Sonya studied design at Glasgow School of Art before training as an Architect.

After several years working in private architectural practice in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, Sonya gained an MSc in European Urban Conservation in 2005.  She went on to manage the Stirling City Heritage Trust from 2007-2020, latterly with responsibility for design and delivery of the Traditional Buildings Health Check (TBHC), a proactive repair and preventative maintenance scheme which supports traditional building owners.

In her work as a sole practitioner, Sonya has gained experience working in Scotland’s historic built environment including conservation area assessment and management, building repair and adaptation, project funding, and community outreach.  She is increasingly interested in the role of historic areas and traditional buildings in the broader placemaking and sustainability agendas, as well as ways to overcome obstacles to their implementation in practical terms.

Sonya currently represents the Stirling Society of Architects on the RIAS Conservation Committee.

Niall has nearly 20 years experience as an architect and is heavily involved in heritage, conservation and community issues in Glasgow being current Chair of Govanhill Baths Building Preservation Trust – the largest meanwhile use in Scotland – and Vice Chair for the Pollokshields Trust – a community anchor organisation set up following the ‘Make Your Mark’ East Pollokshields and Port Eglinton Charrette in 2016 which Niall helped secure funding for. Previously, Niall has been chair of Pollokshields Heritage, Planning Convener for Pollokshields Community Council and a member of the Glasgow Urban Design Panel. Between 2016 – 2018 he was invited by the Minister for Local Government and Housing to be a member of the Development Management Working Group for the Scottish Government’s Planning Review.

Niall is passionate about urban health and wellbeing and the role of planning, urbanism, architecture and placemaking in helping deliver positive outcomes for people who live in Scotland’s towns and cities. This explains his interest in Scotland’s built heritage which he sees as an integral part of this broader framework connecting to both the human need for memory, being able to locate oneself in space and time and in how places evolved and were traditionally crafted and made to reflect human scale and needs over multiple generations.  This is why he is particularly interested in how BEFS advocate for Tenements.

Tyler is a trained building conservator with a deep rooted career in the built environment. She has extensive experience working in international markets and serving on and leading executive boards. Her experience in contemporary and historic built environments includes hands-on conservation and management of listed and unlisted structures as well as large-scale contemporary construction. Her areas of expertise include conservation of listed and non-listed buildings, outreach and education, business strategy, contract negotiation and management, equality, diversity and inclusion, and policy guidance in both the private and public sector. 

Tyler’s desire to serve on BEFS board is rooted in her passion to protect the built environment. She consults extensively in matters pertaining to heritage policy, traditional skills, sustainability, inclusivity, and at-risk regeneration. She also has a passion for reaching new audiences and serves as a mentor for women, young people, and underrepresented community members looking at the possibility of careers in construction and conservation. Tyler’s professional mission is to bring traditional building skills into the future, concentrating on the progression of safe, ethical, and environmental practices.

As well as being a BEFS board member, she also serves as Trustee for The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, Chair of SPAB Scotland, and Convenor of the Edinburgh Traditional Building Forum where she leads on a number of initiatives including the Edinburgh Traditional Building Festival and multiple traditional skills demonstrations across Scotland.

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Sarah’s first degree was in Geography, when she developed a particular interest in the effect of out of town shopping centres on traditional retail centres. Thereafter, she worked in London for 10 years, including 4 years as a senior consultant for the UK’s leading specialist geodemographic company.

During the last 15 years, and following the successful completion of an MSc in European Urban Conservation at the University of Dundee, Sarah has been involved in managing a variety of grant aided heritage projects. This has included the project management of the Brechin Townscape Heritage Initiative and Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme. Between 2013 and 2016 she was responsible for the development of Angus Council’s community asset transfer policy and management of a local community planning team. More recently she was involved in developing the successful funding application for the ‘Fife Pilgrim Way’ long distance route in Fife. Sarah has also worked as the Development Manager for Glasgow City Heritage Trust.

Sarah is a full member of IHBC and is the membership secretary of the Scottish Branch. She is an associate member of the Scottish Community Learning & Development Standards Council.

From 2008 to 2015, Peter was national chairman of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland (AHSS). He worked with other senior office bearers on key areas including compliance with OSCR procedures, development of a new business plan, and preparation of policy responses to government, and drafting guidelines for casework panels. Since 2019, he has been Chair of the RIAS Practice Committee. This has involved preparation of evidence to both the Scottish and Westminster parliaments, participation in Scottish Government working groups, and extensive stakeholder liaison.

As an AHSS council member, Peter is familiar with and supports the excellent work which BEFS does in representing the interests of the wider built heritage sector to Government and other Stakeholders. He has first-hand experience of operating a charitable body, the statutory requirements of trustees/directors, business planning issues, and staff management. In terms of the work undertaken by BEFS, Peter is particularly interested in working on policy development, discussions with government, and cross-sector approaches.

Over the course of his career as a Chartered Surveyor in the Civil Service, he has work with all aspects of the built environment. He has worked with all ages, styles and types of housing, both public and private sector. In addition, his work involved all types of commercial property, including offices, industrial and retail as well as properties offering redevelopment opportunities and specialist science facilities.

In the later part of his career, as Director of Estates at Royal Parks, he gained insight into the value to the wider public of public open space and open green space in any built environment and the challenges of dealing with the variety and often conflicting stakeholder groups and objectives.

For the last nine years, he has worked as a senior manager representing organisations to the wider public and developing contacts with stakeholders across the public and private sectors. In roles at the National Measurement Office and at Royal Parks, he was responsible for setting the strategic direction of estates within the wider organisation and had to see the “big picture” when committing funds. Moreover, he has experience working with the third sector, having worked in the successful transition of Royal Parks from an Agency of government to becoming a charity in 2017. He has also worked as a lecturer at Napier University.

He currently serves as a trustee for the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, having been a “Fellow” since 1983, and is a Member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS).