CEnv, MIEMA

Laura - a Chartered Environmentalist and full member of IEMA - has accumulated more than 20 years' experience in the environmental sector spanning across scientific, regulatory, consultancy and project development roles. Following completion of her BSc in Tropical Environmental Science at Aberdeen University she worked as a Research Assistant in Bolivia where she authored and contributed to a number of scientific papers centred on tropical forestry. She later completed a MSc in Marine Resource Development and Protection at Heriot-Watt University in addition to training as a commercial SCUBA diver.

Her early professional career included a period as an Assistant Marine Biologist and Environmental Protection Officer at SEPA, which later evolved into a consultancy and project developer role for the onshore wind sector. She transitioned into marine renewables in 2010 where she led and supported the full range of project development activities for the development of offshore novel marine energy technologies.

Following a move to the Hebrides, she established as a self-employed consultant in 2015 supporting a range of aquaculture, space and renewables projects, and in 2018 the business was formally incorporated as a limited company.

As Director of Atlantic58 she has completed, led and overseen a diverse range of projects spanning small, local conservation inititatives to Environmental Impact Assessments for major complex developments in addition to providing regulatory support to the emerging Scottish space sector. Laura has a wide knowledge of a range of environmental topics derived from a diverse environmental career, however, she has a specialist interest in marine benthic ecology and continues to develop her knowledge of peatland biology and vegetation of the Hebrides.

MSc, IEMA

Sarah is an experienced EIA practitioner with ten years’ working in EIA consultancy and project management. Sarah has a BSc in Sustainable Environmental Management, an MSc in Marine Resource Management and is an Associate member of IEMA.

Sarah has led and contributed to numerous EIA projects, including wave and tidal arrays, floating offshore wind, aquaculture, onshore wind and spaceport development throughout Scotland. This includes site selection and optioneering to de-risk route to consent; project design support; coordination of Scoping, EIA and HRA; stakeholder engagement and consultation; and survey management.

Sarah utilises extensive experience of consenting for marine and terrestrial projects to ensure EIAs are robust, proportionate and fit-for-purpose for novel technologies and complex developments, in compliance with a number of different regimes. Working with Atlantic58 Sarah supports a diverse range of projects to positively influence development for the benefit of the environmental and communities.

BA Business Enterprise and Finance

David undertook a comprehensive Business Studies degree at the University of Strathclyde featuring modules in Marketing, Economics, Management and Enterprise. However, his interest was in Business Finance, and he majored his studies in principles and practices specifically for SME style organisations and graduated in 2013.

Following completion of his studies, David was the first graduate Project Manager for the Calanais Centre Redevelopment proposal which was a multi-million-pound capital initiative to renovate the existing café area and create a new exhibition space. David utilised his skills to take the project from initial concept stages through to a completed feasibility study and hiring a design team to take the venture through The Royal Institute of British Architects stages of project development. After a period of further education, David has amassed 10 years of experience in the public, private and third sector with small to medium sized organisations in business development roles as well as undertaking community development roles. Key achievements include supporting the development of Hebrides based companies such as the Lewis Crofters with introducing a fully inclusive Electronic Point of Sale (EPOS) system and overseeing the rebrand of the Harris based Facilities Management company, Norserv FM.

David joined Atlantic58 as Business Manager in July 2024 with the remit to support the organisation with introducing business processes and work management systems to improve efficiency whilst supporting the ongoing management of business operations. In addition to this David is looking at business development through the creation of a business plan and introduction of a project management system that integrates with all other aspects of the organisation. He is passionate about overcoming challenges and finding solutions that encourage efficient and appropriate business growth. A key training goal for David is to further his studies within Business Finance with the aim of becoming a Chartered Accountant.

Outside of work, David continues to be interested in the development of local communities on the island and has, since December 2023, been the Chair of North Harris Community Council.

PgC, BEng, PIEMA

Susie completed a PgC in Sustainable Rural Development and is a qualified BREEAM Infrastructure Assessor, evaluating projects against a range of criteria including landscape, ecology and biodiversity, energy and carbon, materials and waste management and community impacts. Early in her career Susie qualified as a lead auditor working across different management systems including ISO 14001, ISO 9001 and ISO 20121.

She has led the development of Sustainability Policy and Sustainability Delivery Plans as well as Construction Environmental and Social Management Plans for major infrastructure projects. As well as being lead coordinator of Environmental Impact Assessment Reports (EIAR) she has carried out post construction evaluations of the environmental mitigation outlined in EIARs, providing expert analysis and recommendations.

Susie joined Atlantic58 in 2024 as Senior Environmental and Sustainability Consultant, bringing over twenty years’ experience in the Environmental Management and Sustainability Assessment sectors.

