Our Team

Bob Smith

E-Mail: bob.smith@savebennachie.com

Bob’s home has been on the slopes of Bennachie at Crowmallie for over 60 years.

During the ’70’s he managed a cross-country and snow vehicle supply business thoughout Scotland and the North of England.

In 1980 the family moved to Brunei for 10 years and he established and managed an oilfield tubular cleaning service followed by 4 years with trading company Harrison & Crosfield.

Bob returned home in 1990 to develop Briggs Marines’ Far East business and eventually to manage their Oil Spill Response service in Aberdeen.

In 1995 he formed OSCA Environmental Services which provided supply boat management in Azerbaijan and container rental services to the Caspian Region, Russian Far East and West Africa. OSCA was eventually sold in 2014 and retirement sees Bob back enjoying old cars and sailing.

Clive Smith

E-Mail: clive.smith@savebennachie.com

Clive has over 30 years’ experience in oil industry drilling operations in the UK, US, Africa, Far East and Middle East, drilling in excess of 300 wells. After spending time in the Middle East as Well Engineering and Country Manager for an independent oil company, he went on to form SPD which provides well engineering and drilling management services to independent and national oil companies, initially in the Middle East, before expanding globally. After exiting SPD in 2011, Clive works for an Independent oil company currently developing a field West of Shetlands and is a director for two energy based consultancy businesses and two disruptive technology start-up businesses. He has also fulfilled the role of Chair for the Oyne Community Association for the past 3 years.

Jolyon Robinson

E-Mail: jolyon.robinson@savebennachie.com

I graduated from Trinity College Dublin in 1970 with a degree in Economics, Philosophy and English and Irish literature. We settled in Glass, Aberdeenshire in 1972 where I ran the family farming business and also worked for Valu-Trac Investment Management Ltd between the years 1986 and 1998. In 1998 I opened an office in Huntly for Redmayne-Bentley, stockbrokers. I retired from Redmayne-Bentley in 2011 and we moved to Oyne/Chapel of Garioch in 2012.

Lynda Bain

E-Mail: lynda.bain@savebennachie.com

Born in Peterhead and visited Bennachie as a child. I remember getting hopelessly lost as the paths were very basic then and I don't have any memory of a car park...the side of a road with a ditch rings a bell.

I am a school librarian and have worked in schools across Aberdeenshire with a spell in the NHS and Aberdeen University. Married with two grown up daughters. Former marathon runner....Bennachie is wonderful for training. Ran for both Scotland and GB. I now spend a lot of time walking my two dogs on Bennachie.

Margaret Garden

E-Mail: margaret.garden@savebennachie.com

Just in my lifetime, I can remember five generations of my family who have loved and enjoyed everything which Bennachie has to offer, and I know my family's connections to the hill stretches back way beyond my memories. Bennachie has been my source of exercise, my weathervane, has offered me such delight through its wildlife, history and folklore since my childhood. I was lucky enough to begin learning about the ecology and history of the hill from the late James McKay a founding father of the Bailies of Bennachie. A member of the Bailies, I am still learning about our beloved hill.

Mark Worsley

E-Mail: mark.worsley@savebennachie.com

Born overseas of an Army family and brought up in London.

Graduated from Dundee University with barely a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Economics - moving to Aberdeenshire in 77, and Chapel of Garioch in 1979. Lucky enough to survive 38 years with a "Major", culminating as Global Technical Authority in my discipline of Subsea Engineering. Seemingly always tripping away but returning to our Family base in Chapel.

Both my Girls were born in Insch and grew up with all the benefits of rural Aberdeenshire and Bennachie has been a major part of their lives.

Retired in 2014, I do a tiny wee bit of consulting, am a Fellow of my Institute and have a passion for all things mechanical be-it old cars and machinery of any sort... having been brought up in a city, even one as beautiful as London has shaped my love of the Countryside and underpins my belief of just how important it is to maintain and protect our areas of outstanding natural beauty - not just for us, but for generations to come.

Sandra Lowson

E-Mail: sandra.lowson@savebennachie.com

Although I am a relative newcomer to the area - just over 10 years - I never grow tired of the view as I walk through Bennachie Forest each day. We are so very lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the country and I feel passionately that we should do everything we can to protect it for generations to come.

Gary Whitington

E-Mail: gary.whittington@savebennachie.com

Dr. Gary Whittington is one of the co-founders of Global Web Limited and Patterns AI.

Gary holds a PhD from University of Aberdeen and is a graduate of University of Nottingham (MSc) and University of Birmingham (BSc).

Gary has carried out work for both public and private organisations including research work at the European Space Agency (ESA) as well as within international defence organisations.

Gary has been a chair at several international conferences and published over 20 research papers on various topics including: object-oriented systems, neural computing, knowledge representation, software re-engineering and building large scale web-based systems.

Gary has lived in Aberdeenshire in the foothills of Bennachie for over 30 years.