Transform Scotland - For Sustainable Transport

Who We Are

Transform Scotland Limited is a registered Scottish charity (charity number SC041516), established in November 1997 as a non-profit distributing limited company, gaining charity status in May 2010. Our Board of Directors is drawn from our membership.

Board of Directors

Board members are nominated representatives of their member organisation. We have Board members representing the following 11 organisations:

Aberdeen Friends of the Earth
Capital Rail Action Group
The City of Edinburgh Council
CTC Scotland
Friends of the Earth Scotland
Railfuture Scotland
Ramblers Scotland
RSPB Scotland  
ScotRail
Scottish Association for Public Transport
Stagecoach Group

Plus four co-opted members, to give a total of 15 Board members. Every year one-third of the Board retire (but can be re-elected).

Our Board of Directors

Phil Matthews is Transform Scotland's Chair

Phil has worked on sustainable development issues for over 20 years. He is currently the Executive Director of NuLeAF (Nuclear Legacy Advisory Forum) the body representing local government in discussions on nuclear decommissioning and waste management.

 Prior to his current role he worked for a number of years as Director and Partner in CAG Consultants, one of the UK’s leading sustainable development and climate change consultancies. For CAG he undertook a range of work for the Scottish and UK Government, Scottish Parliament and other public and private organisations. Between 2007 and 2010 Phil served as the Sustainable Development Commission’s (SDC) Senior Policy Advisor in Scotland, including a spell as the Acting Director. In this role he led a detailed annual audit of the Scottish Government’s performance on sustainable development, reporting to the First Minister. He has also worked as Secretary to the Lord Provost’s Commission on Sustainable Development for the City of Edinburgh, a think tank tasked with preparing a blueprint for Scotland’s capital, and for a range of other public, private and NGO bodies in the UK and overseas.

 Originally from Aberdeen, Phil now lives in Edinburgh. He holds an Honours Degree in Geography from Edinburgh University and a Masters (with Distinction) in Environmental Change and Management from Oxford University.

Helen Todd represents Ramblers Scotland and is Transform Scotland's Vice Chair

Helen has worked for Ramblers Scotland since October 2004; she currently occupies the post of Campaigns & Policy Manager. She is also Vice-Chair of Scottish Environment LINK (the umbrella organisation of Scottish environmental organisations). Before working for the Ramblers, and after gaining a MSc in Ecological Economics at Edinburgh University, she was a campaigns researcher for Friends of the Earth Scotland working on planning issues. In a previous career, Helen was a teacher, trainer and language school manager, mainly overseas.  This international experience has given her a great insight into how efficient public transport can be. She is a keen cyclist and walker. Helen was elected Vice-Chair of Transform Scotland in October 2010.

Stuart Hay is Transform Scotland's Company Secretary

Stuart Hay has been involved with Transform Scotland since 2003 and is currently company secretary. Throughout his career Stuart has had a strong interest in sustainability focused on the energy and transport sectors working on both project development, research and campaigns. In August 2014 he was appointed Head of Living Streets Scotland with a focused on expanding the organisation’s influence, impact and operational development to further the interest of pedestrians.  Previously Stuart was a Senior Consultant at Changeworks where from 2008-14 he worked on a wide range of practical research projects, including developing major energy efficiency schemes for the City of Edinburgh Council, European Union Funded initiatives, work for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Energy Saving Trust and the Scottish Government for whom he co-ordinated a peer review of the proposed Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing.  In his early career he worked as a Parliamentary Researcher, Policy & Parliamentary Officer (Help the Aged), Policy Officer (Scottish Wildlife Trust) and as Head of Policy and Campaigns at Friends of the Earth Scotland (FoES). At FoES he worked on a wide range of planning and climate related campaigns, including influencing the early development of the Climate Stage (Scotland) Bill and key planning policies to promote micro-generation. He has a long-standing interest in transport, which stems from his studies in Town Planning at Heriot Watt University, from where he graduated in 1999 with an MA.. He works with Living Streets Scotland and as a member of the Active Travel Alliance, which is co-ordinated by Transform Scotland to promote better policies and investment in greener modes of transport.  He also represents Transform Scotland on the Scottish Government’s 2020 Climate Change Group.  Stuart is also a Director and founder member of the Edinburgh Community Solar Co-op. He lives in central Edinburgh with his young family where he attempts to live a low carbon lifestyle.

