Who We Are

We are a community that shares a passion for people, places and the planet. With the support of more than 2,700 Members and c120 volunteers, we are a small, flexible organisation, striving to promote greater geographical understanding.

Staff

Day-to-day delivery of our work programme is undertaken by a team of four full-time and two part-time staff, all based at the HQ in Perth.

Chief Executive Mike Robinson

Mike has been Chief Executive since 2008, overseeing the RSGS move to Perth and rejuvenating the charity’s purpose, positioning and profile – and that of geography and geographers in Scottish civic society too. Through this role – and over the course of the last 25 years – Mike has been instrumental in informing policy through joined-up, collaborative action, particularly in sustainability and climate change.

For example, in 2006 he established Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS), the largest coalition ever formed in Scotland, which was so instrumental in delivering the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009, the Scottish Climate Justice Fund, and the 2019 Emissions Reduction Targets Act. Currently, he co-chairs the Farming for 1.5°C inquiry, and is hosting a series of Climate Emergency Summits with more than 40 organisations to identify suitable responses to the emergency, and to inform government thinking. He is also leading development of a new qualification, Climate Solutions, for business leaders with the University of Stirling and University of Edinburgh Management Schools, and the Institute of Directors. Amongst others, Mike sits on the Scottish Government’s ADT Stakeholder Forum, the Board of Transform Scotland, the Vacant and Derelict Land Taskforce, and Perth City Development Board.

He is an Honorary Fellow of Scottish Environment Link and the Royal Canadian Geographical Society (RCGS), and has won a number of awards for his contribution to climate change, including the 2001 Best Renewable Energy Initiative, the 2009 Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award for the Environment, and the 2017 Bernier Medal of the RCGS.

Development Manager	Susan Watt
Communications Officer	James Cave
Finance & Membership Officer	Linda Davidson
Office & Events Assistant	Anne Daniel (Monday to Wednesday lunchtime)
Office & Events Assistant	Katrina Strachan (Wednesday to Friday)

Trustees

Our overall strategy is guided by a Board of Trustees – volunteers who bring their experience and expertise to help the Society. The majority of Trustees are elected by our Members; some Trustees represent the volunteer Committees which have responsibility for certain areas of work; the Geographer Royal for Scotland (appointed by Her Majesty The Queen to a position we helped to reinstate in 2015, after it had been in abeyance for 118 years) is an ex officio Trustee.

Chair	Professor John Briggs FRSGS
Vice-Chair	Alister Hendrie FRSGS
Treasurer	Tim Ambrose
Collections Committee Chair	Margaret Wilkes FRSGS
Education Committee Chair	Alastair McConnell
Local Groups Committee Chair	Lorna Ogilvie
Geographer Royal for Scotland, and Research & Knowledge Exchange Committee Chair	Professor Charles Withers FRSGS
Other Elected Members	Meredith Adams
	Helen Ord
Co-Opted Member	Professor Ian Simpson

Honorary Post-Holders

RSGS has a formal network of honorary post-holders in addition to the Geographer Royal for Scotland. We benefit from Royal Patronage, from the support of a dedicated President and Vice-Presidents, and from the inspirational contributions of our Explorers-in-Residence and Writer-in-Residence. We also have an extensive network of Medallists and Honorary Fellows whom the RSGS has recognised for their outstanding contributions to geography.

Patron	Her Majesty The Queen
President	Professor Iain Stewart
Vice-Presidents	HRH The Princess Royal
	The Duke of Buccleuch
	Erica Caldwell FRSGS
	Professor Dame Anne Glover FRSGS
	Sir David Hempleman-Adams FRSGS
	Baron Nickson
	Dr Frederik Paulsen
	Professor Bruce Proudfoot FRSGS
	Professor William Ritchie FRSGS
	Professor John Rowan
	Professor David Sugden FRSGS
	Lord Wilson of Tillyorn
Explorers-in-Residence	Craig Mathieson
	Luke & Hazel Robertson
Writer-in-Residence	Jo Woolf FRSGS

“As a Professor of Science Communication, I am thrilled to be the President of the RSGS, a well-respected and dynamic educational charity that works with a wide range of partners and audiences, from youth and community groups to academics and politicians, to inform and inspire people about a wealth of fascinating geographical stories, and to encourage a broader engagement with the geographical sciences.”

