ROYAL YACHT BRITANNIA - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Hospitality Food & Beverage Manager
Job Titles:
- Chief Financial Officer of Forth Ports Limited
Carole Cran has been the Chief Financial Officer of Forth Ports Limited since 2018, and is a Non-Executive Director and the Audit Committee Chair of Halma plc since 2016. She is a Chartered Accountant and was formerly the Chief Financial Officer of Aggreko plc. She has also worked with BAE SYSTEMS, both in the UK and Australia, and also with KPMG.
Casey joined Britannia in May 2006 as Assistant Marketing Manager and has worked her way up to Head of Marketing. With 16 years experience, working in business to business and tourism marketing, it was always a goal to work for a five-star attraction and Casey is privileged to work on an iconic brand such as Britannia. Casey has a keen interest in digital marketing and has a Diploma, along with a Digital Strategy qualification, from The Chartered Institute of Marketing. A keen runner, Casey enjoys running off-road on Edinburgh's many hills.
Derek is a shipwright/naval architect to trade and joined Britannia in May 2001. He previously spent 23 years with the Ministry of Defence, starting with the Admiralty Research Establishment in Dunfermline involved with Ship and Submarine structures. He then became a Constructive Naval Overseer in Glasgow on the new Type23 Frigates, before joining the Rosyth team managing refitting the Type42 Destroyers. His final role with the MoD was with the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Section in Bath, as Desk Officer in charge of five RFAs. He is originally from Fife and spends most of his spare time on a golf course.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Director of Hospitality
Franck joined The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust in October 2023 as Director of Hospitality, promoted to Chief Executive in November 2024. Prior to this, Franck was a key contributor to the pre-opening and opening team of the retail and lifestyle destination: St James Quarter in Edinburgh where he headed up their Operations, and Environmental, Social and Governance strategy. Franck's passion for hospitality and a human-first approach has taken him around the world, working for some of the most iconic and renowned hotels including Renaissance Worthington, USA; InterContinental Paris Le Grand; Fairmont Monte Carlo, Fairmont St Andrews, and Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh - ‘The Caledonian'. Franck is a chef by trade and has received many accolades throughout his career and is a keen member of both La Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and the Institute of Hospitality. Originally from France, with his wife and two young sons, Scotland has been their home for over a decade. He enjoys cooking, making a positive impact in the Edinburgh community, and travelling.
Before joining Britannia, Kerry was General Manager of Dobbies Garden Centre in Dunfermline. She originally started off as a Graduate Trainee Merchandiser with Marks & Spencer in London and had a number of promoted roles there before moving back to Scotland as Commercial Manager based at Princes Street, Edinburgh. A move to Marks & Spencer at The Gyle, Edinburgh, saw her then promoted to Store Finance & Operations Manager. A career break followed to look after her then three young children, before returning to work as Operations Manager with Dobbies in Dunfermline, where she was then promoted to Deputy Manager, and finally General Manager.
Lesley Williams has over 25 years of expertise in international sales and destination marketing. Following many years in the hotel sector, she has held prominent roles, including Director of Sales at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre and Head of Business Tourism for Marketing Edinburgh, where she excelled in securing national and international conferences for the city. From 2017 until 2022, Lesley was with the BestCities Global Alliance, first as Market Development Director and latterly as Managing Director. Working currently as a business tourism consultant, Lesley is involved in local and Scottish tourism, and international projects with consultancy firm GainingEdge.
Job Titles:
- Senior Sales & Event Manager
Job Titles:
- Sales and Event Executive
Commodore Mike Bullock OBE served in the Royal Navy for 34 years. He served in a total of six ships and submarines and his time ashore included appointments to the British Embassy Washington DC, the NATO HQ Northwood, Ministry of Defence London, and the Pentagon as the UK representative for Logistics. His final appointment was in Navy Command Headquarters, Portsmouth, where he had responsibility for Logistics and Infrastructure for the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. In 2014 he joined the Northern Lighthouse Board as Chief Executive and now oversees the delivery of Marine Aids to Navigation in Scottish and Manx waters. He is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies, holds an MA in International Security and Strategy from King's College London, is a Non-Executive Director of the Scottish Maritime Cluster, a member of the Hammermen of Edinburgh, and High Constabulary of the Port of Leith, a Fellow of the Institute of Transport and Logistics, a Trustee of the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh and a Trustee of the Northern Lighthouse Heritage Trust.
