Since my appointment in September last year, I have supported the CEO in bringing about financial stability and helped raise the profile with strategic partnerships in the sector to prepare the organisation for growth. I have also focused the Board on developing strategic intent, alongside good governance practise, reinstating committee structures and recruiting new trustees against a new skills matrix.My concurrent roles comprise BMC – national governing body – Chair of the Partners Assembly which aims to enable membership and representative bodies to achieve more by acting together than they could achieve on their own. Outcomes include Your movement matters survey, agreement on safeguarding recording and the supporting of the mountain safety forum and Adventure Smart. Also, Friends of the Lakes- membership organisation that works to protect and enhance the landscapes of Cumbria. Trustee –sitting on the strategic review group and finance committee.My business/work experience has always been in developing strategic intent, change management with associated leadership development and executive coaching. This began at the National Grid when it was privatised and led me into running my own company, and in more recent years to senior volunteer roles. My personal expertise was as a transformational organisational development consultant for over 20 years working with both profit and not for profit organisations to help them develop and implement strategies for making step changes in their organisations, dealing with difficult situations or creating new ways of delivering. Having been an employer/manager I understand the dynamics of human resource management, which is supported by a Degree in Business Studies and a Masters in HRM.I’ve supported organisations such as: Lake District National Park, O2, Ventura, Basildon District Council, Gravesham Borough Council, Newsquest International, Cable & Wireless, Ministry of Defence, Emergency Planning College, Scottish Executive, Honeywell & Orange. I have also been a strong contributor as a consultant for the CIPD & Ashridge.Since my retirement I have supported the outdoor sector through my work at the BMC which led me to obtain the George Band award for volunteer contribution to mountaineering. My most recent role was Director oversight for delivering the organisational review recommendations, EDI and chairing the partners assembly.My passion for the outdoors started at a young age when I sailed with my parents, then moved on to caving, undertaking many tricky pot holes in the UK and going on explorative trips, including the then Yugoslavia and bottoming some of France’s deepest pot holes e.g. Gouffre Bourger.I have been a traditional rock climber for over 25 years, starting much of my climbing in North Wales, many of my climbing partners having been instructors with PyB or more widely in the sector. I am a member of both the Pinnacle Club and The Climbers’ Club. Over the years, I have undertaken extended trips to the USA and Europe. I have also had a number of seasons in the Alps and progressed to climbing/scrambling higher mountains. These experiences taught me two things, it’s tricky to be successful when you are a part of a minority (I was the second only President of the Climbers Club) and training and mentoring is critical to survival and advancement (my club membership provided me with much support).My work experience showed that bringing out and developing communication; leadership and self-reliance qualities in people, teams and organisations, along with helping plan and implement strategies that actively help achieve organisational goals, can make a marked difference in what can be achieved.Our national outdoor centre has been part of my community and its outcomes have enabled so many to deliver for the sector and as it is recognised as the go to place for excellence in outdoor development and assessment. I want to ensure that the centre remains a national asset for anyone wanting to get outdoors.

Graham is a senior lecturer in education and deputy head of the School of Education at Bangor University, where he also leads on sustainability for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. His teaching and research centre on outdoor and adventure education, with a particular interest in how it supports learning and personal development.He first began working in residential outdoor education centres while studying at Bangor, later instructing across a range of local authority and independent centres in the UK, alongside expedition work in Europe, North America and Africa. After completing a PGCE in Outdoor Activities and Science, Graham taught in secondary schools and colleges across North Wales, London, the Midlands and Chester, holding roles from head of faculty to senior leadership.Since returning to Bangor in 2013, Graham has led postgraduate programmes in outdoor education and completed a PhD in the field focused on Adventure education pedagogy. He is a Leading practitioner and active member of the Institute for Outdoor Learning, chair of IOL Cymru and AHOEC in Wales, and Vice chair of the Wales Council for Outdoor Learning. He chairs the Outdoor Partnership stakeholder group for North Wales, is non-executive chair of Eryri Actif and vice chair of trustees of the Christian Mountain Centre.Alongside governance, Graham continues to support the sector as a technical advisor, coach educator and first aid trainer, and sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning.