John McCormick is Chairman of the Scottish Association for Public Transport (SAPT)

Gregor McAbery is the Vice Co-ordinator of Aberdeen Friends of the Earth

Gregor trained as a journalist at Napier but has turned from poacher to gamekeeper and taken up media relations work after falling ill with ME. Gregor served as the Secretary for CARE80 which successfully opposed plans to push the M80 through the Kelvin Valley near Kilsyth. Friends of the Earth Aberdeen are currently fighting the Aberdeen Bypass plans.

Cllr. Lesley Hinds is an Elected Member at The City of Edinburgh Council

Lesley Hinds first became a Councillor in 1984. Currently the Councillor for the Inverleith ward, she has held numerous positions in the council, including Leader and Lord Provost. 

Born in Dundee she has lived in Edinburgh for over 30 years. Drylaw, the area she represents, has been her home with her husband Martin, while bringing up her three children. Lesley is a qualified primary school teacher. In addition she is a Past Chair of NHS Health Scotland-appointed by the Health Minister. She is a member of Unite the Union, CND, the Co-op Party and Scotmid.
 She is currently the Convener of the CEC's Transport, Infrastructure and Environment Committee.

John Yellowlees is External Relations Manager at ScotRail

Since joining the railway industry in 1991, John has worked for the British Railways Board, Railtrack Scotland Zone, ScotRail Railways and now First ScotRail. Prior to this, he was for 17 years an administrative civil servant in the Departments of the Environment and Transport. John is a Past Chairman of CILT's Scottish Region, and belongs to the Executive Committee of the Scottish Transport Studies Group, the Industrial and Professional Advisory Committee of Napier University's School of the Built Environment, and the Scottish Sub-Committee of the Railway Heritage Committee.

Lloyd Austin is Head of Conservation at RSPB Scotland

Lloyd co-ordinates the development and advocacy of environmental policy on behalf of RSPB Scotland.  His particular concerns are environmental law, site designations, planning, agriculture, freshwater and marine policy as well as climate change and energy matters.  He has led the RSPB Scotland teams working on the Water Environment and Water Services (Scotland) Act 2003 and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, from pre-legislative stages to implementation. In agriculture, RSPB Scotland’s interests range from farming in-hand or with partners, to environmental advisory work for farmers and crofters, to policy advocacy - especially on agri-environment. He is a graduate of Edinburgh University and, prior to working for RSPB, has worked for a range of voluntary and statutory conservation organisations.  He is also a past Chair of Scottish Environment LINK (the umbrella organisation of environmental NGOs) and continues to serve as a Trustee.

Lawrence Marshall is a member of the committee of Railfuture Scotland

Lawrence has worked in various guises on the railway since 1982: freight guard, carriage cleaner, passenger guard, driver and now conductor. Before that he was a bus conductor with Eastern Scottish after having been unemployed for over a year after his time at Edinburgh University studying Psychology and at Surrey University studying Environmental Psychology. He served as a councillor on Lothian Regional Council and The City of Edinburgh Council from 1994 to 2007 and is a former chair of the Forth Estuary Transport Authority. He is a founder member of the Capital Rail Action Group, a vice-president of the Scottish Association for Public Transport, a committee member of Railfuture Scotland. Lawrence is also a Council member of The Cockburn Association, Edinburgh's civic trust, and chairs its transport committee.

Paul Tetlaw is a Committee member of Capital Rail Action Group

Paul spent most of his career in environmental management in the water industry and was formerly a General Manager with Scottish Water. He has had a long term interest in sustainable transport and its relationship to individuals' quality of life and the built environment. He is also a member of the steering group of Capital Rail Action Group (CRAG), who he represents on the Board of Transform Scotland, and is on the Committee of the Scottish Association for Public Transport. Paul was the Chair of Transform Scotland between October 2006 and October 2010.


