RZSS Board

Mary is an Emerita Professor of Developmental Biology at the University of Edinburgh. She is also a trustee of the National Museums of Scotland, and Program Convenor for the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Mary ran a team investigating genetics, developmental biology, molecular biology, and endocrinology. She also taught these subjects at all levels to undergraduates and trained a large number of PhD students. She became Head of the School of Cell and Molecular and Biology. 

She was involved in a lot of initiatives relating to the training of postgraduate students and in public engagement, not just with science but across the whole university sector in Edinburgh. She also established strategic partnerships for the university with organisations in Scotland that are involved in education and research including RZSS.

Mary went on to be senior vice principal at the University of Edinburgh.

Sandy has had a career in HR and has worked at a very senior level in some significant organisations including Babcock International, Royal Mail, TransAmerica, SAPPI and Esso UK.

He was also Director of HR and Change for the National Trust for Scotland, working with another large charity with a significant member base and a large team of volunteers.

Sandy has a keen interest in conservation, has a passion for ornithology and has been a supporter of Edinburgh Zoo since childhood.

Dr Karen Blackport is an experienced scientist and businesswoman, with over 20 years of experience in the international life sciences industry, gained from senior roles within private and public organisations in the UK and Australia, including Kyowa Kirin International and the University of Queensland, Brisbane.

Karen has recently refocused on environmental sustainability and conservation, establishing an environmental consultancy business, which aims to engage with and support individuals and organisations in reconnecting with the importance of biodiversity and the environment.

She is a prior member of the Government's Scottish Science Advisory Council and is a co-founder of Alfacyte Limited (now ILC Therapeutics). She is educated to PhD level (Glasgow: Biochemistry), has an MBA from the University of Edinburgh and is currently studying for a MSc in Biodiversity, Wildlife and Ecosystem Health at the University of Edinburgh.

Karen has been involved with RZSS in some capacity for most of her life, from conducting research into environmental enrichment in Diana monkeys at Edinburgh Zoo as a student, a volunteer and has been a Trustee since 2014.

Karen lives near Earlston in the Scottish Borders with her husband Jamie and their two young children.

Simon graduated with a BA Hons in Business and Technology (First Class) from the University of Northumbria.

After University, he moved to Scotland, and embarked upon a career in technology, in Financial Services. Since 1996, he has undertaken several cyber-security, technical, and leadership roles. He ran technology service delivery for a global bank, and has a deep appreciation as to how technology supports the objectives & aspirations of its stakeholders (including customers, colleagues & regulators).

Simon has delivered multiple major change programmes, and has extensive experience working with global technology suppliers.

Having worked in multiple financial services organisations, in his current role, he is responsible for all collaboration and communication platforms that serve the colleagues & customers of a major UK bank.

He continued his professional development, with an MSc in Strategic Information Systems (from Strathclyde University), and an accreditation in Climate Change Transformation (from Edinburgh University). 

Outside work, he’s a neighbour and member of RZSS, and spend lots of time outside, walking & cycling with his wife and two daughters.

A chartered accountant by training with a degree in business studies and French from the University of Edinburgh, Fiona has held a variety of different senior finance roles, having been the Chief Financial Officer for various significant business groupings within RBS, including personal banking, wealth management, business and corporate banking.

Since retirement, Fiona has taken up a number of trustee roles, including vice chair of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society and director of Earlsferry Town Hall Ltd. Passionate about animals, Fiona was also honorary treasurer at the Scottish SPCA, retiring after her second term in 2021.

Fiona enjoys photography, choral singing, art, theatre, golf, reading, languages, organising charity events and cabinet making.

John is a qualified social worker who obtained a social work diploma from Manchester Metropolitan University. He possesses strong management skills, having developed valuable organisational competencies, effective communication, and problem-solving throughout his career.

As an elected member - Councillor for Dumfries and Galloway Council, he actively contributes to shaping policies and strategies that reflect the needs and priorities of his local ward. He has also been actively involved in various tourism-related activities and has taken up numerous trustee roles at both the local and national levels, supporting community-led projects that promote inclusivity and unity among diverse backgrounds.

John's passion for natural history has remained a driving force throughout his life. As a conservationist with a profound understanding of wildlife management, John has been a fellow Zoological Society of London member for over two decades, and a member of RZSS since 2002. He has extensive knowledge of the conservation of wild animals in zoos and the wild, including in-situ conservation and captive breeding.

In governance, John has served on panels, advisory boards, and as a charity trustee. With this set of skills and experience, it is a privilege for him to work with others to strengthen the voice of conservation on the RZSS Board of Trustees and continue to build RZSS’ long-standing and strong reputation, while embracing the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion.

Kerry retired from The Royal Bank of Scotland Group after 38 years service in a number of areas including Financial Markets, Retail Banking and Group Office.

Her most recent role was Managing Director, Banking for Adam & Company a private banking arm of RBS. Married to Graham, she lives in Edinburgh.

Kerry joined RZSS board in August 2014.

John graduated from University College Dublin with a first class BSc Honours degree in Zoology, followed by five years’ post-graduate research study on fish physiology at Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory.

After four years in the hotel industry, he moved into the Financial Services sector. John spent over 13 years with AEGON working in a variety of departments starting in Corporate Pensions and then Human Resources before moving to Standard Life in 2010.

John currently works for abrdn plc in HR, where he manages pay, bonus and incentive arrangements for over 5,000 employees. He is a Chartered Fellow of the CIPD and a member of the Governing Body of the Saola Working Group.