Emily has 20 years experience working in the charitable sector and has a strong track record of working with a wide range of partners, creating and sustaining lasting partnerships in both the public and private sector in order to secure additional investment for programmes and build partnership funding opportunities. She has overseen the development and growth of new services into new markets and transformational change across teams.Emily is also passionate about the outdoors and has worked in the outdoor sector since qualifying as a mountain leader in 2012. Now a Winter ML and working towards completing her International Mountain Leader, Emily also runs her own company which is a provider of Mountain Training Skills courses. Also in her local Mountain Rescue team she is keen to ensure that as more people access the outdoors that they gain the right skills to do so safely and with good decision making skills.She has sat on the Mountain Training UK and Ireland Board 2017-2023 and the British Mountaineering Council’s Access and Conservation Trust Board 2015-2023 and so has a good understanding of the sector.As someone who has experienced Plas y Brenin courses in the past Emily is keen to use her experience to help the MTT reach more people and continue to be the centre of excellence in course delivery.

Matt’s career to date has been in Education, working in both Higher and Professional Body organisations, alongside various non-executive roles within charities. Matt is currently Chair of the Trustee Board for OutdoorLads, a UK-wide charity running outdoor activities for the LGBTQ community.Matt’s main interest is around developing, implementing and monitoring strategies to improve diversity and inclusion, while increasing engagement of under-represented groups in outdoor activities.Matt has a lifelong passion for outdoor activity, and since a young age been involved in hill walking, mountaineering and more recently paddlesports.

Lisa has nearly 15 years of experience working in the private sector, leading a wide range of people, cultural and IT change and transformation projects and programmes including a focus on strategy definition as well as Diversity and Inclusion.With a background in Scouting and Guiding, Lisa has always had an interest in spending time in the outdoors. Most recently, she focused her efforts on her whitewater kayaking. She went from hating water and not being able to swim to becoming a qualified whitewater leader in 2021 and has spent the last year helping support other women who want to build their confidence in whitewater as a #ShePaddles Ambassador for British Canoeing. She’s now working towards her whitewater coach award. Outside of paddling, Lisa is also a keen climber and walker and has recently completed her Mountain Leader training.Lisa has first-hand experience of courses at Plas y Brenin and is excited about the opportunity to use her corporate and outdoor experience to help the MTT further grow their mission of helping people get active in the outdoors.

Soraya Abdel-Hadi is an award-winning writer, artist, sustainability professional and founder of All The Elements CIC – a non-profit network for those creating change on diversity in the UK outdoors. She has worked in the outdoor sector for most of her career in roles including equestrian journalism, climbing instruction and expedition planning. All The Elements is centered on the leaders creating positive change on representation and access across all diversity areas, from ethnicity and race, to limited financial means, age, gender identity and sexuality, and more.

Bill is an accountant that qualified in the profession but who quickly moved to industry. He has now accumulated over forty years of finance, IT and business transformation experience, gained in a number of household name businesses and at senior levels.Bill’s passion for the outdoors dates back to his teens and flourished at university. He has experience of rock climbing to a high standard (for the 80’s) and of alpine mountaineering and remains a regular walker and scrambler across the mountains of the UK.

Frances Anderson is a co-opted director of MTT. She is a commercial lawyer with decades of experience in advising charities and not-for-profit organisations on governance and legal issues. She has historically advised MTT on substantial contractual matters. She was most recently a partner at VWV LLP, advising charities, universities, local authorities, manufacturing and commercial organisations on intellectual property and technology matters. Frances has served as a trustee/non-executive director of housing associations, arts and media organisations and educational establishments. She is currently a non-executive director of ABRSM and a trustee of the Moseley Society. She has a lifelong interest in mountains and related recreational activities.

