The chief executive of the Perth-based Royal Scottish Geographical Society (RSGS) is “deeply honoured” to have been made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours list.
Mike Robinson, who has a long-standing background as an environmental campaigner, has been awarded the honour for services to climate change education (Perth and Perth and Kinross).
He has held his role with the RSGS since 2008 having worked in the Scottish charity and environment sector for more than 25 years, initially with RSPB, and later with the Royal Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh.
Reacting to the Honours list announcement, Mike told The Courier: “I am deeply honoured to be awarded this OBE.
“There are so many people who dedicate their working lives to charity, where the main reward is feeling you are making a difference.
“I have volunteered for charities since I was a kid, and worked in the sector for the past 30 years.
“For me, recognition like this is priceless, not just for myself, but for the RSGS team and all of our many partners.
“In all that we do we try to inform, influence and inspire positive change in as constructive a way as possible, and I think that’s why our climate course has proved so popular.
“It’s guiding and empowering people to help them make a difference in their own way and in their own spheres, in what remains the defining issue of our generation.”
What does Mike Robinson do with the Royal Scottish Geographical Society?
The Royal Scottish Geographical Society is a highly regarded educational charity, which promotes greater geographical understanding of people, places and the planet.
In an increasingly interdependent world, and faced with complex environmental and social challenges, it promotes the view that joined-up geographical thinking is needed as never before.
Geography connects people and unites disciplines to help resolve many of the world’s most pressing concerns, from climate change to food systems, from unsustainable transport to health inequalities, from urban design to biodiversity loss.
As chief executive, Mike Robinson has built a reputation with the RSGS for working across sectors to solve or influence complex problems.
The position the Stirling University graduate and father-of-three holds with the RSGS is equivalent to the one once held by famous polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton.
Mike Robinson also holds voluntary posts
In a voluntary capacity Mike holds a large number of board/advisory roles, mostly in the sphere of environment, education, and human rights, including as founder and chairman of Stop Climate Chaos Scotland (SCCS).
He also chaired the Scottish Parliament’s short life working group on annual targets and was a leading environmental voice on the First Minister’s 2020 Business Leaders Forum.
Realising there was a lack of understanding of how organisations could respond to climate change, he wrote and launched a Climate Solutions Qualification for businesses and managers in conjunction with Institute of Directors, Edinburgh University’s ECCI and Stirling and Strathclyde University management schools.
This course has been translated into several other languages and has a worldwide take-up, and inspired several other courses.
Mike’s vision is to get everyone in Scotland on the course.
He holds several other roles including as co-chairman of the independent inquiry Farming for 1.5 Degrees and sits on the ministerial board on agricultural reform (ARIOB) and a number of other national advisory groups.
Mike is active locally too, most recently as chairman of the Perth City Leadership Forum which aims to channel local expertise and initiative, increase collaboration and self-belief in the area, and to drive towards a positive future vision of Perth as the most sustainable small city in Europe.
Mike holds an honorary doctorate from Stirling University, three honorary fellowships (Scottish Environment Link, Royal Canadian Geographical Society, RSA) and several awards for his services to the environment.
Conversation