Richard Austin After studying Law and History of Art at Edinburgh University, Richard entered private practice as a solicitor, in Edinburgh. He subsequently became secretary of a major grant-making foundation. He has, over more than 20 years, sat on the board of a range of charitable organisations, joining the board of the RHSPT in 2015. Richard was a pupil at the Royal High School and, as a musician, was a regular performer in its magnificent hall.

Rab Bennetts OBE grew up in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, training as an architect at Edinburgh College of Art, where he met his wife Denise. After working in London for ten years, they founded Bennetts Associates there in 1987 and opened an Edinburgh studio in 1994. The practice has since won numerous awards and has completed notable projects such as the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford Upon Avon and the Edinburgh Futures Institute. Bennetts Associates became an employee-owned trust in 2016. Rab was awarded OBE for services to architecture in 2003.

Morven Davis joins the Royal High School Preservation Trust with over 25 years Global Drinks Industry experience having worked in a variety of Commercial, Strategic and Project Roles in FMCG companies including Diageo. With recent expertise in delivering complex Project and Programme management for high value and prestigious Whisky Visitor Attractions including Johnnie Walker Princes Street and several Distillery Brand Homes in Scotland. Morven is an Accessibility and Inclusivity advocate and joins with previous Trustee experience. As a resident of Edinburgh, she has a special interest in the preservation and regeneration of historical buildings within the city.

Amanda Forsyth is a retired investment manager, having spent more than thirty years in the financial services industry. A keen amateur musician, she sings in the choir of St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh where she is also a member of the Kirk Session and the Cathedral’s Treasurer. She has several other charity roles, including those of Chair at Live Music Now Scotland and Trustee of the RSNO Foundation.

Nicola Gordon has held a number of non-executive roles in the public, private and voluntary sectors and currently serves as a trustee of the Scottish Ensemble and Edinburgh Printmakers as well as the Royal High School Preservation Trust. She is chair of the audit and risk committee on the board of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and is a member of the board at the Scottish Energy Forum and OKEA A/S, a Norwegian energy company. Nicola is a chartered engineer and has extensive experience of leading capital projects and operations from her former career as an executive in the international energy sector.

Dr Brian Lang was born in Edinburgh and educated at the Royal High School and the University of Edinburgh. He conducted social anthropological fieldwork in Kenya and lectured for several years at Aarhus University, Denmark. A series of posts in conservation and heritage followed, including the Historic Buildings Branch of the Scottish Office, the National Heritage Memorial Fund and the National Trust (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) before appointment as Chief Executive of the British Library and then Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews. Brian has held a number of non-executive positions in music, culture and the arts. He has chaired the RSNO, and the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland. He is currently Chair of Dovecot Tapestry Studios.

Colin Liddell is a retired accredited specialist in Charity Law (the first one accredited in Scotland), co-author of A Practical Guide to Charity Law in Scotland, author of local histories, current or former Chair and/or Trustee of a number of charities, including Dunard Fund, IMPACT Scotland, National Centre for Music, Perth & Kinross Heritage Trust, Pitlochry Festival Theatre, and Scottish Grantmakers, and currently involved with building projects for charities in Scotland with a total cost in excess of £200m.

Hector Martin is a Built Heritage Officer at Fife Council and has previously worked for Historic England and Essex County’s Place Services in the Midlands and East Anglia. Before this he worked for UNESCO in Kathmandu, Nepal. He is experienced in providing conservation, planning, and strategic advice on the development of historic buildings across the UK at all scales.

Carol Nimmo has a background in retail and owning & running a Finnish design business. She is now a Senior Iyengar Yoga teacher. As Chair of the local resident’s association which neighbours the Old Royal High School, Carol has been actively involved in saving the Building since 2014. More recently as Chair of the local New Town and Broughton Community Council she has campaigned against two hotel planning applications and represented the community at a Scottish Government Planning Inquiry in 2018 before the building was finally saved. Carol is delighted, through the Royal High School Preservation Trust, to now be able to play a part in its bright future.

Gillian Woolman is a Fellow of ICAEW and a Member of CIPFA/LASAAC. After training in financial services, and several years working in private practice in Brussels and Geneva, Gillian has spent the greater part of her working life serving the public, in the NHS and the public sector audit agency for Scotland. This has taken her all around Scotland and, back to where she started, auditing some of the largest pension funds in the UK. Gillian has had extensive involvement in professional bodies and their committees and demonstrates a lifelong commitment to the training and development of new finance professionals.