Trustees

Alexander’s interest in waterways has developed through his professional experience in fisheries policy and his critical intervention on the evolution of water management practices during the long nineteenth century. His doctoral research examines how literature intervened in the development, interpretation, and implementation of water policy in Victorian and Edwardian Britain, bringing literary and historical evidence into dialogue with questions of environmental governance and policy implementation. He has also lectured on waterways and related themes, and has a particular interest in their history and heritage, their environmental significance, and the ways in which community engagement can inform contemporary debates about their management.

As Policy & Communications Lead at the Sustainable Eel Group, Alexander works in environmental policy across a range of scales, engaging with the European Commission, government representatives, commercial stakeholders, community groups, and civil society organisations on the conservation and management of the European eel. He has represented the organisation at international negotiations, most recently at the CITES Convention of the Parties in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where he worked proactively with the European Union delegation and chaired a panel supporting both a Proposal and a Resolution on eel conservation. His wider experience in planning, architecture, and heritage has supported his understanding of the various challenges facing Britain’s waterways, whilst his personal interests in art and architecture, literature, and the outdoors have given him a particular appreciation of waterways as places of history, landscape, and community that deserve greater consideration in public life.

Chris is a regular narrowboater and volunteer, with a longstanding passion for Britain’s inland waterways. He has worked on a number of projects including with the Waterway Recovery Group on the Cotswold Canals ‘Missing Mile’. He is a strong believer in the important contribution waterways make to society and is committed to their protection, restoration and sustainable future.

An experienced Chief Financial Officer, Chris is a Chartered Accountant holding Fellowships with CIPFA, AAT, IoD and RSA. His wider executive leadership across the charity and education sectors has included responsibility for technology, infrastructure and complex estates, including heritage assets and listed buildings, as well as major long-term capital investment programmes, financial strategy, governance, risk and organisational change.

Chris has more than 20 years’ experience supporting charitable boards, most recently as Treasurer of the South Downs National Park Trust, combining governance and financial stewardship with a strong commitment to conservation and sustainability.

Education at Dragon School, Oxford; Winchester and Innsbruck University.  From 1960 – 62 worked as volunteer in refugee hostel in Austria; 1963-70 trained & worked for major City firm of solicitors followed by 43 years as litigation solicitor and in private practice until retirement in 2013.

In 1964, he joined a TA Regiment as a gunner and served as a part-time soldier until 1996. In 1967, he joined the North Norfolk Railway as a volunteer, joining its Board of Directors in 1969, becoming chairman in 1973 for many years until he retired from the Board in 2010.

David set up Solent Steam Packet in 1982 in order to acquire and restore SS Shieldhall, serving on its management committee for several years and later was invited to join the Maritime Trust and the Cutty Sark Trust as a trustee of both, having previously set up Heritage Afloat as a trade body for owners and operators of traditional and historic vessels. In 2003, He was appointed an MBE for services to railway and maritime heritage.

Paul has been boating since he was taught to sail by an uncle at the age of eleven, and has owned narrowboats on the canals for nearly 40 years.  He joined British Telecommunications (then the GPO) in 1965 and took early retirement in 2000.  Since leaving BT he has run his own limited company and worked, as a technician, in one of the country’s top grammar schools.

Paul was first elected as a trustee in 2007 and has had several spells as a trustee since.  He has been London Region Chair since 2010 and served on Navigation Committee, Cavalcade Committee and the former Promotions Committee.  He helped develop the Silver Propeller Challenge scheme and is committed to widening the membership of the Association so that IWA is recognised by others as being a ‘broad church’ representing not only the boating and heritage interests, but all other users such as walkers and casual visitors.