More recently she has been developing her interest in Social Value and Community Impacts as well as Carbon Management and Climate Change.

MSc, PhD

Ruth joined Atlantic58 in 2022, bringing ten years' experience in the conservation sector and associated ecological surveying. Through completion of a PhD in seabird behaviour and movement ecology, Ruth has developed expertise in ornithological survey design, animal tracking systems, deployment, productivity monitoring, data processing and statistical analyses. She has a high standard of academic rigor for desk-based studies, with extensive experience of synthesising and evaluating scientific literature and data.

Ruth has specialist knowledge in ornithology, crofting, protected species and the habitats of the Hebrides. She has hands-on experience of managing livestock and habitats in line with the requirements for government rural payment schemes for crofting (Agri-Environment Climate Scheme, AECS) in addition to undertaking protected species surveys and Phase 1 Vegetation surveys.

Since joining Atlantic58, Ruth has led consultation for, and the successful application of, Agri-Environment Climate Scheme (AECS) with two common grazings committees on the west coast of Lewis, submitted two successful EPS licence applications for works with the potential to impact otter and has led the co-ordination and supervision of breeding bird and otter surveys on the Isle of Lewis in 2023 and 2024 for four projects. She has also developed biodiversity enhancement opportunities for a proposed local development in line with National Planning Framework 4 policies, and is project managing an environmentally orientated development on a nature-rich island in the Summer Isles, Northwest Scotland. Ruth enjoys work with the community and young people, she has worked with Glasgow University students in a careers and citizen science workshop, and ran an event for the Outer Hebrides Wildlife Festival.

Looking forward, Ruth is keen to collaborate with academics to put her seabird and wider ornithological research skills into use to help conserve and study the wildlife of the Outer Hebrides.

BSc, MSc

Barnaby holds a BSc (Hons) in Geoscience from the University of St. Andrews and an MSc in Ecology and Conservation from the University of Aberdeen.

Barnaby enjoyed a successful career in managing businesses and teams from corporate level down to start-ups, before a career change to ecology. Fully committing to his career change, Barnaby now works in a sector where he can bring his knowledge, skills and passion from a lifetime of interest in the natural world to his daily working life. A highly skilled field ecologist and ornithologist, he is equally at home applying his more “indoor” skills in the office, anything from QGIS to assisting on report writing.

Since joining Atlantic58 in 2021, Barnaby’s principle roles are field surveys, with particular proficiency in ornithology and EPS surveys, and using QGIS for analysis and production of figures and maps.

Barnaby has had a lifelong interest in the natural world and has a broad interest base, with a particular interest in birds. In addition, he is an accredited marine mammal observer with a keen interest in ocean wildlife.

BSc, QCIEM

Angus joined the Scottish Rural College in 2017 to gain a BSc in Environmental Resource Management. During his time at SRUC he mixed with specialists and industry professionals, and benefited from his work on his honours project where he discussed consumer relationships with eco-labels, developing his skills in synthesising scientific literature for desk-based studies.

In 2021 he was invited to join David Dodds Associates where he developed expertise in carrying out bat surveys—Emergence and Bat Roost Potential Assessments. Later, he joined global multi-disciplinary consultancy firm, RPS, where he built upon his bat surveying experience, gaining experience in badger and otter surveying and monitoring, as well as peat-probing and dipwell monitoring. Angus also worked within the data management team where he processed and managed survey data, producing maps and figures using GIS.

Angus also carried out vital work with leading nature conservation charity RSPB during the height of the HPAI (Highly Parthenogenic Avian Influenza) outbreak in the Outer Hebrides in 2022 where he monitored the effects of the virus on local seabird populations, with a focus on great and Arctic skua. He has also been involved in voluntary work for several years, predominantly in the field of conservation. He supported RSPB with surveying corncrake and managing crofts on the Corncrake Calling project and in February 2024 founded the Outer Hebrides Bat Group in order to gather official records of the under-studied local bat population.

Angus joined Atlantic58 in 2023, bringing along a varied experience within the consultancy, NGO and voluntary sector. Angus carries out protected species surveys, peatland restoration survey works and ornithological surveys. He is also building the team’s capacity for carrying out bat survey work on-island and is currently working towards his bat licence.

BSc

Gareth joined Atlantic58 in 2023 bringing 18 years’ experience in various environmental and multi-disciplinary consultancy roles and a degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Liverpool. Gareth has experience from feasibility studies to survey work, site assessments and contributing to EIA chapters and data analysis. Through his previous roles he has also gained experience in contaminated land investigation and remediation, asbestos remediation, radon remediation and testing and air quality monitoring.

