There is change at the top of the Sea-Changers team as we say goodbye to Sarah Brown, our Chair of Trustees and welcome, Paul Martin as her replacement.
Sarah joined the Sea-Changers Board eleven years ago and as a Trustee, and more recently as Chair, has helped in the significant growth and development of Sea-Changers. In the period Sarah has been Chair, Sea-Changers has launched a number of new funding streams: the Innovation Fund, The Marine Conservation Social Fund and, the Bunzl Coastal Fountain Fund. To support these funding streams there has also been a growth in our income. Sarah’s knowledge and understanding of marine conservation and national marine policy and strategy has been an essential ingredient, supporting this success.
Alongside her role as Scottish Marine Environmental Enhancement Fund Manager at NatureScot and her Sea-Changers commitments, Sarah also launched the Brian Black Memorial Award in 2021. This Award commemorates Brian and Lesley Black, Sarah’s parents, who were trailblazing sailors, daring small-boat explorers and passionate story tellers. The award aims to encourage other sailors to use their boats to share the stories of the places and wildlife they encounter on their voyages with the wider world. We want to say a massive thank you to Sarah for all her hard work and commitment to Sea-Changers over the past nine years. We know Sarah will stay involved with our work in some capacity and we look forward to hearing about all her amazing achievements with NatureScot and the Brian Black Memorial Award.
Sea-Changers is thrilled to welcome Paul Martin, replacing Sarah as Chair of Sea-Changers’ Board. Paul joins Sea-Changers at an exciting time of growth as our impact begins to scale up. Paul brings a wealth of experience in change and transformation management which will be a huge benefit at this time. He is a Management Consultant with 25 years’ experience in managing technology programmes and leading complex transformation. Away from work, Paul spends most of his spare time with wife Hazel and their two children Euan and Isla. Paul has long had an interest in natural history and conservation since he was a small boy wanting to emulate Gerald Durrell. He is a keen angler, paddleboarder and occasional scuba diver. He has been fortunate to dive in many amazing locations around the world including the Red Sea, Thailand, the Mediterranean, the Indian Ocean and the Galapagos. As a father to two small children Paul is hoping to help Sea-Changers make a difference to the UK's oceans and preserve our environment for the next generation.
Rachel Lopata, Co-Founder of Sea-Changers said:
‘We are, of course, sad to say goodbye to Sarah as our Chair and Trustee after all these years, but we know we’ll stay in touch! She has been a fantastic Chair and a wonderful colleague. We are delighted that Paul has agreed to take up the Chair’s role in her place. We are certain he will provide a brilliant guiding hand to us and the Board of Trustees going forward.‘