Nick is Managing Director of Ordnance Survey’s consumer businesses, and the current Chair of the UK Outdoor Industries Association. He joined OS in 2012 to originally turn around the dwindling consumer business taking this from loss making to 7 figure profitability. During his time at OS, Nick founded both the OS Maps application (the UK’s premier outdoor exploration application with over 8m users and 500,000 subscribers) and the GetOutside initiative giving outdoor inspiration to millions of people. He has reinvigorated OS’s publishing business, expanding guidebooks (including the Uk’s first accessible guidebook), books and reinventing the iconic paper maps. Prior to OS Nick’s career has been through marketing agencies and within the financial services sector running business portfolios of over £300m per annum as well as several non-exec positions.Nick has a passion for helping more people to get outside more often and is committed to enabling more people to enjoy more enjoyable, accessible, and safe outdoor experiences. He has been a frequent visitor and longtime supporter of Plas y Brenin over the years and is an avid hill walker and (a very!) amateur mountain biker, climber, and paddler. He has a love for watersports and can often be found open water swimming or messing about with boats and boards whenever given the opportunity.In 2022 he was awarded an OBE for improving the health of the nation for his work in encouraging and inspiring millions of people to reap the benefits of activity in the great outdoors.

Stuart Morris is Global Operations & Product Director at World Challenge, a leading provider of youth expeditions. With over twenty years’ experience in the outdoor education sector, he has worked extensively with schools, youth groups, and international partners to deliver safe, high-quality, and impactful adventure experiences. He brings significant expertise in operational strategy, safety management, governance, and risk assessment.A former Vice Chair of the Expedition Providers Association and current Technical Committee member, Stuart is passionate about the power of outdoor adventure to build resilience, confidence, and connection with nature. Based in North Wales, he is committed to supporting Plas y Brenin’s role as the UK’s National Outdoor Centre.

My association with Plas y Brenin spans over many years. It began in 2000 when I joined as a Centre Assistant. After a brief departure in 2001 to pursue a PGCE in Outdoor Education, I returned to the team in 2002 as their Youth Coordinator. Over time, I progressed within the organisation, eventually assuming the role of Client Bookings Manager in 2017. In early 2022, I left to join the NHS Covid Vaccination team. I rejoined the Plas y Brenin family in October of last year, taking on the position of Governance Officer.In my role as Governance Officer at Plas y Brenin, my primary responsibility is to uphold the organisation’s compliance with legal and regulatory standards while fostering ethical practices and implementing robust governance procedures. Key areas of focus include policy development, compliance monitoring, risk management, board support, ethical oversight, stakeholder engagement, reporting and disclosure, and continuous improvement initiatives. By fulfilling these duties, I play a pivotal role in enhancing the effectiveness, transparency, and long-term sustainability of Plas y Brenin’s governance framework.

Emily has 20 years experience working in the charitable sector and has a strong track record of working with a wide range of partners, creating and sustaining lasting partnerships in both the public and private sector in order to secure additional investment for programmes and build partnership funding opportunities. She has overseen the development and growth of new services into new markets and transformational change across teams.Emily is also passionate about the outdoors and has worked in the outdoor sector since qualifying as a mountain leader in 2012. Now a Winter ML and working towards completing her International Mountain Leader, Emily also runs her own company which is a provider of Mountain Training Skills courses. Also in her local Mountain Rescue team she is keen to ensure that as more people access the outdoors that they gain the right skills to do so safely and with good decision making skills.She has sat on the Mountain Training UK and Ireland Board 2017-2023 and the British Mountaineering Council’s Access and Conservation Trust Board 2015-2023 and so has a good understanding of the sector.As someone who has experienced Plas y Brenin courses in the past Emily is keen to use her experience to help the MTT reach more people and continue to be the centre of excellence in course delivery.

Andrew chairs the Board of Mountain Training Limited, our trading subsidiary. He has a business background, finishing his corporate career on the global digital leadership team of Mars, Incorporated. As well as volunteering with MTT he is a national and local volunteer with the Scouts. A lifelong hillwalker, Andrew loves exploring hill country across the UK, and is also a mountain biker and canoeist.

