North Highland Local Advisory Committee

Graham was born and raised in Thurso. He attended Thurso High School before attending Thurso Technical College and completing an apprenticeship at Dounreay. After working at the Prototype Fast Reactor, he went on to work as a commissioning engineering with the South of Scotland Electricity Board and Shell UK, working as a platform engineer, offshore installation manager, and asset manager for the whole Brent oilfield, near Shetland, before ‘retiring’ 2000.

He went on to become Managing Director of Walker Technical Resources, an oil and gas company serving the North Sea, and owner of Nexus AB, another oil and gas company, which he sold in 2013.

Since then, he’s mentored SMEs throughout Caithness. He joined the Board of Management at UHI North Highland in 2013 and served on various committees, overseeing the £2 million extension of Burghfield House, Dornoch, before stepping back when UHI North, West and Hebrides formed. 

Graham is Chair of the North Highland Local Advisory Committee.

Heather was born and brought up in Thurso. She returned to Thurso High School serving as Principal Teacher of English and then as a Deputy Head Teacher. After she retired she was co-opted onto the Learning, Teaching and Research (LTR) committee of the Board of Management at UHI North Highland. Subsequently, she joined the Board and chaired the LTR committee for several years. 

She is an elder in Thurso West Church and a Past President of Thurso Rotary Club, where she is an active member. For a number of years, she has been a community representative on the NHS Highland Caithness and Sutherland Redesign Committee.  

Heather welcomes this opportunity to maintain her links with UHI North, West and Hebrides and help ensure it represents the local community. 

Jim studied for an Honours Degree in Computing from the old Paisley College of Technology (now West of Scotland University) and subsequently spent a brief spell in Explosives Research with Nobels Explosives (ICI).  Jim was a Systems Analyst with Babcock Power at Renfrew for two years before moving into teaching.  Jim taught at Tain Royal Academy for nearly 3 decades, latterly as Principal Teacher of Computing.  He retired in 2007 and in the same year was elected as a Highland Councillor in the East Sutherland & Edderton Ward.  Jim has served continuously on the Council since that date having been re-elected at each of the three subsequent elections.   

Originally from New England, Anna McInnes has lived in the Highlands since 2012 when she came across the pond to work as Systems Librarian for UHI. Anna now works for the UK Government as Area Lead for the Highlands & Islands and also serves on her local community council. A firm advocate for education, libraries, and community empowerment, Anna is keen to work with fellow local advisory committee members to contribute insight and strengthen community engagement. 

Peter has been the Focus North Programme Manager (formerly the Caithness and North Sutherland Regeneration Partnership) since April 2019. 

A metallurgist with a BSc from Strathclyde University, Peter has 30 years of manufacturing management experience in metal-based SMEs, including at Managing Director and Director level. He subsequently was responsible for delivering the Manufacturing Advisory Service in Yorkshire and Humber and then business development for the National Skills Academy for Nuclear.

Peter has been employed by Highlands and Islands Enterprise for 7 years, working initially with the Inner Moray Firth area team taking over as the Head of Business Growth in 2018. Peter is now Programme Manager for Focus North, supporting the sustainable economic development of Caithness and North Sutherland. 

Maureen is a Highland Council councillor representing the Tain and Easter Ross ward. Caring about people and their quality of life is important to Maureen and her involvement in many community groups has given her a vast amount of experience in the voluntary third sector in all areas of life.  As a director of a social enterprise, Maureen has gained a wealth of useful networking with public agencies, funders and private businesses.  She said: "The challenges which lie ahead are going to be difficult and will be frustrating at times but finding solutions will be important."

Lois Gray is a Chartered Electronics Engineer, and senior member of the IEEE’s Education Society.  Based at Thurso, she has been lecturing with UHI since 2006 and has held various roles, including Curriculum Leader and Academic Lead Developer.  She has over 20 years of industrial design experience, working at Thales UK and Denchi Power Ltd.  Lois has extensive experience at delivering distance learning, and has also taught in China and mentored lady lecturers at the Royal University of Bhutan.   She is a judge on the international IEEEDuino student competition, delivers numeracy courses for the Highland Council’s Multiply programme, and is a regular presenter at Learning and Teaching conferences.   Lois is a keen promoter of women in engineering (https://www.eis.org.uk/action-research-grants/arg-pro-social-approaches-gender-equality-engineer), and accordingly, donates the yearly Sidney Black Memorial Award (https://www.uhi.ac.uk/en/giving/scholarshipsandprizes/sidney-black-memorial-engineering-award-/).  In 2021 she was awarded a National Teaching Fellowship for her commitment to equality, diversity, and inclusion, in education.

