Trustees

Chairman - Frances Done

Appointed July 2003. A trained accountant, and a former board member of the Manchester Ship Canal Company, Frances was also Chief Executive of Rochdale Council and Chief Executive of Manchester 2002 - the organising committee of the 27th Commonwealth Games being held in the City.  She is currently the Chair of the Youth Justice Board.

Chris Coburn - Chris is a renowned campaigner for the inland waterways and Vice President of the Cotswolds Canals Trust, Patron of the Lichfield & Hatherton Restoration Trust, Vice-President of the Inland Waterways Association and, until 2003, as Chairman of the Thames Boating Trades Association. Chris made the first narrow boat crossing of the English Channel in 'Progress', taking part in the 50th anniversary of Dunkirk in 1990. Chris is also Chairman and Director of Lee Sanitation Ltd.

Richard Combes - Honorary Treasurer. Now retired, Richard was a Partner at Ernst & Young for 15 years. He is a past Chairman of Beds and Luton Chamber of Commerce and Business Link and holds a number of other honorary board appointments.

Steve Dunlop - joined British Waterways in 2006 as Director Scotland.  Formerly he was Director of Regeneration for Newcastle City Council and prior to that held a Directorship at Falkirk Council.  Steve is regarded as a regeneration specialist, and is a Director of a number of  of British Waterway's joint venture property companies

Brenda Harvey - A qualified planner and Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute, Brenda has a background in policy planning, economic development and regeneration. She was Chief Executive of Ellesmere Port and Neston Borough Council until the authority was reorganised in 2009. Brenda now has her own company providing management and consultancy advice to the public sector and has been involved in various projects in and around the National Waterways Museum since the 1990s.

Prof John Hume - John is Chairman of the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historic Monuments of Scotland, Chairman of Scottish Industrial Archaeology Panel and Honorary President of the Seagull Trust. Formerly Chief Inspector of Historic Buildings, Historic Scotland, and Vice Chairman of IWAC.

Laurence Newman - Chief Executive of Big Picture Consulting Ltd. Prior to this Laurence spent 20 years with KPMG where he directed their Leisure and Tourism Consulting Group. He was appointed a partner in KPMG in 1989 and retired in 2002. Laurence has been a Trustee of Comic Relief since 1997 and is Trustee of the Orchestra of St John's and Chairman of London Council of Arts & Business.

Diana Organ - From 2006 until 2010, Diana was the Chief Executive of Young Gloucestershire, a charity which works with young people from 8-25 years, many of whom face challenges or are vulnerable.  She is a Trustee of UK Youth, Gloucestershire Environmental Trust and Community Foster Care and she is Chair of Gloucestershire Youth Partnership.  Diana came onto the panel for the Waterways Renaissance Awards in 2008 and is also vice president of the Hereford & Gloucestershire Canal Trust.

Ian Valder - Non-Executive Chairman of Adler Europe, and Non-Executive Director and Company Secretary of Hunting Gate Group Ltd and a Director of American Friends of Britain's Waterways. Previously Non-Executive Director of Highland Spring and Commercial Director of British Waterways and Managing Director of Beecham Drinks.  Is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.