Peter Hawkins represents CTC Scotland

Peter has been a campaigner for cycling for over 20 years, on behalf of Spokes (the Lothians Cycle Campaign) and CTC (the national association of cyclists). The involvement has been both local, regional, and national. Peter is a member of the Edinburgh Cycle Forum and the Edinburgh Access Forum. He is also a member of the Spokes Planning Group, and CTC's 'Right-to-Ride' group. Peter has not owned a car for over 30 years and, when not cycling, is a committed user of public transport. Peter was a member of the original Transform Board in 1999.

Calum McCallum is a co-opted member of the Board

Calum has been a committed volunteer with Transform Scotland for five years. During that time has contributed to numerous articles and papers, taking a particular interest in matters relating to Glasgow. Currently working for Glasgow City Council, he previously worked in the transport sector for SPT and the Railway Inspectorate amongst others.   


Steven Stewart is Director of Communications with Stagecoach Group plc

Steven Stewart is Director of Communications with Stagecoach Group plc, a leading international transport company with extensive bus and rail operations in the UK and North America. A former journalist, he has 25-years' experience in media and communications both in the public and private sector. Steven is a member of the Group's business development team and co-ordinates the company's sustainability strategy. He has been a policy adviser to the Campaign for Better Transport and is also a Director of Perthshire Chamber of Commerce.  

 

Staff

Director: Colin Howden

Colin has managed Transform Scotland since 1998 and has, in that time, published widely on all aspects of sustainable transport policy and practice. He was Board member and Treasurer of the European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E), our European umbrella body, from 2009 to 2012. Colin has been active in the environmental movement for over twenty years, and was until recently a Board member of Friends of the Earth Scotland. Prior to joining Transform Scotland, he studied economics at Aberdeen and Manchester universities. He can be reached on 07956 394121 (who knows, he might even answer!) or by email at c o l i n . h o w d e n @ t r a n s f o r m s c o t l a n d . o r g . u k

Development Officer: Emma Margrett

Emma joined Transform in January 2013 having worked in the environmental / social enterprise sectors in Scotland since January 2002. Emma works part-time for Transform Scotland and as a Community Engagement Executive for Foundation Scotland. Emma has worked for the Scottish Parliament, the Community Resources Network for Scotland (CRNS), the Social Entrepreneurs Network for Scotland (Senscot), Comrie Development Trust and Remake Scotland. Emma has volunteering experience with Friends of the Earth Scotland (FoES), New Caledonian Woodlands, Comrie Development Trust and the Scottish Communities Climate Action Network (SCCAN). Emma represents Transform Scotland on the Scottish Government's Climate Challenge Fund grants panel.

Head of Research: Jolin Warren

Jolin's research work for Transform Scotland has ranged from the business benefits of rail travel through to best practice and economic benefits related to active travel. As well as his research for Transform Scotland, Jolin has also worked on projects related to peat use reduction, carbon footprinting, and environmental guidance for a variety of organisations including the National Trust for Scotland and Scottish Environment LINK.

Research Officer: Susan Warren

Susan returned to Transform in January 2014, after a hiatus in which she studied herbal medicine and became a mother. In the past, her work for Transform included the Street Audits project in 2004 and serving as Company Secretary. She also has worked for Scottish Environment Link as their campaigns coordinator and was a volunteer and committee member for Friends of the Earth Edinburgh for several years.  Currently she is finishing her herbal medicine qualification in Cork and serves on the committee of The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings in Scotland. She has degrees in Natural Resource Management (BSc) and Environmental Sustainability (MSc). 

Enterprise Manager: Elspeth Wray

Elspeth manages TRAC, Transform Scotland’s research and communications consultancy. She has worked in the sustainability sector for the last fifteen years, providing advice on sustainability strategy, stakeholder relations, community engagement and environmental assessment. Elspeth previously worked as an Environmental Consultant for AMEC and Programme Manager in the Architecture and Built Environment team of the Design Council, where she established and managed new community grants, training and healthcare business development programmes. Her clients have included numerous local authorities, government departments, the European Commission, NHS Trusts, Water UK, Business in the Community and Standard Chartered Bank. Elspeth has also worked for the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and the US National Parks Service. Elspeth has an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London, is a member of IEMA (the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment) and holds the Association for Project Management Professional Certificate.

