Donaldson Group

Mark started at Donaldson Group in 1986 as a management trainee. Throughout his three decades with the Group, Mark has taken on a variety of roles, including production assistant, quality assurance representative, stock manager and mill foreman. He then moved into systems management firstly as integrated systems manager, and then Head of Occupational Risk and Compliance Management.

Taking on the role of Chief Risk Officer in October 2022, he will continue to support the expansion of the Group into a more diverse product range and service offering through the ongoing delivery of a risk management strategy, as well as continue to identify and mitigate risks to make the business more resilient and more secure for stakeholders, and especially for colleagues.

Mark has an MSc in Quality Assurance and throughout his time with the Group, has led many advancements and improvements.

In his spare time, he enjoys walking his rottweiler dogs and he even runs a Facebook group for rottweilers. He also enjoys spending time with his grandchildren, and wood turning as well as holidays in the UK with friends who also own rottweiler dogs.

Pamela is currently Global Operational Excellence Director at Diageo, having held several senior leadership positions across the global beverage alcohol organisation, including technical, innovation, packaging operations, HR and global transformation areas.

Pamela joined the Donaldson board in February 2019 and in addition to her current responsibilities at Diageo, Pamela brings extensive skills in leadership and strategic thinking from experience covering the end to end supply chain in a European and Global context.

Pamela is also on the Board of Directors of North British Distillery; a Non-Executive Director of Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association and a trustee for the Big Hearts Community Trust.

In her free time, Pamela loves to spend time with her family and enjoys music, outdoor life and travel.

Colin is Chairman or Non-Executive Director at a number of public and private companies in the UK and overseas. A chartered accountant, he holds positions in building products, education, healthcare, leisure, oil services, pharmaceuticals, property and retail. He founded RMD which was acquired by Deloitte in 1999, and was formerly Chairman of Eurosales Finance PLC and Midas Capital PLC. He joined the Donaldson Group as a Non-Executive Director over 25 years ago, bringing his years of insight and experience to the table.

Neil is one of the timber industry’s most experienced professionals. He is the fifth generation of the Donaldson family to be part of the business. For over 40 years he has been part of the success story of the Donaldson Group. Having held numerous high profile Directorships throughout his career, Neil is currently Chairman of Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon. He also serves on the Committee at the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews. A passionate salmon fisherman, Neil’s interests also include golf, skiing and his family.

Michael (Mike for short) is the Executive Chairman for James Donaldson Group Ltd. He started working for the Donaldson Group in 2003 and is the 6th generation of the Donaldson family to work for the business. He was the first person to graduate from Napier University with their new MSc in Timber Industry Management and started his career on the ‘shop floor’ for Donaldson Timber Engineering. Since then, he has worked with 3 of the groups 5 trading companies and therefore has an excellent grasp on the companies that form the group. When he’s not working, he’s spending time with his wife and his three children. The question is, will they be the 7th generation to be part of the Donaldson Group legacy? We like to think so!

Andrew joined the family business in 2010 and is the sixth generation of the Donaldson family to be part of the business. Andrew took over as CEO in April 2020 and previous to that was Group Finance Director. Andrew’s other roles within the Group include; Commercial Director of MGM Timber and then Commercial Director of James Donaldson Timber. He is passionate about the business and its employees. Prior to joining the family business, he graduated from the University of Aberdeen and joined KPMG where he qualified as a chartered accountant. A keen sportsman, he likes to play golf and rugby fives and can even be found participating in triathlons. When he’s not working, he’s planning his next trip – as his aim is to visit every country in the world with his wife Alyson.