Board Members

Brought up in the Far North, Robbie attended Farr Secondary and Golspie High before taking up a career in Land Management.

He currently runs a small company that delivers Habitat Management planning and delivery for various types of landholdings in the Highlands.

He is the Chairman and a director of The Highlands and Islands Society for Blind People and its subsidiary enterprises, Sight Action and Highland Blindcraft.

He has been involved in several community based organisations, as a Highland Councillor, Community Councillor and a volunteer. He was Chairman of the Sutherland Partnership (a Community Planning Partnership), a Director of the Highland Homeless Trust, the Highland Small Communities Housing Trust and an early member of the UHI Millennium Foundation, which worked to establish the University of the Highlands and Islands and of which UHI North Highland is now a part.

Robbie currently lives in Brora on the family croft.

Born in Caithness, Debbie attended Thurso High School before spending some time in Australia. On her return she raised a family before obtaining a BSc (Hons) IT and Computing and she has served North Highland College for many years with extensive experience of educational leadership, management, strategy, and negotiation. She has a vested interest in driving forward socio economic advances across the Highlands, is an extensive networker with a substantive 'track record of business development, a Caithness Ambassador for Highlands and Islands Enterprise, ex Director of Nigg Skills Academy and a former member of the Thurso Rotary Club serving on their vocational sub group. Debbie enjoys running and paddle boarding and makes the most of the great outdoors when she can. 

Born in Thurso, attended Thurso High School 1960 to 1964. Then attended the Pre-Apprenticeship Course at Thurso Technical College. Became a Dounreay Apprentice in 1965 , and worked with the UKAEA initially at Dounreay but finally at Risley headquarters of UKAEA.

Joined Shell U.K. in 1977 as a Commissioning Engineer and brought the Brent Charlie platform on –stream. Worked offshore  for seven years holding positions as Platform Engineer, Production Supervisor, Resident Engineer and finally OIM. Moved to Shell  Aberdeen where  he held positions as Head of Contracts, Project Manager for major projects and finally as Deputy Asset Manager for the Brent Field managing the four Brent Platforms with an annual budget of £139 million.

Left Shell in 2000 and joined Walker Technical Resources as part owner and Managing Director, successfully grew WTR into a Global Service company within the Oil and Gas Industry, setting up offices in Norway, Canada, America, Nigeria, South Africa, Oman, Qata, Kazakhstan and Egypt. Sold the company in 2009 seeking to retire but bought another company NexusAB specialising in High Pressure High Temperature Well Software.  Sold NexusAB in 2011 and retired to play golf, salmon fishing and sailing. Lives in Ellon Aberdeenshire with his family but has a house in Thurso where he spends 50% of his time.

Heather McLean was an English teacher at Thurso High School for 36 years. During that time she served as Principal Teacher of English and then as a Deputy Head Teacher with responsibility for Guidance and Health Education. Since her retirement she has maintained a link with senior pupils through the Interact Club, a Club run by Thurso Rotary Club for S/5 and S/6 pupils.

Mrs McLean has been Secretary and President of Thurso Rotary Club. She has a long association with the Scottish Community Drama Association and with Thurso West Church where she is Clerk to the Board and has recently become an Elder.

For several years she has served on the Learning, Teaching and Research Committee of North Highland College and is currently its Chairperson. She also serves on a number of N.H.S. Caithness Redesign Committees.

Shona was born in Paisley and brought up in Ayrshire, and on leaving school she attended Glasgow College of Food Technology for 3 years studying Catering & Hotelkeeping. On leaving College in 1980 she was selected as a management trainee within the NHS management training scheme for Scotland.

During the period 1981 to 1989 Shona worked in the field of facilities management within various hospitals, mainly within the Glasgow area. In 1989 Shona moved to Strathclyde Regional Council, working within the newly established direct services organisations, again in the field of facilities management. As part of local government reorganisation in 1996, Shona was appointed as Head of Commercial Operations within Renfrewshire Council. In 2006 she became Director of Environment & Communities within Renfrewshire Council. Her portfolio was diverse and challenging, with strategic and corporate responsibilities, along with the delivery of many frontline services. Shona's career in public service spanned 38 years, until her retirement in 2018 when she moved to Dornoch with her husband.

Shona is also a Board Trustee with Highland Hospice.

