David McKay

Biography

I have broad professional experience in public policy, public affairs, media and communications. In my current position as Co-Director of Soil Association Scotland, I have responsibility for the research, development and advocacy of the charity’s positions on food, farming and land use.

Away from my day-to-day role, I have a keen personal interest in the protection and restoration of nature.

My wife and I bought seven acres of land in Aberdeenshire, seven years ago and have planted nearly 2,000 native trees and have taken the land through organic conversion. We now sell fruit and vegetables direct to customers within a 10-mile radius of our farm.

We have young children and spend our summers camping and exploring the Scottish Highlands, Western Isles and Northern Isles. My interest in wild places in Scotland goes back to my childhood when my Dad would take me hiking up Munros.

In previous professional roles, I have worked with politicians at Holyrood and Westminster in a media advisor role, and prior to that I was Scottish Political Editor at the Press and Journal during a period which included the Scottish independence referendum campaign from 2012-2014, a Scottish election in 2011, a UK general election in 2015 and local council elections in 2012.

I went back to further education in 2019, taking on a distance-learning Master’s degree in Organic Farming at SRUC, graduating in 2023, 26 years after my first graduation with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism Studies from Napier University in Edinburgh.

I believe we are always learning, and I am keen to take on new challenges. The opportunity of this role with the John Muir Trust is one that I would relish, and I believe I can contribute positively to the work of the charity going forward.

Member since

2024