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Board of Trustees and the Senior Management Team

The role of the Board, and profiles of the trustees and the senior managers

On this page, you will find:

Composition of the Board
Role of the Board
Role of the Board's sub-committees
Trustee profiles
Senior Management Team profiles

To read summaries of Board meetings, click here
To read the published versions of Board minutes (from July 2011), click here

Composition of the Board of Trustees
  • the chair
  • the vice chair (chosen from amongst the Board)
  • the honorary treasurer
  • a member of Ramblers Scotland executive committee
  • a member of Ramblers Cymru executive committee
  • up to nine trustees elected at the Ramblers’ annual general meeting (each trustee serving 3 year terms up to a maximum of six years)
  • up to two co-opted trustees (each serving a term to the next AGM for a maximum of 3 years)

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Role of the Board of Trustees
  • be legally and ultimately responsible, providing security and continuity and ensuring delivery of the charitable outcomes
  • anticipate and plan for the future
  • determine policy and strategy
  • appoint and oversee the chief executive
  • monitor performance so that the Ramblers meets its charitable aims
  • balance the different stakeholder interests (the public, members, volunteers, policy makers and funders are examples of our stakeholders)
  • represent the Ramblers to internal and external stakeholders
  • recruit and induct new board members to meet present and future requirements of the Ramblers
  • ensure the board works efficiently (not too big, focused sub-committees, meeting its own collective or individual training needs etc)
  • determine its own agenda and priorities
  • stand back from the day to day operations and know when to take a dispassionate view on critical issues like the mission, the objectives, the allocation of resources to meet future needs, the long-term financial security of the organisation, external influences of relevance
  • have a commitment to promoting diversity within the Ramblers
  • add value by providing insight, wisdom and judgement
  • enjoy the process of running a Great Britain wide campaigning charity

The Charity Commission (the body which regulates charities like the Ramblers) produces a useful guide to the role and responsiblities of Trustees, called The Essential Trustee. Click here to view.

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Role of the Board's Sub Committees

There are three sub-committees of the Board, which usually meet in the run-up to a Board meeting. The sub-committees enable discussion of issues to take place in more depth, and will consider matters referred to them by the Board, and will often make recommendations to the Board. The sub-committees are:

Strategy and Governance Sub-Committee

Remit:
To provide advice, scrutiny and support to the Senior Management Team, and to advise the Board of Trustees, on delivering the aspects of Aim 4 of our Strategy, Fresh Air, Firm Ground, except those issues covered by Finance & Audit Sub-Committee and Campaigns and Marketing Sub-Committee, including:

(a) Progress in implementing the strategy
(b) Development of key skills of trustees, volunteers and staff
(c) Good governance and democratic structure
(d) Consideration of devolution implications affecting England, Scotland and Wales, wherever relevant
(e) Development of ICT and operational capacity

The members of the sub-committee are: Robert Peel (Chair), Naseem Akhtar, James Lawson, Denis McAteer, Malclom Newman, The Chair, Vice Chair, and Treasurer are ex-officio members. The Chief Executive is a non-voting member.

Campaigns and Marketing Sub-Committee

Remit:
To provide advice, scrutiny and support to the Senior Management Team, and to advise the Board of Trustees, on delivering the aspects of Aims 1, 2 and 3 of our Strategy, Fresh Air, Firm Ground, including:

(a) Campaigning, including within Westminster and local authorities (and the scrutiny of legal casework) including seeking the advice of external experts where appropriate
(b) Development of policy, including follow-up of GC policy motions
(c) Urban walking and the development of Get Walking, Keep Walking and other walking promotion projects
(d) Development of the led walks programme and volunteer walks leaders
(e) Promotion of walking for health
(f) Development events such as the 75th anniversary and members’ day
(g) Development of the member offer, including to specific membership segments
(h) Improvements to the Ramblers image and promotion

The members of the sub-committee are: Kate Ashbrook (Chair), Susan Carter, Max Grant, Eleanor Harris, Owen Plunkett, Keith Wadd, Laurie Young. The Chair, Vice Chair, and Treasurer are ex-officio members. The Chief Executive is a non-voting member.

Finance, Risk and Audit Sub-Committee

Remit:
To provide advice, scrutiny and support to the Senior Management Team, and to advise the Board of Trustees, on delivering the financial aspects of Aim 4 of our Strategy Fresh Air, Firm Ground, including:

(a) Financial accounting, auditing, and budgeting process
(b) Overview of performance management
(c) Implementation of the recommendations in the Auditor’s management letters
(d) Compliance with statutory legal and financial requirements
(e) Consideration of organisational risk
(f) Development and diversification of income
(g) Fundraising policy and practice

The members of the sub-committee are: Treasurer (Chair), Robert Peel, Andy Rodgers. The ex-officio members of the sub-committee are the Chair, Vice Chair, and Treasurer (Chair). The Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Operations are non-voting members.