Job Titles:
- Reservation & Event Executive
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance & Administration
Pete joined Britannia in June 2018. He is a graduate of Stirling University, and is a qualified accountant with experience in both private and not for profit organisations. Most recently he was Finance and Accounting Manager with Scottish Water Business Stream, supporting a sizeable company acquisition during his time there. Prior to that Pete spent 4 years with Jewel and Esk College as a Company Accountant, followed by 5 years as Group Finance Manager with the National Trust for Scotland, where he discovered a passion for conservation, heritage and tourism. Pete is also a keen student of leadership and management theory, and holds qualifications with both the Institute of Leadership and Management, and the Chartered Management Institute. Pete is from Edinburgh and now lives in East Lothian. He is an avid golfer and rugby fan.
Job Titles:
- Director of Visitor Experience
Robert re-joined Britannia in April 2018, following two years as Customer Experience Director at Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh. As part of Dynamic Earth's senior management team, Robert had responsibility for the Visitor Experience, Maintenance, Technical and Facilities departments. Prior to joining Dynamic Earth, Robert spent fifteen years in various management roles at Britannia, developing and managing the visitor experience. Robert has always been driven to deliver an exceptional customer experience and this drive, along with a chance introduction to the concepts of Total Quality Management, ignited a passion for customer-focused management that Robert still has to this day. Robert, who is originally from Leith, currently lives in Joppa with his wife and three sons.
Prior to joining The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust in October 2024, for 10 years Ross lived in Queenstown, New Zealand where he was the General Manager of Operations at Millbrook Resort, one of the Southern Hemisphere's premier golf resorts which regularly won awards as one of the best in the world in hotel, golf and spa categories. Starting his hospitality career in the restaurant sector, Ross was awarded Young Restaurateur of the Year and was a HIT Scotland "Art of Leadership" Scholar. With a passion for travel and unique experiences, Ross has travelled extensively, from Southern Patagonia to Borneo to Lake Tahoe. Growing up in the Scottish Borders, Ross enjoys rugby, golf, and has always loved being in the outdoors.
Shirley Spear OBE has spent the past 35 years of her career in the Scottish hospitality industry. Together with her husband Eddie, she moved to the Isle of Skye with her young family in 1984 and took over The Three Chimneys Restaurant, now an iconic, 5-Star restaurant with rooms with a worldwide reputation. Having won numerous awards and accolades for her cooking, Shirley also led the way in helping to regenerate interest in Scotland's food culture and heritage, along with its superb place on the culinary map of the world. She was honoured to be awarded an OBE in 2016 for Services to Food and Drink in Scotland. Throughout her career, Shirley has written and commented extensively about Scottish ingredients and food culture, along with the importance of the Tourism industry to the nation's economy and business life. Shirley and Eddie have recently sold The Three Chimneys, retiring to North Berwick, where she will continue to be active with her business interests.
Job Titles:
- Quantity Surveyor With Gilbert Ash Ltd
Terry Smith trained as a Quantity Surveyor with Gilbert Ash Ltd, becoming the Property Development Director. After joining Forth Ports Authority in 1990, Terry was appointed Property Director when Forth Ports PLC was formed. Terry has played a key role in the regeneration of Leith and was instrumental in setting up The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Building and has also served as a Director of Leith Enterprise Trust, Leith Chamber of Commerce and Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.
Job Titles:
- Britannia 's Head of HRD
- Director of Human Resource Development
Vicki Bygrave has been Britannia's Head of HRD since November 2005. Vicki previously worked for John Menzies Retail PLC, before joining Britannia as part of the opening team in October 1998. Vicki started at Britannia as a Finance Assistant and worked her way up to become Head of Finance in October 2001. Heading up HR at Britannia has taken Vicki back to her first career path, having started out as part of the HR team with BP in Shetland in the early 1990s. Vicki describes herself as a people person who is passionate about ensuring Britannia's success through the development of our staff. She is proud of her Scottish Borders roots.