THE DIRECTORS
Richard Clarke, MSc BSc
Managing Director
Laura McLean, DVM MRCVS BA
Finance Director
Our Founder and Managing Director, Richard Clarke is a British-born conservationist with a genuine passion for nature, biodiversity and for the environment as a whole.
Highland Carbon is an award-winning business founded by Richard Clarke in 2017. Richard was inspired to bring a landscape conservation framework to the UK carbon market where it was lacking. He was also keen to ensure that nature restoration projects would complement other land uses, rather than clearing farmers and crofters off the land, for example. So doing, Richard established Highland Carbon as an ethical business to pioneer the supply of conservation-grade UK carbon units.
Highland Carbon partners with large estates in the spectacular wilds of Scotland, Northern England and Wales where it restores vast native forests, undertakes peatland restoration projects and supports rewilding activities. It sells the carbon credits and nature credits arising from those projects to more than 100 ethical businesses committed to actively reducing their carbon footprints.
Highland Carbon focuses on the supply of UK climate projects with exceptional credentials. This distinguishes us from those carbon brokers that have spun-off from the commodity trading and venture capital arenas, with the latter perhaps being focused more on margins than on the quality of outcomes. The company also curates impactful international projects.
Highland Carbon has won the award for the ‘Best UK Carbon Credit Supplier’ in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 – each year that it has applied. Highland Carbon also won the 2024 award for 'Natural Landscape Restoration Expertise'. It has been lauded by the British Chambers of Commerce for its ‘inspirational approach to innovative green solutions’ during the lead up to the 2023 COP.
In the context of Highland Carbon, Richard has been interviewed by various media outlets such as The BBC, Sky News, The Scotsman newspaper, Carbon Pulse magazine and Business Network magazine.
Richard has delivered podcasts to the Global List in New York City, NQA Global Certification Body in Scotland, the De-Carbonisation Training Centre, Wester Ross Biosphere and the Aberdeen Science Museum. Richard has given talks to various organisations and forums such as the UK Sustainability Summit, the UK Association of Sustainability Professionals, Hull Eco Fest, Yorkshire Sustainability Festival and a virtual seminar allied to the United Nations COP26 in Glasgow.
It is helpful to outline Richard Clarke's life journey, as it explains his genuine green credentials and passion for sustainability. Richard was educated at Michigan State University in the United States. As an undergraduate he read Zoology with emphasis upon ecology, forestry, conservation, wildlife management, marine biology, fisheries management and animal behavior. During University as an undergraduate, Richard lead the Project Recycle campaign at Michigan State University. This campaign entailed collecting 5,000 student petition signatures and giving talks to the University leadership to successfully encourage the launch of University-wide recycling for paper products. Also as an undergraduate, Richard launched an Earth Day Festival on campus with live music and stands for a dozen environmental charities and associated student groups: Audubon Society, Sierra Club, Greenpeace, Project Recycle, Clean Water Action, etc.
During summers as an undergraduate, Richard held roles with conservation and environmental charities including Chester Zoo (UK), Clean Water Action (USA) and Michigan United Conservation Clubs (USA).
Richard's post graduate degree was also in Zoology and continued the within the discipline of animal behaviour and specialised in Neuroscience. Richard researched the impacts of agricultural chemicals upon wellbeing and behaviour. Also during his post-grad education, Richard worked for The Recyclers charity which launched and managed the second kerbside recycling programme in the whole of the United States.
Following university, Richard worked in business development with The Nature Conservancy in Washington DC (world’s largest land charity). At the same time, he became a Trustee of Urban Options, a charity promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy in the context of building construction - then a nascent field. Thereafter, Richard held senior roles in business development and communications with veterinary colleges at two major universities, with the Environmental Defence Fund in New York City (the leading US environmental pressure group), and with the Woodland Trust near London (UK's largest woodland creation charity).
Richard was recently appointed as the first member of the Board of Directors of Mind Wellbeing and as a Trustee of Tickhill Community Connections. He is an advisor to the King's Lord Lieutenancy in the County of South Yorkshire in the context of the King's Award for Enterprise - Sustainability category. The King's Award is the most prestigious society to industry award in the United Kingdom.
Richard donates his time and support to a number of charities and community interest companies including: Doncaster Business for the Community (DB4C), See It Be It Sheffield, Earthself, Fuel Change, Highlands Outdoors & Wilderness Learning, the Rothiemurchus Trust, Beyond Borders Festival, Traquair House Charity Trust and Doncaster Arts (DARTs).
During 2025, he will be delivering Webinars to prominent landowners in collaboration with Coutts Bank - Britain's leading establishment bank in Great Britain which includes clients such as the Royal Family, aristocrats, business leaders and celebrities.
Dr Laura McLean's ancestors hail from the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Her family holds reunions at the McLean hunting lodge on the Isle of Mull located off the West Coast of Scotland.
Prior to undertaking her veterinary degree, Dr McLean completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance. She worked at Senate Finance and then in banking in the USA.
Her childhood dream had been to become a veterinarian. She started over in University, taking a biology (pre-vet) curriculum then attending Michigan State University - College of Veterinary Medicine.
Today, Dr McLean has twenty-five years experience as a veterinarian working in both the USA and UK. She is the Clinical Director for Pinfold House Veterinary Clinic in Misterton, Nottinghamshire, UK. Her role includes chief responsibility for business strategy, financial performance, personnel management and clinical excellence.
Laura regularly undertakes professional development during conferences in London and New York. She previously undertook three quarters of an Ophthalmology Certification and is currently undertaking an Internal Medicine Certification specialism.
In her spare time Dr McLean has volunteered in wildlife rehabilitation and has provided free surgeries to animal rescue centres. She provides Pro Bono veterinary care to the local hedgehog rescue centre. It is very common for her to be rehabilitating wild animals at any moment: hedgehogs, rabbits, collared doves, pigeons, thrushes, crows and jackdaws.
Laura previously volunteered on a committee that saved the old trees in her village from being arbitrarily felled by a Council subcontractor as they had been in the tens of thousands in nearby Sheffield.
During summers whilst in university in the States, Dr McLean worked for NGOs, Clean Water Action and The Recyclers. She has a passion for wild places, rare species conservation, habitat restoration and mitigating climate change.
Laura is an equestrian, having owned several horses over the years. She currently owns one horse, an Irish 'Connemara' named 'Shealany'. In her youth Stateside, she rode dressage and showjumping. She has spent many years riding cross-country and on along beaches with friends. She still rides dressage but not competitively.
Dr McLean is married to our Founder, Richard Clarke.