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Trustee profiles

Rodney Whittaker
Chair

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I've been a regular walker since teenage years and still walk several times a year with friends from school and university days. I joined the Ramblers about 30 years ago as I believe our network of footpaths is a remarkable achievement and heritage which we must fight to preserve and enhance. For this reason I became footpath secretary in my local area of Elmbridge in Surrey in 2004 and was coopted to the board a couple of years later.

Jonathan Kipling
Treasurer
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I am a Chartered Accountant who has worked or volunteered for a range of charities - covering student community action, holidays for children in need, education, an international conference, and cancer research. I have been the Founding Secretary of the Charity Finance Directors Group and the Secretary of The Institute of Cancer Research (effectively its Chief Operating Officer) for over 20 years - a role from which i hope to retire from this year so i can do more walking!

Eleanor Harris
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I am a member of the Board of Trustees, Publicity Officer for the Ramblers in Inner London and Publicity Officer for the London Strollers, the new Ramblers group for short walks. I am Director of a tourism and leisure consultancy firm, which specialises in income generation, developing destinations, sales and marketing. I am a keen walker and love exploring the UK's mountains and coast.

Robert Peel
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Robert started walking with the Ramblers at the age of 14 and for the rest of his schooldays walked every Sunday with either the East Riding Ramblers or the Hull HF Group, leading walks for both from the age of 16. He spent the best part of a year off between school and university leading walks for HF Holidays, mainly in the Brecon Beacons, and continued to spend every summer vacation leading for them. After graduating in natural sciences Robert joined the Civil Service and at the age of 22 was elected to the Board of HF Holidays, becoming its Chairman twelve years later.Robert’s career took him to London where he advised Treasury ministers on tax policy relating to financial institutions and discovered to his surprise as a Yorkshireman that the quality of walking in Kent was second to none.

Robert now works for a charity that gives free tax advice to older people on low incomes, mainly training the charity’s own volunteers and financial advice workers in other organisations, and is Area Secretary for Kent Ramblers. He also does much publicity work and has produced a book of walks for the Area. Information technology has always been a major interest of Robert’s – as a Civil Servant he built a complete management information system to manage the annual Budget and Finance Bill cycle and he has built a complete Client Relationship Management (CRM) system for his current employer. As a member of the Board, Robert is keen to see improvement in the quality of information on which the Board takes its decisions, to focus clearly on footpath and access issues and to recruit more members.

Keith Wadd
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I have walked for enjoyment most of my life.Joined the Ramblers in the 1980s, was Secretary of West Riding Area 1994 – 2003. In the 1990s was much involved in the Right to Roam campaign and organised rallies at Haworth and Todmorden. Since 2005 have been Chairman of West Riding Area, and am also co-editor of the “West Riding Rambler”. I lead several walks each year, have written four walks books, and am preparing another. Now retired, I formerly lectured in sociology and teacher education.

Owen Plunkett
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I am a member of the Board of Trustees, Chairperson & Publicity Officer for the Ramblers in Hampshire, Publicity Officer & Newsletter Editor for my local group, South East Hants. I am a keen campaigner & have been a Vice Chairman of the South Downs Campaign for many years. I am an active supporter of Oxfam & a member of Greenpeace & FOE.

Naseem Akhtar
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I have been a member of the Ramblers for two years and have worked with my local 'Get walking Keeping walking' Rambler officers, to encourage local women to become active walkers here in inner city Birmingham. I am Project manager for Saheli Women's Group
a registered charity, and we run a very innovative health & fitness facility run by women for women. We primarily work with, but not exclusively with women from a BME background. We provide opportunities for women and girls to take part in rock climbing, skiing, canoeing biking and even quad biking. We have a regular walking club and we are lucky enough to be situated near Cannon Hill Park and our walks are very popular.

As a member of the Ramblers I would be looking to ensure we develop more activities and programmes to engage inner city communities to recognise the long term benefits of not just being active, but enjoying the green spaces which can improve their health and well being.

Kate Ashbrook
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I have been a trustee for 29 years, and I have twice been Ramblers chairman. I am general secretary of the Open Spaces Society, trustee of the Campaign for National Parks and patron of the Walkers Are Welcome Towns Network. I campaign for people's rights to enjoy country and town.