Communications Officer: Ana Soldatenko

In 2013 Ana has graduated from Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen with First class Honours in Visual Communications. Since then she spent a year working as a graphic designer for the Gordon Castle Estate in Fochabers, helping to create and launch their brand. Her photography work was purchased by the Robert Gordon University and exhibited in London and Aberdeen, she has also been Highly Commended for the BP Design Award. As a Communications Officer, Ana will be putting together the brand guidelines for Transform Scotland, delivering visuals and helping create media strategy for all the ongoing projects.

 

Interns

Helene recently joined Transform Scotland, having graduated at the University of Edinburgh Business School with a Masters Degree in Management. Her final academic project focused on researching marketing communications strategies of third sector organisations, especially operating in B2B environments. She previously worked for the Scottish Government within the Department of Energy and Climate Change, where she researched climate change issues and helped to organise the International Conference on Climate Justice in 2013.  She subsequently worked for Scottish Business in the Community, where she was responsible for implementing the communications strategy of their “Food For Thought” programme. As Transform’s Communications Officer, her role focuses on maintaining and delivering the organisation’s communications strategy.

Volunteers

Campaigns Assistant: Anna Brand

Anna started working at Transform Scotland in September 2011. She is a student at the University of Edinburgh studying History and English. Anna is interested in sustainability and has previously been involved in compiling environmental marketing research.

Campaigns Assistant: Charlotte Lancaster

Charlotte started working at Transform Scotland in October 2013. She is a student at the University of Edinburgh studying Sustainable Development. She is interested in campaigning and the social aspect of sustainability. She hopes to use her skills towards working with an NGO when she graduates.

Parliamentary Assistant: Eleanor Jamieson

Eleanor began volunteering at Transform Scotland as of October 2013, as a Parliamentary Assistant. She is a student at Edinburgh University, studying law, making her very interested in the political side of Transform Scotland and their involvement in driving sustainable transport forward in Scotland.

Research Assistant: Fi Brown

Fi joined Transform Scotland in June 2012. Prior to researching with Transform Scotland she gained a doctorate in 2010 from Loughborough University in Geography on environmental change and Roman human-environmental interactions, and is currently working as a freelance consultant in research, I.T. and social media under the name Hazy Days Consultancy.  Her research for Transform Scotland is on air pollution in the main 4 Scottish cities.

Communications Officer: Helene Sanchez

Helene recently joined Transform Scotland, having graduated at the University of Edinburgh Business School with a Masters Degree in Management. Her final academic project focused on researching marketing communications strategies of third sector organisations, especially operating in B2B environments. She previously worked for the Scottish Government within the Department of Energy and Climate Change, where she researched climate change issues and helped to organise the International Conference on Climate Justice in 2013.  She subsequently worked for Scottish Business in the Community, where she was responsible for implementing the communications strategy of their “Food For Thought” programme. As Transform’s Communications Officer, her role focuses on maintaining and delivering the organisation’s communications strategy.

Research Assistant: John Webster

John Webster spent his working life within the scientific services groups of various environmental and water utility organisations. He started his working life as an analytical chemist within part of what became the Environment Agency but for most of his career was Laboratory and Scientific Services Manager with Lothian Regional Council then East of Scotland Water. He has had a life long interest in environmental issues and served on several expert groups. He is committed to promoting sustainable transport issues and carries out research part-time for Transform Scotland.

Rail Campaigner: Paul Tetlaw

As stated above, Paul Tetlaw works as an independent environmental consultant. He has spent most of his career in environmental management in the water industry and was formerly a General Manager with Scottish Water. He has had a long term interest in sustainable transport and its relationship to individuals' quality of life and the built environment. He is also a member of the steering group of Capital Rail Action Group (CRAG), who he represents on the Board of Transform Scotland. Paul was the Chair of Transform Scotland between October 2006 and October 2010.

Public Transport Campaigner: Calum McCallum

As stated above, Calum has been a committed volunteer with Transform Scotland for five years. During that time has contributed to numerous articles and papers, taking a particular interest in matters relating to Glasgow. Currently unable to work due to ill-health, he previously worked in the transport sector for SPT and the Railway Inspectorate amongst others. When not occupied with Transform affairs he looks after his cat.

Please note that, except from Colin Howden and Elspeth Wray, all of our staff and volunteers work part-time.

All media enquiries should be directed to Colin Howden in the first instance.