Brendan O’Hanrahan
Brendan is an Irish habitat ecologist and land management consultant who’s spent 30 years in the Highlands and Islands. An irrational Germanophile, he also spent five years in Germany. Politics, whether party, community, land reform, land use, has occupied him for over 40 years. He’s been active at the intersection of land use, policy, agricultural support and communities since 2010. Having been brainwashed into seeing the world through crofting spectacles by his neighbours in Lewis in the ‘90s, he was involved with the Scottish Crofting Federation for 5 years and through that became involved in housing activism. He is a director of the Communities Housing Trust and leads on housing for Lochbroom and Ullapool Community Trust.
Brendan now lives on a croft in Elphin, in Assynt in northwest Sutherland, where he provides unskilled assistance to his partner. Away from Scotland he set up a political violence monitoring organisation called PIRUSA2020 to assist peace-building and civil society organisations in the US in autumn 2020, based on a background as a mapper, media and data nerd. He also has a passion for community radio and helping to run small-scale music festivals.
Aimee Spence
After spending her first few years living in urban Western Australia, Aimee’s family moved back to Scotland and settled in her mother’s rural hometown of Campbeltown in the Mull of Kintyre. While growing up, Aimee became all too familiar with the ups and downs of rural living. In 2016, Aimee decided to pursue a career in journalism and moved to Edinburgh to attend University.
Upon completing her degree, Aimee’s graduation coincided with the Covid-19 Pandemic and put her career plans on hold. Fortunately, she was able to find employment through lockdown with a social enterprise based in her hometown that had a focus on rural community development. This is when Aimee realised that she had a passion for rural life and helping to improve the lives of those who live there. Aimee attended the Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) in 2022 in this role and spent time in Rural Victoria where she learnt from isolated communities.
Flora Donald
Flora grew up on a croft in Wester Ross and her first job was on the Outer Hebrides where she lived for four years. Along with her professional experience in the environmental sector, she offers an informed understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing rural communities. With a commitment to amplifying rural voices and fostering inclusive, sustainable solutions, Flora recognises the need for bold ideas and policy changes to address issues such as renewable energy, sustainable tourism, and rural employment. Flora also brings valuable skills in evidence creation, stakeholder engagement and strategic messaging, with a vision of improving rural lives through collaborative action and advocacy. Flora is currently a Tree Health Policy Officer with Scottish Forestry, and volunteers as a Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland Vice County recorder for Banffshire.
Emilia Pietka-Nykaza
Emilia brings a rich academic background in sociology, refugee studies, and political science to her research on integration and settlement processes. Her focus extends to exploring the impact of diverse population mobility patterns on the sustainability of rural communities, particularly examining the connections of young people to rural areas and fostering community relations among residents with varied migration histories. Emilia is an academic migrant herself and is keen to support sustainable rural communities. Emilia is currently a Senior Lecturer in Sociology and Social Policy and Programme Leader for Social Sciences at the University of West of Scotland.
Chiara Fingland
Chiara is a dedicated advocate for rural and island communities, using her diverse experience in architecture, community activism, and environmental strategy to empower local voices in shaping their places and addressing the climate emergency. Through co-founding a Community Interest Company - Imagine If.Space. - focused on inclusive participation, facilitating community-led planning processes, and collaborating with various stakeholders, including youth groups, Chiara actively fosters agency and resilience at local level. Chiara is currently an Environmental Strategy Officer with Fife Council.
Helen Keron
Helen lives in rural Dumfries and Galloway, where she has worked with local communities for 13 years. In a past life, she gained a degree in Engineering and Materials Science from Oxford University and worked for 14 years as an engineer and project manager in the oil industry. Life takes funny turns though and she is now firmly embedded in rural living. In her most recent role as Chief Executive of the Glenkens Community and Arts Trust, she advocated for communities to be strategic partners in issues such as education and learning, land use, housing, transport and connectivity. She is a passionate about the need for rural voices to be heard and valued, and is looking forward to working with SRA on this important issue. She is the Chair of the Third Sector Leaders Forum in Dumfries and Galloway, the Vice-Chair of the D&G Local Action Group (LAG) and chairs the DTAS 'Recovery and Renewal' large grants panel. Her hobbies include loch swimming and providing taxi services for teenagers.
Ewen McLachlan
Ewen brings 40 years of experience in rural culture, democracy and community-led development. He was a co-founder of The Stove Network in Dumfries and is now Development Officer for Assynt Development Trust, which hosts Northwest2045 and anchors Scotland’s only community-led Regional Land Use Partnership. He is also a Trustee of the Development Trusts Association Scotland and advises the Scottish Government on community benefits from offshore renewable energy. Ewen is passionate about ensuring rural communities are recognised as active partners in shaping policy and delivering change.
Carolina Borda
Carolina is originally from Colombia and lives on the Isle of Lewis, where she works as Head of Research, Development & Innovation for NHS Ayrshire & Arran, having previously held a similar role with NHS Western Isles. She is a member of the University of the Highlands and Islands Foundation and has served on national and international advisory groups. Carolina is passionate about tackling health inequalities and exploring how lived experience, inherited wisdom and rural entrepreneurialism can shape research and public services.
Scott Petrie
Scott is an experienced rural development professional and Chief Executive Officer of Angus Rural Partnership, as well as the founder of Five Glens Consultancy. With nearly 30 years’ experience in rural business management, socio-economic research and strategy development, he has worked extensively to build strong relationships between communities, government and politicians. Scott was also instrumental in establishing Scotland’s National Community-Led Local Development Network, connecting 20 Local Action Groups with each other and European partners.
Kirsty Bain-Wyse
Kirsty is a Youth Participation Worker with Youth 1st in Fife and facilitates Fife’s Youth Local Action Group. A long-standing ally of Scottish Rural Action, she is passionate about helping young people amplify their voices, build confidence and create opportunities that shape their communities. Drawing on her own experiences of mainstream education, Kirsty is a strong advocate for youth work and supporting young people to realise their potential, develop their skills and build meaningful connections.
Douglas Scott
Douglas lives between the Isle of Skye and the Scottish Borders and has over 40 years’ experience in rural development policy. He spent much of his career with Borders Regional Council and Scottish Borders Council, working on rural development at local, national and European levels, having begun his career with the Highlands and Islands Development Board. Since retiring, Douglas has continued to contribute to rural policy discussions and chairs Maxton 21, a charitable community organisation supporting Maxton village hall.