Andy Rogers
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My involvement with Ramblers began as a 20’s and 30’s group member and then a year as Secretary and two years as Chair of Notts & Derby Group. More recently, I have set up the Notts Derby & Staffordshire 40’s group and am Chair of the founding committee.During this time I also became Vice-Chair and am now Chair of Nottinghamshire Area.

The above build on my qualifications as a Chartered Management Accountant, and MBA from Warwick University, where my dissertation related to a critical evaluation of CRM.

Max Grant
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I retired as a civil engineer with a major contractor, latterly in the role of a Health, Safety, Environment and Quality Manager. I spent 24 years in the adult support sections of scouting in Surrey. I moved to Yorkshire and became West Ridings Area Footpath Secretary, where i am involved in the three areas joint campaign working group to improve North Yorkshire’s paths. I am Involved in the mapping process for open access land as a local Ramblers access officer in Yorkshire and also in North Wales where I retired to in 2005.

In Wales I chaired the Conwy County Campaign committee and am now County Access Officer. I was the instigator for the alliance to combat the growing problem of off-roading in North Wales, and previously was involved in forming the Yorkshire Dales Green Lanes Alliance in 2001.

I was elected to the Welsh Council Executive Committee and then as Honorary Secretary, with particular briefs on the ten year access maps review, Glastir and the Wales Coastal Access Improvement Programme. I am Chair of the Conwy East Local Access Forum, an active volunteer with the Snowdonia Society and North Wales Wildlife Trust.

James Lawson
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Since joining the Ramblers in 1995 the year the Ramblers celebrated their 60th Birthday, their Jubilee Year, I have been on committees or doing what I prefer to do - be out walking.

Past involvement with the Ramblers apart from leading walks includes being Strathkelvin Group Chairman and Programme Co-ordinator for 10 years, and Strathclyde, Dumfries & Galloway Area Chairman for 2 years, and organising Walking Weekends. I am currently a Member of Scottish Council Executive Committee, Strathclyde North Area Footpaths & Countryside Officer, Strathkelvin Ramblers Walk Leader - where we aim walks at non-members or people who want to start walking - raising local awareness of what the Ramblers do locally and nationally for the General Public.

My working history includes Colliery Electrician and 25 years as a Trade Union representative. I am now retired. I am very interested in environmental issues, especially wild land and preserving where possible, our history and cultures.

Denis McAteer
Chair of Ramblers Cymru
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I have been a member of Ramblers for many years and I am Chairman of Ramblers Cymru and Vice-Chairman of the North Wales Area (where I was previously Chairman). I chair my local Caernarfon & Dwyfor Group having previously done stints as Countryside officer and Treasurer. I regularly lead walks, mainly in Snowdonia. I am also a member of the Snowdonia National Park Authority and represent the Park on the Campaign for National Parks.

My interest in walking followed major heart surgery as a teenager and it has enabled me to get fit and keep fit. This in turn led me to take an interest in promoting walking and ensuring that footpaths are properly maintained to enable local communities and visitors to enjoy the countryside.

David Thomson
Vice-Convener - Scotland
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I have enjoyed walking in Scotland’s countryside, hills and mountains all my life. I climbed my first hill, Dumyat in the Ochil hills, at the age of eleven. Although not a munro “bagger” i am still climbing mountains and in the company of members of the Dalgety day ramblers group recently climbed, in difficult conditions, to the summit of Cairn Gorm which at 1245mts is munro number 4.

I joined the Ramblers ten years ago when i took semi-retirement from my hotel business and was persuaded that it would be safer to walk the hills with a group. I served as secretary of my local Dalgety bay group for a number of years and i am now currently convener of the Forth Valley, Fife and Tayside area. In addition i am also vice-convener of Ramblers Scotland and as such represent the Scottish council executive committee on the board of trustees.

Laurie Young
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I have loved to walk in the English countryside since I was a child. I can remember setting off for a whole day and exploring, with or without friends. As I grew older I appreciated its beauty, safety and heritage.

One visitor from South Africa told me recently how wonderful it is to wander clearly marked paths in safety. So I appreciate the heritage of the work of organisations like the Ramblers and am keen to help all I can.

Professionally, I am a writer and marketing specialist. In the past I have worked for large companies like PWC and BT; and run my own business. I hope some of that experience might be valuable to the Ramblers.

Senior Mangement Team Profiles

Benedict Southworth
Chief Executive from 1 February 2012
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Benedict Southworth was appointed as Chief Executive of the Ramblers in December 2011. He has previously been Director of the World Development Movement. With more than 20 years experience in the charity sector, starting at Friends of the Earth in 1991, Benedict has also successfully held senior management positions in Amnesty International and Greenpeace International. For the past two years Benedict worked as a consultant on strategic programmes with a number of high profile charities including ActionAid, Friends of the Earth, and UNICEF UK. Benedict was raised in Lancashire but now lives in Surrey on the border with Kent. His favourite walks are on the High Weald and the Ribble Valley.