Jon is a retired KPMG Tax Partner with 32 years’ experience within professional service environment. Key focus on client relationships and people development.  Previous voluntary work has largely been based around CSR projects with KPMG and has included fund raising for OYT Scotland and The Himalayan Trust.Outdoor interests and experience include two rounds of Munros, overseas mountaineering trips to the Alps, Andes, Africa, and the Himalayas.  I also enjoy mountain biking, sea kayaking and am a keen runner.

Abi joined the Mountain Training Trust as an independent advisor to the HR Committee in February 2024 and became a Mountain Training Limited Board member in September the same year. Her focus has been on strengthening governance through people-related matters, including policy, practice, and organisational culture.Alongside her role with MTL, she is Head of People at a green technology business, and runs and HR consultancy, Wye Business Solutions Ltd, supporting a variety of organisations, including those in the climbing wall industry, with policies, contracts, and people management advice. Her career has always centred on developing good practice in HR, drawing on experience across the commercial, non-profit, and outdoor sectors.She is a member of her local BMC club and enjoys the social side of climbing as much as the technical challenge. She is passionate about expanding access to outdoor climbing, and see people progress from their first experiences outdoors to building confidence and finding their own climbing projects. She also regularly documents her own outdoor experiences on social media to share with others and to inspire her daughter to develop her love of adventure as she grows up. She has been fortunate to attend a number of Plas y Brenin courses, including Welsh Winter Mountaineering (yes, there was snow), a trip to Scotland for even more winter mountaineering, and most recently SheClimbs in August 2025.My goal is to see Plas y Brenin continue to nurture future leaders in the sector and create inclusive opportunities for everyone to experience the outdoors.

Peter is a former Principal Fire and Rescue Service Officer with 30 years’ experience in operational fire management, health and safety, and personnel management.He is a Senior Associate Consultant for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), specialising in fire and water safety.He is a Law Society-approved member of the Institution of Expert Witnesses.Following a period of acting as Technical Advisor to the Fire Remedial Project, Peter was co-opted to the MTL Board, acting as Technical Advisor on health and safety and fire-related issues. In this role, he serves as Plas y Brenin’s Competent Person for health and safety.Following an open recruitment process, Peter has been appointed as a full Director of the MTL Board.His previous experience in managing and investigating hazardous situations enables him to take a pragmatic view of the activities at Plas y Brenin (PYB) and to advise the CEO and Board accordingly.He is a keen dinghy and small boat sailor (knees permitting!) and has represented the UK at an international level on several occasions.

Giles has a thirty-year career in independent education, with over half of that time spent in school leadership roles. He has worked predominantly in schools with significant residential components and large estates. In addition to overseeing educational and pastoral provision, he has held responsibility for safeguarding compliance, health and safety, staff welfare, appraisal and training, and systems for managing complaints and incidents. He has also served on the voluntary boards of two national advisory bodies for independent schools, including one focused specifically on boarding. He is currently Headmaster of a leading independent school in Central London.Giles has a deep-rooted passion for the outdoors and has spent considerable time in Eryri, where he and his family have chosen to make their home in Beddgelert. His lifelong interests include hillwalking, trail running, swimming, and cycling, both in the UK and abroad. His wife and three sons are equally active, with additional pursuits in climbing and kayaking. As a family and professionally they have long used Plas y Brenin for both training and recreation.

Mark Buley is an experienced international executive with over 25 years in retail, franchising, and consumer experience, leading major growth initiatives at brands including Costa Coffee (Coca-Cola), KellyDeli, and Alshaya. He specialises in P&L leadership, strategic international expansion, and building high-performing teams across diverse markets.Beyond the boardroom, Mark is an ultra-endurance runner and a passionate advocate for outdoor challenge and education. He has completed multiple 100-mile+ races, the Marathon des Sables, and the Barkley Marathons. His values-driven approach is further demonstrated through education-focused philanthropy, including spearheading a $260k fundraising project to build a school in Ethiopia.Mark offers a rare blend of corporate acumen and deep personal alignment with the mission of the Mountain Training Trust, bringing governance insight, strategic rigour, and a lifelong passion for the outdoors to the role of Non-Executive Director.