Professor Iain Stewart, 19th President of the RSGS

Latest

Sustainable Perth Conference 2020

Perth has a quality of environment and landscape that few cities can match and makes it one of the healthiest places in the country to live, work and grow up. Being one of the smallest of the seven cities in Scotland, there is a real opportunity to lead and showcase sustainable solutions and become the envy of Europe.
Net Zero: Is Hydrogen Over-Hyped?

"I believe that hydrogen has a limited role in decarbonisation, and that businesses with a vested interest in promoting hydrogen are doing so at the expense of British consumers," writes Tom Baxter, Professor of Chemical Engineering
Litter in Lancashire: How Covid-19 Has Accelerated the UK’s Litter Problem

"Litter has been yet another victim of the Covid-19 pandemic. As more people have ventured out into the great British countryside, their litter has followed," writes Laura Brown, a Geography Student from Lancaster University.
October 2020

October e-newsletter of the RSGS: Jeremy Bowen, Farming for 1.5, Perth Conference, Teach Meet, Climate Emergency Summit on Food, GeoQuizzical, Festival of Politics, Inspiring People At Home

Innovative Projects

We develop exciting projects to inspire public audiences, influence policy-makers, and solve complex problems.
Heritage Collections

We conserve and curate heritage collections of more than 100,000 historical and contemporary maps, and a wide variety of books, artefacts and archives.
University Research

We promote geographical research in Scottish universities, offer ‘knowledge exchange’ opportunities, and publish a peer-reviewed academic journal.
Schools Education

We are a champion for geographical education in Scottish schools, involved in policy discussions, promoting geography in schools, and projects.
Governance Documents

The RSGS’s governing constitution, current strategic plan, latest accounts and latest AGM minutes can be downloaded here.
Informing Policy

We engage in policy discussions with national government departments, international bodies, local authorities, community organisations, schools, universities, companies, NGOs and others.
Our Influence

We are at the heart of a community of interest – an RSGS family of individuals and organisations working together, part of an international network of geographical expertise and achievement.
The Geographer

We publish an attractive and informative quarterly magazine, The Geographer.
Our Impact

We provide informed, intelligent, insightful commentary on world issues from a geographical perspective.
Public Events

Our Inspiring People talks in 2020 will all be held virtually, via Zoom. Details here.

Departing the Island on 'The Edge of the World’

"Ninety years ago, on August 29, 1930, the last 36 residents of St Kilda were evacuated. Huddled on HMS Harebell they were conveyed from Village Bay on Hirta to mainland Scotland." Writes Collections Volunteer, Kenny Maclean FRSGS.
Stop Climate Chaos Scotland: An Interview

After 14 years, Mike Robinson stepped down from the charity coalition he established: Stop Climate Chaos Scotland. In this interview with Jo Woolf, he speaks about his lifelong passion for environmental issues and his hopes for the future.
An Evening with Jeremy Bowen

In his talk, Jeremy will provide riveting anecdotes from a life reporting on the front line, with insight from dictators, fanatics and fundamentalists, as well as ordinary people caught up in their dangerous exploits. Expect Jeremy to cast a welcome light onto some of the most complex areas of the world.
Shackleton at the RSGS: A Sketch

This is an attempt to explain why there are no newspaper cuttings in the RSGS archives from early 1904 until late 1905. This is approximately the length of Shackleton’s tenure as Secretary...
What an Emergency Looks Like

"In the case of coronavirus, despite some amount of confusion, at least we now know what an emergency response looks like," writes Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of RSGS.
COP26 Postponed

"Postponing the relevant UN COPs was inevitable, but we need to see them as essential pre-planning, and re-schedule them as soon as circumstance allows," writes Mike Robinson, RSGS Chief Executive.
Erskine Beveridge: the Dunfermline Geographer

"Beveridge's photographs could be dismissed as a romantic view of Scotland but, as well as castles and mountains, they also capture a historical geography and social history..." writes Bruce Gittings FRSGS
An Interview with Levison Wood

“It’s about showing what a region is really like through the eyes of the people who live there.” Explorer Levison Wood speaks to RSGS Writer-in-Residence, Jo Woolf.
An Interview with Calum Maclean

For our Young Geographer magazine published in 2019, our team of Editors sat down with BBC presenter and wild-swimmer Calum Maclean. The magazine article was published in Gaelic, but we're pleased to share the English version online!
The Climate Emergency: One Year On

"Although coronavirus is quite rightly dominating our thoughts and immediate concerns, the climate emergency hasn't gone away." An interview with Mike Robinson and Professor Dave Reay.