Our Trustees

Our Trustees

The Trustees/Directors are responsible for the overall governance of the charity under its Memorandum of Association. This includes the development of the strategic business plan and keeping up with legislation and best practice. All our Trustees are unpaid volunteers.

Gordon Jackson - Chairman of the Society

Having lived in Surrey for nearly 70 years, I have grown up with a passion for the Surrey Hills and have been Chairman of the Society for 7 years. I became a Guildford Borough Councillor in June 2000, shortly after I retired as a partner (specialising in Corporate Law) of an international City of London law firm. I have served on a wide variety of committees on the Council and, in addition to my love of the countryside, I have a particular interest in the arts and heritage and a fascination with the innovative research and businesses that are a crucial part of our local economy. I believe it is essential that we embrace forward thinking practices and technologies to sustainably manage the environment in which we live and the wildlife with which we share it. I was Mayor of Guildford in 2016/17 and was delighted to nominate the Surrey Hills Trust Fund as one of my chosen charities. During my mayoral year, my wife, Sue, and I particularly enjoyed meeting the many volunteers, who do so much in so many different ways to support our local communities and the surrounding countryside. In our free time, Sue and I love to travel, and I am a keen photographer. We walk a lot both on holiday and at home and are frequent concert and theatregoers. I also play both golf and tennis extremely badly!

Martin Cantor – Finance Director

I am a Chartered Company Secretary and have been involved as a Director or Company Secretary of many companies for more than 30 years. I have extensive experience in running the financial and administrative aspects of businesses and have wide knowledge of a range of issues encompassing, for example, Income and Corporate taxes, VAT, HR, Payroll and FCA Compliance and Pensions Administration. I run my own business from my home in Holmwood and am pleased to be able to help in looking after the finances of & the Surrey Hills Society. Having lived in the Surrey Hills for over 40 years, I appreciate and value everything that living here offers. The Society exists to help promote and protect the wonderful landscapes of the area and to assist in developing viable economic opportunities for those who wish to live and work locally and these are themes that I support wholeheartedly. In my spare time I like to travel, play the piano, play golf and walk the hills with the family dog. I would also like to find time to play a bit of tennis again but fear those days may now be gone.

Peter Salisbury - Trustee and Administrator

Having always lived in Reigate or Redhill I have a great interest in the Surrey Hills. My wife and I joined the Society soon after it was formed and are Founder Members.

After a few years attending events and getting to know members, I felt the urge to do more. In my present role as the Society’s Administrator and a Trustee, I enjoy helping manage the Society. I take the Minutes of the Trustees, Management and Events committees’ meetings and send round the monthly emails telling members about forthcoming events. I also help producing the confirmations for our events and have recently accepted to manage the Society’s shop. My role evolves according to my wishes and availability.

Away from the Society, I have several other interests to keep me busy, including being a National Trust volunteer and a Bluebell Railway volunteer. I have also been a member of the Scout Association for almost 50 years and have held a variety of leadership and administrative roles.

Claire Harris

Claire is the Community Engagement Manager at Surrey Wildlife Trust. Her main responsibility is to lead community support and volunteering across the organisation.

One of her recent achievements includes developing the Wilder Communities programme, which empowers communities from across Surrey to take action for nature in their local area. She has extensive experience in supporting a wide range of volunteers and played an integral role in securing the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2018, which recognises the outstanding contributions of Trust volunteers.

Claire has worked in the environmental sector for 17 years in various roles, all with a focus on people engagement and nature restoration. Before moving to Surrey in 2013, she worked for the National Trust, BTCV and North Somerset Council.

Claire loves spending time outdoors, paddleboarding, cycling, walking and wildlife gardening.

Catherine McCusker

Catherine has enjoyed a varied career which took her from acting to Human Resources, running a corporate training facility to teaching, fundraising and organising large and small community events before landing the role of running the Learning and Events department at Box Hill for the National Trust. 12 years later she now finds herself as a Visitor Operations and Experiences Manager for Surrey Hills East, most recently looking after Leith Hill Place and Tower. The natural world is in her toolkit for life, and she believes passionately that we humans need to reconnect with the natural world which is the best healer, life coach and inspiration available. She is looking forward to being able to compliment her work with the National Trust with becoming involved with the Surrey Hills Society to great ends; Catherine says ‘Just like approaching conservation on a landscape level, if we all work together, we can achieve more.’

Shauna Robinson

Shauna is a senior partner at Deloitte and a Fellow and Council member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. She has more than 28 years of global business experience working with some of the world’s largest companies across a variety of sectors. She has lived in the Surrey Hills with her husband Matt and their two children for the past 14 years. As a family, along with their two dogs, they are keen walkers and passionate about the local landscape and the health benefits of being outdoors. She is committed to helping to preserve and promote this beautiful part of the world for current and future generations.

Karen Clark

Karen’s varied career has seen her working as a lawyer, talent adviser, head-hunter and coach before moving to her current role as Managing Director of the independent business network, the Performance and Reward Centre (PARC). Karen has a passion for the outdoors and exploring the landscape, hills and mountains of the UK, and further afield. A keen hiker and rambler she values the physical and mental benefits of being on the trails. As a local resident she’s been enjoying the Surrey Hills’ routes for the last 20 years. She believes that interaction with our natural environment, via physical or non-physical activities, can make a positive contribution to wellbeing and health, however defined by an individual. She’s delighted to be part of an organisation that has a focus on ensuring the sustainability of the Surrey National Landscape for those working, creating, learning and exploring in the area. She’s also a strong supporter of the ongoing drive and passion of the Society to champion accessibility and inclusion for all via member events, volunteering opportunities, environmental projects and other community initiatives.

Sat Luthra

Born and brought up in Uganda, Sat trained as a teacher in the UK and moved here permanently in 1972 following Idi Amin’s expulsion of Indians from Uganda. She now lives near Newlands Corner, a place that reminds her of the Rift Valley in East Africa and reflects her love for open spaces. She believes it's essential to protect these areas for future generations. I has now retired from Surrey County Council, where she specialised in teaching English to children from diverse linguistic backgrounds. She also taught cookery at adult education centres. Her guiding principle is ‘service,’ and she strives to live by it. Over the years, she has been involved in fundraising for charities such as Mencap, the Fountain Centre, and the Royal Surrey County Hospital, for which she took on the challenge of climbing Kilimanjaro. She also supports the Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum and acts as a liaison for Surrey Hills. In her spare time, she enjoys participating in U3A activities, including Chi Gung, calligraphy, and organised trips with the Anthropology group.

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