Stephanie grew up in Bavaria. She spent weekends and holidays hiking, fishing, foraging and spending time in the Alps, which nurtured a deep love and affection for nature.

As a teenager she moved to Cologne and when it came to making a choice on her career, Stephanie followed her intuition and started to study ecology. As a student, she spent a year at Bangor University in Wales, and volunteered as a warden on the small island Mellum in the Wadden Sea. She also volunteered in Cologne Zoo and worked as a tour guide across Europe with young adults.

Once equipped with a Biology Diploma, she lived and worked a year in the Peruvian rainforest as a naturalist guide.

In 2005, Stephanie moved to Scotland to work as an ecological consultant. Over 16 years, she worked as surveyor, project manager and environmental consultant across the Highlands.

Her main areas of work were the preparation of ecological impact assessments for renewable energy projects, construction support, and operational monitoring. As part of this, Stephanie worked with a wide variety of stakeholders including statutory and non-statutory bodies, NGOs and private landowners. This has equipped her with an in-depth understanding Highland ecology and land management practices.

In 2021, the opportunity arose to join the rewilding movement as the Team Leader for Affric Highlands. Stephanie immediately jumped at the chance to lead this ground-breaking initiative.

Jack earned a degree in Ecological and Environmental Sciences from the University of Edinburgh in 2018. After graduating, he moved to Amsterdam to join the environmental NGO AidEnvironment, where he focused on tackling commodity-driven deforestation. His work primarily targeted deforestation linked to the beef and soy industries in Brazil, as well as the palm oil and timber sectors in Indonesia. This role led him to West Kalimantan, Indonesia, where he contributed to landscape projects aimed at protecting critical habitats, restoring degraded ecosystems, and collaborating with local communities and government agencies to promote community-led forest management.

Seeking a deeper connection to the landscapes of his home country, Jack returned to Scotland in 2024 to take on the role of Operations Manager for Affric Highlands.

Nicola grew up in Fife on the east coast of Scotland. After studying for a degree in Politics and International Relations at the University of Dundee, she worked as an Agricultural Officer for the Scottish Government, living on the Isle of Lewis and Shetland.

To further pursue a career in habitat restoration, Nicola returned to education in 2016 to complete a MSc in Ecology and Conservation at the University of Aberdeen.

She then worked as a ranger for many years across Scotland, and also travelled to Indonesia to take part in various conservation projects.

Working for a rewilding initiative has always been a dream for Nicola, especially in the Scottish Highlands where there is so much potential for positive ecological restoration.

Paul was born in Glasgow and spent most of his formative years growing up on the edge of the English Lake District. This beautiful countryside setting is where he developed an interest in the natural environment, focusing initially on birds and trees.
Years later this interest continues to broaden and lately he has been paying closer attention to fungi, hoverflies and upland plants of the Scottish Highlands.
A growing awareness of environmental issues prompted him to study Animal Conservation Science at degree level. During this time he participated in research in Peru and India followed by an internship back in the UK with Eden Rivers Trust, as an integral part of their fisheries survey team. Employment within the same organisation followed and a variety of roles included field data collection on salmonid recruitment, management of invasive non-native species, surveying endangered white clawed crayfish, delivery of their volunteering programme and managing apprenticeships.
More recently Paul managed the Skills for Rewilding traineeship programme at Trees for Life where participants spent 12 months learning skills relevant to entering employment within the rewilding sector.
Paul is now using his rivers experience as part of the Affric Highlands team, working with landowners to deliver riparian restoration projects.

Mollie’s deep-rooted fascination with nature and human behaviour shaped her journey across Europe and Asia, where she organised environmentally focused international camps while also pursuing a degree in psychology.

She earned an MSc in Clinical Psychology from the University of York, where she explored the links between human behavioural change and environmental shifts. Following a year as a freelance researcher supporting local community groups in the Highlands, Mollie was drawn to the Affric Highlands initiative, which aligns seamlessly with her passion for the interconnectedness of people, livelihoods, and nature.

Siân received her Bachelor’s Degree in BSc Geography, Environment and Society from the University of Exeter, followed by a Master’s Degree in Wildlife Documentary Production from the University of Salford.

Since then, she has worked as a self-shooting Multimedia Producer and Communications Officer for several of the UK’s leading wildlife conservation charities, including the Zoological Society of London, the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland and the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust.

Stephanie has a BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science from Lancaster University and a Masters in Conservation and Biodiversity from the University of Exeter. Since then, they have been working in ecology and environmental science roles for consultancies, charities and the public sector.

For the last 7 years, Stephanie has been working as GIS Officer for the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, a role she is continuing part time.

Stephanie is the author of QGIS for Ecologists: An Introduction to Mapping for Ecological Surveys. A keen hiker, Stephanie is excited join the team to help restore the habitats of the Scottish Highlands.