Although widely travelled, Lois has chosen to settle on the north coast, because of the social, economic, and health benefits of this beautiful area.   Lois has a focus on work-based education, having taught many engineering apprentices.  She is devoted to developing the local workforce and promoting progression and job opportunities in the Caithness and Sutherland regions.

Derek Lewis’ career has included roles as chair, chief executive, director or trustee of organisations in fields such as education, training, television, prisons, healthcare, technology and social care. He has served as Pro-Chancellor and Treasurer of the University of Essex, a school governor, advisory board member of the London Business School and chair of companies providing apprenticeships, employment services and teaching staff.

He is currently chair of Community Alcohol Partnerships, an alcohol harm reduction charity, and retired last year as chair of Royal Mencap Society.  He runs his own farming, forestry and tourism business in Morvern, which is also home to the new Nc’nean Distillery, of which he is a founder director. His earlier career included CEO roles at Granada Group and HM Prison Service in Engand and Wales.

Before taking up the role of Chair of the Board, Derek was Chair of UHI West Highland Board of Management. He is also a member of the UHI Court.

Committee Membership - Finance and General Purposes, Human Resources, Remuneration, Nomination.

Lydia Rohmer was appointed Principal of UHI North, West and Hebrides in November 2022.

Lydia, the former principal of UHI West Highland, is a talented executive leader with more than 25 years’ experience working in the Scottish education sector and a passionate advocate of our rural and island communities.

She has extensive experience of creating successful colleges through merger having joined UHI West Highland as Principal in February 2012, shortly after the merger of Lochaber College and Skye and Wester Ross College. Before that, she held the position of Curriculum Director at City of Glasgow College, a role she assumed following the merger of Glasgow’s city centre colleges.

Lydia has also held substantive roles within UHI, taking on the role of Vice-Principal (Tertiary) between 2017 and 2022, a position she undertook in addition to her duties as Principal of UHI West Highland. She currently leads on several sector-wide and tertiary education groups in Scotland including access, school-college partnerships, articulation and poverty, and is a current member of the Colleges Scotland Board.

Committee Membership - Finance and General Purposes, Learning, Teaching and Research, and Human Resources. Attends Remuneration and Audit and Risk Management by invitation.

Born in Paisley and brought up in Ayrshire, Shona attended Glasgow College of Food Technology, studying catering  and hotel-keeping. On leaving college, she was selected as a management trainee within the NHS management training scheme for Scotland. She worked in the field of facilities management within various hospitals, mainly within the Glasgow area. In 1989 she moved to Strathclyde Regional Council, working within the newly established direct services organisations, again in the field of facilities management.

Shona was later appointed as Head of Commercial Operations, then Director of Environment and Communities, within Renfrewshire Council. As director, her portfolio was diverse and challenging, with strategic and corporate responsibilities, along with the delivery of many frontline services. Her career in public service spanned 38 years, until her retirement in 2018 when she moved to Dornoch with her husband.

Since retiring Shona has pursued several carefully chosen voluntary roles, namely:

• UHI North Highland, since 2020: independent board member: Chair of Audit & Risk Management Committee: former Chair of Human Resources Committee and member of Remuneration Committee.
• Highland Hospice, since 2019: independent member and Co-Chair of Board of Trustees: member of various governance committees.
• NHS Highland, Centre for Health: voluntary contributor.
• Dornoch Area Community Interest Company: voluntary board director

Committee Membership - Remuneration, Chair Finance and General Purposes.

Debbie is Vice Principal - Operations at UHI North, West and Hebrides, and Senior Responsible Officer for campus operations in North Highland. 

Thurso born Debbie has extensive senior-level experience in further and higher education and served as Principal and Chief Executive of UHI North Highland from October 2020. She holds an educational career spanning roles in; administration; teaching; funding; and new business development during her time at the college and has enjoyed working closely with other University of the Highlands and Islands partner colleges. Debbie has also built strong relationships with local businesses, as well as a network of stakeholders across the UK and abroad. 

Neil is a Vice Chair lives on the Isle of Skye, where he ran a successful guest house business for a number of years and currently chairs his local community council.

His working background is in the finance and banking, primarily in risk management and compliance.

Serving as an independent board member at UHI West Highland has been a rewarding and enjoyable experience and one which I wish to continue after the merger.

I am passionate about providing learning opportunities in the Highlands and in ensuring that the college is pivotal in providing growth in our communities.

Committee Membership - Vice Chair, Chair Audit and Risk Management, Chair Human Resources