Former trustees, employees and a founder of a Scottish conservation charity which owns the country’s highest peak have called for its chair – who also sits on the board of Ports of Jersey – to resign amid allegations of poor governance and mismanagement.
Jane Smallman has been a senior independent director of Ports since March 2020. She is also a trustee and chair of the John Muir Trust, which owns and manages some of Scotland’s most iconic mountain and coastal zones, including Ben Nevis and Sandwood Bay.
Recently, the Herald reported that an ongoing “crisis” at the charity had deepened with the “expulsion” of one of its founders as a trustee.
Professor Denis Mollison told the newspaper that he has been treated as “the enemy” by the chair, Ms Smallman, after raising concerns about the trust’s governance and finances.
He added that there had been an “exodus” of trustees in the past year because of the “mismanagement and behaviour” of the chair and chief executive officer.
A former chair, John Hutchison, said that the “regime” at the top of the charity had “closed down debate and openness” and “brooked no challenge”.
It has also been reported that the John Muir Trust is currently under investigation by the Scottish charity regulator.
When asked about the allegations, Ports of Jersey told Express that it “does not comment on matters relating to individual board members or employees”.
Ms Smallman chairs the Ports of Jersey Harbour and Airport Authority Committee and sits on the Investment Committee. She is paid £34,000 per year by Ports role for her role as senior independent director.
Responding to media queries about the departure of Prof Mollison, a spokesperson for the John Muir Trust said: “The trust always welcomes constructive suggestions for improvements and strives to deliver its charitable purpose to the highest standards of governance. We take our responsibilities as a charity extremely seriously.
“Our focus remains on delivering our charitable purpose and on protecting wild places for everyone, now and for the future.”
