Our Staff | Scottish Land & Estates

In addition to demonstrating what makes our colleagues qualified for the important roles they playing in driving SLE forward, we also wanted to allow you the chance to learn a little more about the people behind the job titles.

Find out more about the experience and motivations of the team.

Laura Ferrier

Policy Adviser (Natural Capital)

Laura grew up in Fife and is now based in Edinburgh. She has degrees in Geography and Food Security, specialising in emerging sustainable food systems and managing climate impacts of ecosystems. Before joining Scottish Land and Estates, Laura worked in the charity sector, managing and implementing community, environmental and educational...

Sarah Madden

Policy Adviser (Rural Communities)

Having previously held the role from 2022 to 2024, Sarah returned to the Policy Adviser (Rural Communities) role with Scottish Land & Estates in 2026. Following work in forestry and land use policy and advocacy with Woodland Trust Scotland, and most recently leading the Good Practice team within the Scottish Land Commission, in this role...

Charlotte McAulay

Policy Assistant

Charlotte joined Scottish Land & Estates in August 2026. She grew up in East Lothian and has a strong connection to rural Scotland, with family in rural Perthshire and Assynt. Charlotte graduated from the University of Exeter in 2025 with a law degree. During her studies, she developed a particular interest in environmental and rural...

Cameron Gillies

Head of External Affairs

Cameron joined the SLE team in Winter 2023 after serving as Chief of Staff to the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs. As well as managing the rural affairs portfolio for the opposition in Holyrood, Cameron previously worked as an advisor to Borders MP John Lamont. Prior to working in Scottish politics, he led the ‘Fake News’ desk...

Donald Greig

Head of Membership Communications

Donald Greig joined Scottish Land & Estates in August 2023. After several months covering the role of Regional Manager - SE Scotland, he moved into the position of Membership Communications Manager in March 2024, in which he manages all communications to SLE members, ensuring they are kept abreast of developments in a timely manner. Prior...

Megan Ritchie

Communications Assistant

Megan Ritchie joined Scottish Land & Estates in July 2025. Although not born in Australia, she grew up there before moving to Edinburgh to pursue her studies and recently completed a master’s degree in Publishing at the University of Stirling. Her thesis focused on digital sustainability in the Scottish publishing sector. Megan is...

Neil Johnstone

Digital & Marketing Officer

Neil Johnstone joined Scottish Land & Estates in April 2026. He came to the organisation from the Edinburgh Evening News, where he worked as a Digital Reporter producing content for online and print, as well as managing social media and video output. He has experience in multimedia content creation, digital strategy, and using analytics...

Clare Sturla

Regional Manager - South East

Clare started at SLE in July 2018 as Regional Support Officer for the South East region as well as South of Scotland Regional Coordinator. Clare joined SLE from the Scottish Association of Young Farmers Clubs (SAYFC), where she served as Agri and Rural Affairs Manager. Prior to her time at SAYFC, Clare worked for Members of Parliament at...

Fiona Van Aardt

Head of Regions/Regional Manager – Highland

Fiona joined Scottish Land & Estates as our North-East Regional Support Officer to support and enhance member activities in the region, including engagement with politicians, stakeholders and assistance in organising events and estate visits. In October 2021, Fiona took on the role of North of Scotland Regional Coordinator. Most recently...

George Moore

Regional Manager – South West (Dumfries & Galloway)

George is originally from Northern Ireland and has lived in Dumfries & Galloway since 2010. He lives in Dalbeattie with his wife, Emma. He worked in banking and finance in NI for over 25 years and was a Business Banking Manager with Northern/Danske Bank. He also ran a farming enterprise in Enniskillen. He has an Honours Degree in...

Ruth White

Regional Manager – Central

Ruth joins Scottish Land & Estates from the rural frontline at Glenprosen Estate where she has looked after the Estate Administration since 2013. Home is the Angus Glens where the family settled in 2012 making this home after life in HM Armed Forces. Ruth is a retired army officer, her commission with the Corp of Royal Engineers posting...

Elena Hogarth

Regional Manager Southwest – Clydeside & Argyll

Elena joined SLE in January 2025, having previously worked for the NFU (England and Wales) and the National Trust. Her background is in sports communications, with almost a decade of experience helping amateur and professional rugby clubs and governing bodies build better relationships with their communities. She grew up on a dairy farm...