John has been a member of the RZSS since 2003 and a Board Member since 2012. He lives in Edinburgh and is a frequent visitor with his wife to both Edinburgh Zoo and Highland Wildlife Park.

Karen is a veterinary surgeon and senior lecturer at the University of Glasgow School of Veterinary Medicine. She is originally from the East Coast of the USA, where she took an undergraduate degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She did her Veterinary Degree and PhD in Veterinary Pharmacology at the University of Glasgow. Karen then worked in the University of Liverpool Equine Hospital as a lecturer for three years before moving back to Glasgow to take up a position at the Weipers Centre Equine Hospital at the university. She also worked as a racecourse vet for 15 years.

She has been a member of RZSS for over 10 years, was co-opted in 2016 and elected on to the board of trustees in 2017 and is a member of the RZSS Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee, Conservation Advisory Group and Chair of the Education Advisory Group.

Karen now runs the wildlife conservation courses in both the veterinary and bioscience undergraduate programmes and is Programme Director for the Master’s in Wildlife and Livestock Management in the School of Veterinary Medicine. Karen leads wildlife conservation field exercises for students in Scotland and Sub-Saharan Africa, where she has research interests in lion genetics and human wildlife conflict. She is a member of Vet Sustain and has particular interest in improving biological diversity and sustainability within the university and local community.

Dee’s background is in strategic communications and engagement, specialising in reputation management, crisis communications, public affairs and media management. 

She has extensive experience as an Executive Director in the not-for-profit sector, working in companion animal welfare, conservation and high-performance sports. She has led award-winning campaigns that have achieved significant legislative change – one helping tackle animal cruelty and another allowing licensing at Murrayfield, with immediate commercial and sponsorship benefits for the sport. 

As Director of Policy & Communications for Scotland’s largest membership charity, the National Trust for Scotland, Dee led all policy responses to Scottish Government consultations on natural heritage, and she has also served as a Non-executive Director for a UK Charitable Foundation Board. 

Dee spent 9 years as Director of Communications and External Affairs for the companion animal welfare charity Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, where she delivered transformational brand growth, positioning Battersea as one of the ten best known UK charity brands. She secured the award-winning ITV Paul O’Grady series, boosting legacy income and making Battersea a much-loved household name throughout the UK and abroad. 

Dee graduated in Modern History at Stirling University and her current consultancy work includes an association with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Anna is Professor of Zoological and Conservation Medicine at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies and was previously RZSS’s Head Veterinary Surgeon. She is a specialist in wildlife population health and has over 30 years clinical, teaching and research experience in zoo and wildlife medicine.

She has a wide range of board and governance experience including as previous chair of the UK Government’s Zoos Expert Committee, member of the Scottish Science Advisory Council, and Trustee of the Zoological Society of London and the Scottish Wildlife Trust. She is currently a member of the UK Government’s Animal Sentience Committee.

Anna has involvement in many Scottish conservation projects including red squirrels, wildcats and golden eagles, as well as several international conservation partnerships. From 2018-2022 she moved to Australia as Head of Melbourne University’s Veterinary School, and was a Board member of Wildlife Health Australia and Zoos Victoria. Anna will be taking up a new role as Executive Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences at Keele University from January 2024, but will continue to live in the Scottish Borders.

Richard was co-opted onto the Board in December 2017, having previously served on the Business Advisory Committee for RZSS since 2015.

His background is in Sales and Marketing having worked in consulting and financial services since 1994, joining KPMG in 2000. Prior to that he worked for British Aerospace Commercial Aircraft, operating in S.E. Asia and the Indian sub-continent.

A zoologist by academic background, Richard completed his undergraduate degree at New College, Oxford under Professor Richard Dawkins before completing a PhD. in the field of evolutionary biology with Professor Michael Hansell at Glasgow University.

As a postgraduate, Richard led a 30-person expedition from Glasgow Univ. to undertake a series of conservation projects on behalf of the Ministry of Forestry and Agriculture in the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. A lifelong passion for natural history and conservation and a keen SCUBA diver, Richard brings a combination of scientific understanding and commercial acumen to the RZSS Board.

Mark has lived and worked in the Cairngorms National Park for the past 10 years, following a senior international career with HSBC Bank.

For the 8 years prior to setting up his own business advisory and support business in 2024 Mark was Chief Executive of the Cairngorms Business Partnership, the chamber of commerce for the Cairngorms National Park and Destination Management Organisation through its brand VisitCairngorms.

During this time Mark built a deep understanding of the challenges of doing business in rural Scotland and the opportunities presented, particularly through the visitor economy. Including working closely with RZSS and particularly the Highland Wildlife Park.

Prior to moving to the Cairngorms, Mark spent 20 years with HSBC most latterly holding country head positions in Commercial and Corporate Banking in Scotland and Kazakhstan. During Mark’s 20 years with HSBC he built expertise, including in risk management, leadership, marketing and learning & development.

Mark is also an experienced non-executive director. Holding various positions in the private and charity sector including being Chair of High Life Highland, one of the largest charities in the Highlands of Scotland.

Mark has a passion for sharing his love of nature and inspiring others to love and care for our natural environment and brings his passion and skills to help RZSS build a world that protects, values and loves nature.

Learn more about our mission to save wildlife and empower people in Scotland and around the world to protect, value and love nature.