Staff

Executive Director

Cally initially started at the Trust as Director in 1998 and since then has managed the Trust’s development and co-ordinated the wide variety of operations in the Trust. Work includes a wide range of management responsibilities, fundraising and raising the profile of the Trust.

Prior to joining the Trust, Cally gained an Honours degree in Marine Biology and a Marketing Diploma, and has considerable experience working in Scotland’s west coast rural tourism industry.

Contact Cally

Biodiversity Officer

Olivia Harries is the newest member of our team having recently graduated from St Andrews University where she gained a MRes in Marine Mammal Science. Her interests lie within population biology and ecological and environmental modelling. Her Masters thesis analysed data collected from whale watching operations and assessed whether such platforms of opportunity could contribute to the data required for conservation and management. It was based in the Inner Hebrides and concerned harbour porpoise distributions and densities. She has conducted marine mammal based field work in Honduras, Central America; Plettenberg Bay, South Africa; Florida, USA and in Cardigan Bay, Wales which is her native country.

Contact Olivia

Sightings Officer

Sandra joined HWDT in early 2010 as a volunteer before becoming Sightings Officer during Laura Mandleberg's maternity leave.

Before coming to HWDT, Sandra worked in Australia in 2007 for the Murdoch University Cetacean Research Unit (MUCRU) in Bunbury as a research assistant responsible for photo-ID and training new assistants. The same year she graduated from the University of Wales, Bangor with an MSc in Marine Mammal Science, performing her final dissertation on the diving behaviour of harbour porpoises off the north coast off Wales.

Contact Sandra

Education Officer

Gemma has been working within the education team at the Trust since April 2008. Gemma runs all aspects of the educational programme.

Prior to working with the Trust, Gemma gained an MSc in Ecology at the University of Aberdeen and was employed in the south of England in the field of marine environmental education. She has most recently completed her PGCE in secondary science at the University of Leicester.

Contact Gemma

Volunteer Coordinator and Marketing Officer

Morven became the Trust’s Volunteer Coordinator and Marketing Officer in April 2007.  As well as completing various marketing and administration tasks, Morven recruits and manages both land and boat based volunteers. 

In 2006 Morven gained a BSc in Environmental Management and Technology from Heriot Watt University.  She has also worked with local marine wildlife operators Sea Life Surveys.

Contact Morven

Finance and Administration Officer

Fiona began working for HWDT in 2011 in our Shop and Visitor Centre. She is now also responsible for a range of financial and administrative operations at the Trust. 

Contact Fiona

Skipper and interim Boat Manager

Dave has skippered Silurian over many thousands of miles since 2005 and became interim Boat Manager in 2010.

He has sailed yachts around the west coast of Scotland for both work and pleasure for over 15 years. He also works as a mountaineering instructor in Scotland and elsewhere and is a member of the Glencoe Mountain Rescue Team.

First Mate

Emma grew up in Bendoran Boatyard on the Ross of Mull. She graduated with an BSc in Marine Biology in 2007. Since then Emma has worked locally with Turus Mara, on trips to Staffa and the Treshnish Islands, qualified and worked as a commercial diver and worked on deck of various vessels in Scotland, the Mediterranean and off Africa.

Biodiversity Consultant

Nienke van Geel worked for the Trust in 2009 and 2010 as Biodiversity Officer. She is a marine mammal scientist, especially interested in species’ distributions and habitat preferences. She has a M.Sc. (Honours) in Natural Resources Management from Utrecht University (Netherlands), performing her final Masters thesis on whales and dolphins of the Azores in relation to water depth and slope gradient. Before joining HWDT, she worked on IFAW’s RV Song of the Whale on acoustic detections of beaked whales. Currently she is doing a PhD with SAMS on bottlenose dolphin movement patterns in relation to marine renewables and remains working for HWDT as a research consultant.

Biodiversity Consultant

Susannah Calderan is a marine mammal scientist, with a particular interest in cetacean ecology. Having graduated from the University of Wales, Bangor, with an MSc in Marine Mammal Science, she worked on visual and acoustic surveys around the British Isles, including for offshore windfarm sites, before joining HWDT in 2006. She ran the field research onboard Silurian for three years, and now works as a research
consultant for HWDT.

Sightings Consultant

Laura worked as Sightings Officer with HWDT between 2005 and 2009. She was also the principal photo-identification researcher, maintaining the Trust's catalogues for minke whales, killer whales, bottlenose and Risso's dolphins.

She is an MSc marine biology graduate from Aberdeen University and has worked on projects in France and Greece before moving to the Hebrides.

Laura is currently available as a research consultanat.

Graphics Artist/Technician

Andrew contributes sightings images and centre displays, as well as providing technical support.

He holds a HND in Computer Studies, completed MSc Media Production and Technology and has previously been employed as a Computer Science and Programming Instructor.

Andrew is an artist and usually has work on display at local exhibition galleries, to view his work please click here.