Team members:
Leadership & Governance

Tim joined Cornwall Air Ambulance in 2021 having nearly 20 years’ experience working in and around the charity sector and over 10 years in leadership roles, his last role prior to becoming Chief Executive being at BBC Children in Need. With expertise in both Fundraising and Marketing, Tim has a wealth of knowledge to help the team meet the challenge of generating over £6m every year to deliver this lifesaving service.

Tim and his family have lived close to the base in St Mawgan for over 13 years and knows the importance of the work of the charity, having seen extended family and friends directly benefitting from the vital support the air ambulance provides.

Tim holds a Masters degree from the University of Nottingham, is a proud Rotarian and a distinctly average cricketer.

After studying accountancy, David spent eight years as a professional rally co-driver becoming British champion and concluded his competition career by winning the World Rally Championship in 1981.

 Following this title, David devoted his time to developing his business interests, which led to the formation of his own motor racing team and the creation of Prodrive. He later went on to lead the consortium that purchased Aston Martin from Ford, resulting in him being appointed as Chairman.

 In 2013, David and his wife Karen acquired The Idle Rocks Hotel in St Mawes, which they completely refurbished. It is now a Relais and Chateaux Hotel receiving international acclaim as one of Britain’s top seaside destinations and recently Cornwall’s ‘Hotel of the Year’.

 David is Chairman of Motorsport UK, he represents the UK on the FIA World Motorsport Council and is Chairman of the FIA Foundation, an international road safety charity. He sits on the advisory board of Cranfield School of Management, and a patron of the schools’ initiative ‘Greenpower’. David is also Chair of Neuro UK, a recently established medical charity, and a non-executive director of BGC Partners Inc, an American public company. He has held a private pilots licence for over 50 years and has over 5,000 flying hours on helicopters.

 In the 2005 Queen’s New Year’s honours, David was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his services to motorsport.

Robert joined the charity as a Trustee in 2015 and chairs the Finance & Investment Committee. He is a Chartered Accountant having qualified in 1976, finally retiring in 2022 having been a partner in PKF-Francis Clark (previously Winter Rule) for over 30 years. Robert is a director of Kernow Grain Limited, a Trustee of Truro School Foundation and a Trustee of Methodist Schools Property Company.

Robert is married with two grown up children. His interests are golf, travel, walking and researching family history.

Dougal joined the Board of Trustees in 2019. He lives in Devon and works as a business advisor. His career has been in the telecoms and media sectors, spanning a broad range of roles. He most recently worked for Sky TV where he led the analytics, data operations and data technology divisions, and led a large post-merger integration between pay TV operations in UK, Germany and Italy. His early career was in corporate strategy, including 10 years in management consulting.

Married to Helen with two girls at school, Dougal is passionate about the outdoors and loves sailing and walking around the coastline of Devon and Cornwall.

Ben moved to Cornwall in 2015 after a 16 year career as an officer, fast jet pilot and flying instructor in the RAF. He now runs his own consultancy business, specialising in risk management, training and technical innovation, primarily in the aviation sector.
He joined Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust as a Trustee in 2018, and is enjoying applying his aviation, risk management and analytical skills to the running of the charity.

Daisy has worked across radio, TV and digital media for 20 years. Her first job was as a news reporter at Pirate FM, going on to lead various regional, national and international news teams at ITN, ITV, Al Jazeera and the BBC. Since 2010 she has specialised in digital and social media, helping organisations get to grips with new technologies and ways of messaging and figure out how best to make these new platforms work for them. She’s worked with international brands and global ad agencies as well as a large number of small business and public sector clients. She is currently Commissioning Editor in Factual Commissioning at the BBC. Daisy lives between Falmouth and the Helford with her husband and two young sons.

Neil worked on the Cornwall Air Ambulance as a paramedic for 9 years. During his time with the charity he was part of a number of key milestones including the launch of the new helipad at the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust. He was involved in the first project meeting regarding the design of the current operating base. Neil was also part of the crew for the first mission from the new charity headquarters and so has witnessed the significant evolution of the CAAT first hand.

As a qualified teacher, Neil moved into education where he split his time between the University of Plymouth and South Western Ambulance Service Trust (SWAST) delivering paramedic education. He continued to support the aircrew with shift shortfalls for a further 3 years before hanging up his flying helmet in 2016.

Neil is employed by SWAST as the Head of Education and fulfils a strategic command function as part of this role. This has enabled him to develop a broad understanding of the challenges across the health system. He chairs the National Education Network for Ambulance Services, bringing together UK ambulance trusts to develop aligned, sustainable and high quality education programmes for the sector. He is currently on loan to NHS Health Education England to lead a workforce transformation initiative for the health system.

Neil joined the board of Trustees in January of 2021 and is keen to be part of the future development of CAAT and support the next chapter. He lives locally with his wife, young family and dog, he also keeps a few sheep.

Laura has spent the last 17 years working with Cornwall’s most well-known brands and businesses. Spanning the public and private sector – Laura’s roles have encompassed reputation management, communications and marketing – and she’s scooped a number of high-profile industry awards and accolades along the way.

Laura has spent the last eight years at St Austell Brewery, one of the region’s largest private sector employers. Operating as part of the executive board, Laura is the marketing and communications director and leads on all corporate comms, the strategic direction of the company’s portfolio of beer brands and all marketing deliverables across its 180+ south west pub estate and vast regional wholesale network.

Paul joined the Board of Trustees and Finance and Investment Committee at Cornwall Air Ambulance in July 2023, having worked in the accountancy profession for over 45 years. He obtained his Mathematics degree at Exeter College, Oxford and returned to Cornwall in 1975. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1978, then became a partner with KPMG in 1988. He is currently a consultant at Graham Smith Chartered Accountants, where he provides advice to clients as well as strategic advice to the firm.

For 20 years Paul also served as a governor of Truro & Penwith College, latterly as Vice-Chair and Chair of the Finance & General Purposes Committee. He is currently a trustee at Callywith College, being Chair of the Finance, Employment and Audit Committee.

Paul is a keen golfer and avid cricket enthusiast, collecting cricket books and memorabilia, as well as being a supporter of local Rugby Union.

David Harland is the CEO of The Lost Gardens of Heligan and independent advisor to the Smit family, with his role also encompassing oversight of Charlestown Shipwreck Centre and
Gillyflower Farm. With a strong background in strategic leadership, Dave is leading the next phase of Heligan’s journey, one of Cornwall’s most treasured and internationally renowned garden attractions. His guidance will ensure that the gardens continue to thrive, offering visitors an immersive experience in natural beauty, biodiversity, and historical significance.

Before his role at Heligan, Dave served as Director and CEO of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Victoria, Melbourne and a 10-year period as the CEO of the Eden Project and Eden Project International, another of Cornwall’s iconic environmental and educational attractions. During his tenure, he played a crucial role in expanding the project’s global reach and influence, fostering a deeper public understanding of sustainability and ecological stewardship.

In addition to his executive roles, Dave holds several Non-Executive Director positions in organisations (including Falmouth University, NHS, and as a Trustee here at Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust) aligned with his passion for charitable trusts, healthcare, and social enterprise. These roles allow him to share his extensive experience and insights, contributing to the growth and success of various County and community-focused initiatives.