Gareth also has experience in biodiversity enhancement gained through running his own croft where he has implemented sustainable crofting practices, low-intensity grazing using Hebridean sheep and undertaken crop trials in novel species.

MA (Hons) Arabic and Linguistics, MA Language Documentation and Description, MA Coastal Communities and Regional Development

Frances is a multidisciplinary social scientist with a range of research experience in academia, social enterprises, and the third sector. She holds a master’s degree in Coastal Communities and Regional Development, for which she received a distinction. Her master’s thesis focused on the application of place attachment theory for understanding the relationships between people and place and involved the development of an original research method based on walking transect interviews, which was designed to cope with pandemic restrictions.

Following on from her master’s degree, Frances was a postgraduate researcher for ‘Benthic Ecosystems Mapping and Engagement’ societal engagement project at Dalhousie University, Canada, where she continued to research the human-nature relationship, using various frameworks and decolonisation theory.  Within this research she developed an interest in the crossover between ethnography and science communication, with particular attention to culturally specific visualisations of the environment. She also provided research and infographics for the Mi’kmaq Conservation Group relating to the level of Indigenous communities’ involvement in coastal and marine planning. This experience, combined with earlier specialist training in the documentation and revitalisation of endangered languages and cultures, brings high ethical and methodological standards to her work.

Her research and writing skills are complemented by her previous work in community wellbeing and engagement, including delivery of a participatory democracy consultation project, management of a bike share scheme, wilderness guiding, and outdoor instruction with an all-ability cycling charity.

Shona gained a credit pass HND in Environmental Management from Anniesland College in 1999 and also became a fully registered Veterinary Nurse in 2006. Born and brought up in Lewis, Shona had a fascination of the natural world from a young age which she has built upon through her life.

Shona has worked for SNH (now NatureScot) where she assisted crofters within the Cornrake SPAs of Barvas and Ness with grant applications. As a fully registered Veterinary Nurse and then Head Veterinary Nurse she led a team of veterinary nurses in a busy city centre practice in Aberdeen.

After returning to Lewis, Shona became an AEPO with SEPA in Stornoway, travelling the islands extensively as part of her role, and then went on to a Project Manager role at the Eoropie Playpark where she achieved Green Flag status for them. More recently Shona worked with the conservation charity the Royal Society of Protection of Birds as the Lewis Warden, where she managed the two Lewis reserves, Loch na Muilne and Loch Stiapabhat and where protecting and creating corncrake habitat formed a significant part of her role, which also included guiding walks, biosecurity work on the Shiants, organising large wader surveys, and Schedule 1 species surveys such as red necked phalaropes, hen harriers and corncrakes.

Shona joined Atlantic58 in October 2024 and brought with her a broad range of local conservation knowledge gained from valuable experience in roles with SEPA, NatureScot and the RSPB, which will be essential to her role here at Atlantic58.

Beth grew up on her family farm and graduated from Portsmouth University with BSc (Hons) degree Wildlife, Ecology and Conservation. She has developed and applied a wide range of knowledge of ecological practices during her course which culminated in her dissertation which was a study of the abundance and species richness of bats across different farmed land. Here Beth built up her experience with extensive bat emergence surveys and analysis of results which were discussed within an extended research report.

Since leaving university, Beth has worked on regenerative farming systems where she has implemented holistic management and regenerative practices that have helped to restore and improve soil health and biodiversity. During this, she enhanced her biological monitoring skills and has used various software to record and monitor the performance of the livestock and the land in response to the change of farming practices.

Beth has joined the team as a Graduate Environmental Clerk of Works to support the monitoring and ensuring of environmental compliance during construction projects. 

Juliette completed her PhD in historical geography from the University of Glasgow in 2023. Her doctoral thesis focused on the socio-economic and cultural transformation of the Highland and Island landscape in the early modern and modern periods, including the timing, geographies, and purpose of the emerging of crofting. Through years of research and involvement in community heritage initiatives, Juliette has gathered specialist understanding of the unique relationship between people, history, and places.

Juliette joined Atlantic58 in 2024 with the remit to provide advice to clients in relation to cultural heritage and support the team in the preparation of desk-based heritage and social impact assessments.

Rebecca returned to higher education as a mature student to gain her HND in Business and later also qualified as a proofreader through the Publishing Qualifications Board.

She has over 25 years' diverse administrative experience, 15 of those years working at Director and Executive Director level in both public and private sectors.

Rebecca joined Atlantic58 in 2022 and her wide remit includes management of our IT service, company website, social media and marketing. In addition to wider business support services, she is also responsible for developing and implementing office policies and procedures, is the Atlantic58 nominated data representative and is responsible for quality assurance of many of our project outputs.