300 nature reserves and every year we advise thousands of landowners and organisations on how to manage their land for wildlife. We also run marine conservation projects around the UK, collecting vital data on the state of our seas and celebrating our amazing marine wildlife. Every year we work with thousands of schools and our nature reserves and visitor centres receive millions of visitors. Each Wildlife Trust is working within its local communities to inspire people about the future of their area: their own Living Landscapes and Living Seas.

The Scottish Wildlife Trust http://scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk/
The Scottish Wildlife Trust is the largest voluntary body working for all the wildlife of Scotland, representing well over 30,000 active members who care for wildlife and the environment. The Scottish Wildlife Trust seeks to raise public awareness of threatened habitats and species and manages over 120 reserves Scotland-wide.