Jim studied for an Honours Degree in Computing from the old Paisley College of Technology (now West of Scotland University) and subsequently spent a brief spell in Explosives Research with Nobels Explosives (ICI).  Jim was a Systems Analyst with Babcock Power at Renfrew for two years before moving into teaching.  Jim taught at Tain Royal Academy for nearly 3 decades, latterly as Principal Teacher of Computing.  He retired in 2007 and in the same year was elected as a Highland Councillor in the East Sutherland & Edderton Ward.  Jim has served continuously on the Council since that date having been re-elected at each of the three subsequent elections.   

David was born in Helmsdale, brought up in Brora and now lives with his wife and family on the Isle of Skye. David has worked in the public transport industry for over thirty years  mostly in Scotland with a five year spell in America running interstate travel and city sightseeing operations in Chicago, Nashville and Dallas. David returned from America to take up his current role of Managing Director for Stagecoach Highland.  David is chair of the RNLI fundraising committee in Skye having previously served as a lifeboat crew member and coxswain. His other interests include football, travelling and entertaining his grand children.

Originally from the great state of Rhode Island in the USA, Anna McInnes has called the Highlands home since 2012 when she came across to be the Systems Librarian for UHI. Anna has a Master’s degree in Information and Library Studies from Robert Gordon University and has worked in a variety of library and IT roles.  Anna currently works for the UK Government as the Highlands and Islands Area Lead for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.  Anna is a firm advocate for libraries, community, and access to education. In addition to being a board member for UHI North Highland, Anna is proud to serve on the board of the Scottish Library and Information Council, as well as being a Community Councillor for her local area. 

Stephen first came to the north Highlands in 2006, returning regularly until 2012 when he relocated to Syre briefly before settling in Clashmore by Stoer. Stephen has recently moved to Rosemarkie where he volunteers at Groam House Museum.

Fortunate to have had two careers, since 2006 Stephen has been involved in public health, first as CEO of a Cystic Fibrosis charity in Australia then as: Chair of Chronic Illness Alliance; Chair of Consumer Health Forum (CHF); and as a board member of Australia’s Healthcare Standards and its Hospital Pricing Authority. Stephen is an International Advisor for Safe Biologic Medicines (USA), and in 2014 was made an Honorary Life Member of CHF and, in 2021, was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society for Public Health.

Prior to 2006, Stephen was Vice President of Swinburne University. Before Swinburne, he was a Foundation Head of School at the Open University of Hong Kong (1992-95): which followed being CEO of Knowledge Victoria (1987-91). His career in education started as a university tutor (1976) before becoming a technical schoolteacher (1979), a TAFE lecturer (1981) and a Senior Lecturer (1983). In 2001 Stephen became a Life Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Judith has lived in Caithness for the past twelve years, the majority of which have been spent as a student of either UHI North Highland or another UHI partner. In 2012/13, Judith served as the Vice President of the UHI Student Association and consequently is a passionate advocate for the student voice at every level of college and university governance.  

Whilst studying part-time, Judith worked as a Finance and Administration Officer for Flows to the Future, a large partnership project aimed at protecting and promoting the Flow Country of Caithness and Sutherland. In 2019, Judith qualified through UHI North Highland as a Primary Teacher and is now working part-time at Lybster Primary School. With the rest of her time, Judith in a partner in Crowvus, the UK’s most northerly mainland publisher, and tries to make time to write her own books too.  

UHI North Highland has played a significant role in Judith’s life so far, and Judith is very excited to be able to give something back to the College. 

Born and raised in Caithness where she still lives, Sophie has been a student at UHI North Highland for a number of years now.  Having previously graduated in beauty therapy and in hairdressing, Sophie is currently studying English.  In the past, Sophie has worked in supermarkets and cafes, and is now a beauty products consultant.  This is Sophie's second year on the Board of Management.  Having enjoyed her time as the HISA Depute president in UHI North Highland last session, Sophie has returned this year as student member.  

Dr. Pete Hylton had an exciting twenty-year career in the aerospace industry in the United States where he participated in five different programmes that were awarded the Collier Award for Aerospace Achievement.  He then spent twelve years at a major American university, where he achieved the rank of Full Professor while developing the country's first accredited degree in Motorsports Engineering.  He is also the author of four books on the history of auto racing in the USA.  On the basis of these activities, he was inducted into the Sports Car Club of America's Hall of Fame prior to his moving to Scotland in 2016 to participate in UHI's development of new BEng and MSc degrees in engineering.  He has Masters Degrees in both Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mathematics and a Doctorate in Education.  He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology as well as a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.