Tony Hall
Director of Marketing and Communications
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Tony Hall has been Director of Marketing and Communications at the Ramblers, Britain’s walking charity, since January 2009. He has several years top level marketing and communications experience in leading UK and international organisations. Prior to joining the Ramblers he was Head of VisitCornwall, the organisation responsible for managing Cornwall’s tourism industry across the UK and overseas. He has also held senior marketing positions at Vodafone Content Services, Philips and News International Digital Publishing.

Tony is committed to developing all aspects of marketing and communications activity throughout the Ramblers – including broadening the appeal of the charity, developing both the number of members and the membership offer, both to potential joiners and existing members. He is also passionate about promoting the public good of the charity’s work in safeguarding the environment for all walkers, whilst improving the range of member benefits and building the image of the Ramblers in the media.

Tony has two favourite walks, which contrast considerably with each other - one alongside north London’s Regent canal and the other along the coast at Minnis Bay in Kent.

Paul Butler
Director of Finance and Operations
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Paul Butler has been the Director of Finance and Operations at the Ramblers, Britain’s walking charity since April 2008. Paul trained with Spicer and Pegler, Chartered Accountants during the early 1980s and moved into stockbroking and corporate finance in 1989 and earned membership of the Securities and Investment Institute. After a long career in the City, he moved into the charity sector in January 2004 and worked for the international development NGO, WaterAid as a project accountant. This involved travelling to sub-Saharan Africa and financially managing both the generation of income and the spending of resources in providing safe drinking water and sanitation to the poor. During this time, Paul studied part-time at City University’s Cass Business School and successfully completed a specialist MSc in Charity Financial Management with policy, with a dissertation researching performance and accountability in the charity sector. Paul left Wateraid in May 2006 and became the Finance Director of Groundwork London, an inner-city regeneration charity specialising in landscaping and community projects.

Paul is absolutely committed to ensuring that operationally, the Ramblers is run on a sound footing with strong financial and operational management and communications infrastructure. He works closely with both Marketing and Campaigns with their financial and the operational needs and ensures that the “engine room” has enough fuel and servicing to continue running.

Aside from his first love of cricket, Paul regularly roams along the North Downs and Surrey Hills at the weekends and likes nothing more than taking a walk through the City and the West End of London to and from meetings and clocks up many miles of exercise doing this.

Simon Barnett
Head of Walking Programmes & Promotions

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Simon Barnett has been the Head of Walking Programmes and Promotion at the Ramblers since late 2008. Prior to that he worked for Living Streets (formerly the Pedestrians Association) and was also a local co-ordinator for Walking for Health in the London Borough of Barnet. Simon oversees the Ramblers work to make walking more accessible to more people. Ramblers volunteers are central in achieving this vision - both in the traditional sense of leading Group walks, and in new slightly different roles, often linked to grant funded projects that are helping to attract new people to the organisation. He is committed to ensuring that there is a greater synergy between Ramblers Areas & Groups and grant funded projects, with each complementing the other, together helping to increase the reach of Britain's walking charity.

Simon's favourite place to go walking is Dartmoor, having done a lot of walking there as a youngster. Having never owned a car, Simon makes a habit of walking short trips whenever possible. He occasionally mixes them up with longer challenges that have included the Wellington Boot, an LDWA event in east Devon, the Bob Graham Round in the Lakes, and the Scout's Fellsman Hike across the Yorkshire Dales.

Nicky Philpott
Director of Policy and Campaigns
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Nicky joined the Ramblers as Director of Policy and Campaigns in September 2011. For the previous 12 years she worked at the NSPCC leading the campaigns team and encouraging members of the public to take campaign actions to end cruelty to children. She has previously held campaign and policy positions at Age Concern, RNID, Scope and Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE).

Nicky is committed to working with staff and volunteers to develop campaigns which preserve and increase access for walking and is very excited to join the Ramblers at this interesting time in its history.
In these early days she hopes to meet and listen to as many volunteers as possible in order to try and learn about their issues, concerns and ideas.

Nicky grew up in Somerset and her favourite walks are in the South West as near to water as possible as she always likes to incorporate walking with a swim, when it isn’t too cold! One of her favourite walks is the Polruan/Fowey circular walk in Cornwall, also known as the ‘hall walk’. It has a bit of everything, including a boat ride which her children love and a place to buy some pasties to keep everyone going.







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