Tilhill Team Finalists for the 2024 Confor Awards 

Sam Bristow, Senior Chartered Forest Manager in North Scotland is shortlisted for the ‘Tom A Bruce-Jones Memorial Award’ for Future Leader in the Forest Industry. The award is presented to an individual with outstanding skills, who has the potential to be a leader in the forestry and timber sector – someone showing initiative, passion and making a real difference. 

Sam has continued to develop his skills in forest management since joining Tilhill in 2015 as part of the graduate programme. He was promoted to his current role as Senior Forest Manager in 2023. 

Sam is described as an enthusiastic and passionate young manager, keen to take on opportunities for professional growth. 

Sam Bristow on a Tilhill managed property in Oban.

Nicola Abbatt, Environment and Sustainability Manager has been shortlisted for the  ‘Net Zero Award’, for her work in making a specific and measurable contribution to the forestry and wood industry’s efforts to deliver the UK’s net zero ambitions.   

Protecting the environment to deliver a sustainable future is at the heart of Nicola’s career. She was a driving force in Tilhill setting the key goal of working to net zero in a meaningful way by 2045.  

Her work has ensured a head start in sustainability activities, not only paving the way but influencing the forestry and wood sector to decarbonise at a faster pace. 

Nicola Abbatt on a site visit creating diffuse pollution training videos in 2019

Tilhill’s Timber Talks video series created by Georgina Thomas and Tilhill’s Timber Buying Director and BSW Group Forestry Director Harry Stevens has been nominated and shortlisted for the ‘Changing Attitudes Award’. This award is presented to an individual, business or organisation promoting the forestry and wood sector in a positive, impactful way – through personal engagement, campaigning, or communication. 

The Timber Talks series was created to publicly promote the importance of timber and connecting well-managed public forests to timber end products. The Tilhill team have gone above and beyond to produce 18 episodes sharing the challenges and benefits of forestry to change public attitudes towards live forestry and harvesting sites with many more episodes to come. 

Georgina Thomas, Marketing at Tilhill with Harry Stevens, Timber Buying Director interviewing Tilhill Harvesting Manager Fraser Pole in Argyll for a Timber Talks episode.

 Also shortlisted for the Changing Attitudes award is Emyr Parker, Assistant Forest Manager in Wales. Emyr has taken it upon himself to promote forestry careers to young people at every opportunity. He has engaged with Careers Wales, who are now themselves more informed about the forestry industry, and specifically targets secondary schools and colleges to establish forestry as a professional career choice.  

Emyr also utilises social media to showcase the opportunities the industry can offer. You can watch Emyr talking about his route into the sector on the Institute of Chartered Foresters website here. 

Emyr Parker, promoting forestry careers at a careers fair

David Edwards, Tilhill’s Forestry Director said: “A huge congratulations to our teams on being short-listed for the 2024 Confor Awards. It’s fantastic to see Tilhill so well represented. I wish them every success in going one step further and winning their respective award.” 

The 2024 Confor Dinner & Awards returns to Surgeons Quarter, Edinburgh on 12th March 2024.