Nominee Summary
Calum Langdale is Programme Lead and Development Manager at Caledonian Climate Partners, Scotland's largest Peatland Code developer. Since joining in 2022, he has risen from environmental consultant to senior leader, overseeing the development of dozens of restoration projects and securing funding for thousands of hectares of Scottish peatland restoration work. He brings exceptional attention to detail, pragmatic problem-solving, and a rare ability to align landowners, gamekeepers, contractors and public bodies behind a shared goal. He is an asset to his business and to the wider sector, and is helping shape the future of peatland restoration across rural Scotland.
Nominee – Qualities
Calum joined CCPin September 2022 as an environmental consultant and has driven his own progression to Programme Lead and Development Manager. That rise reflects sustained initiative and hard work, not merely time served. He is action-orientated, pairing meticulous attention to detail with a knack for finding pragmatic solutions to complex problems. Rather than wait for direction, he has taken ownership of the systems the business runs on, formalising processes and driving continuous improvement so the company can scale its impact. His commitment is also demonstrable... Calum relocated from Newcastle to take the role, backing his career on the future of Scottish peatland restoration and a small start up! As he has grown, so has his influence. He has become a genuine leader and a source of inspiration for more junior colleagues, knowing when to step in to support someone or tackle a difficult issue head-on. Having recently completed management training, he is now applying those skills to recruitment and further process development, helping build the team that will carry the work forward. Calum's drive is consistent and outward-looking. He invests in his own development, in his colleagues and in the wider sector, and the business is stronger for it.
Nominee - Sectoral Impact
Calum's impact on peatland restoration in rural Scotland is significant and measurable. He has overseen funding applications for well over 10,000 hectares of restoration, helping return degraded peatland to healthy, carbon-storing condition across the Scottish countryside. The beneficiaries are broad: - Landowners and estates, who gain viable restoration projects and a credible route into natural capital - Rural communities and contractors, through the work these projects create - The climate and biodiversity, through restored peatland and protected habitats and species uplift - The wider sector, which draws on his expertise! Calum works fluently across a wide spectrum of stakeholders, from landowners, gamekeepers and stalkers to contractors, ecologists, public sector bodies and government. That ability to bring very different interests together is what allows projects to progress where others might stall. His influence reaches beyond his own projects. Calum is the company's go-to person for responses to public consultations, and he has acted as a sounding board for the new Scottish peatland standard currently being developed by NatureScot. In doing so he is helping shape the rules that will govern restoration across Scotland for years to come. He is an asset to the sector.
Nominee - Going the extra mile
What sets Calum apart is his judgement about when to step in, and his refusal to let difficult problems derail good outcomes. Species mitigation is the clearest example. On several estates, restoration work has run into genuinely challenging situations around protected species. These can kill a project off. Calum took direct ownership, managing a demanding mix of stakeholders, and held them together. The projects progressed and the environmental outcomes remained exceptional. That instinct to get personally involved at the right moment runs through his work. He knows when a co-worker needs support through a challenge, and when a particularly thorny issue needs his own attention. He brings the same proactive, consultative approach every time, working with the many stakeholders peatland restoration involves to find workable solutions where others see only obstacles. Calum does not wait to be asked. He sees where success is at risk, gets involved, and finds a way through.
