Gary Gilmour Chairperson

Gary Gilmour was born in Mutare, Zimbabwe, and after completing degrees in Economics and Accountancy spent many years travelling. He then spent three years in Somalia as a consultant in charge of all World Bank and UN audits. Upon return to the UK he set up an accountancy consultancy with projects globally. In a change of direction, Gary was the founding director of a software company which was acquired in 2000. Since then he has donated his services to a wide variety of charities in the UK and in 2014 was instrumental in setting up the UK Board of the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, and currently serves as Chair.
Graeme Dacomb Treasurer

Graeme was born in Harare, Zimbabwe and grew up in the South East Lowveld on a sugar farm – spending frequent holidays in Gonarezhou National Park where he developed his love of wildlife. After completing a degree in Accountancy at the University of Cape Town, he joined Ernst & Young, spending 4 years with them in Cape Town before moving to Los Angeles for 2 years. Graeme moved to EY in London in 1988 and retired in 2018. He has an interest in two boutique hotels in Victoria Falls and visits Zimbabwe frequently. He joined the UK Board of the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust in 2017 and currently serves as the Finance Trustee.
Val SwansonSecretary

Retired from a long and varied career working with charities and running small businesses, Val is now a voluntary teaching assistant and Governor at a primary school in Gloucestershire. She is passionate about conservation , joined the Board of Trustees in 2016 and visits Victoria Falls several times a year keeping in touch with the team on the ground.
Helen Buckworth

Helen originally qualified as a solicitor and practiced in London and Hong Kong before leaving to look after three children and three dogs! After serving on various boards and committees she became a trustee of a Nepali charity which supported child rescue for three years. However, she also discovered a love of Africa after a family holiday in 2005 and has since travelled widely including driving around rural Uganda in a 33 year old Land Cruiser. She has visited Zimbabwe several times and is planning many more African adventures in the years ahead.
James Murray

James Murray has over twenty years’ experience supporting international conservation and development projects across sub-saharan Africa and Southern Asia. His career started as a Chimpanzee Research Assistant working for Jane Goodall in Gombe National Park, Tanzania and his international experience is mainly focused on fragile states and during complex emergencies. He now works as an advisor supporting development programme design and funding.
Andrew Weir

Gary Gilmour was born in Mutare, Zimbabwe, and after completing degrees in Economics and Accountancy spent many years travelling. He then spent three years in Somalia as a consultant in charge of all World Bank and UN audits. Upon return to the UK he set up an accountancy consultancy with projects globally. In a change of direction, Gary was the founding director of a software company which was acquired in 2000. Since then he has donated his services to a wide variety of charities in the UK and in 2014 was instrumental in setting up the UK Board of the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, and currently serves as Chair.
Barry Hemans

Barry Hemans was born and brought up in Zimbabwe, before going to university in South Africa were graduated as a Chemical Engineer. Barry worked for 37 years in the chemical industry, starting off in South Africa and then in the UK for most of his career, apart from a 5 year assignment in China. Barry travelled extensively on business mostly in commercial roles – sales, marketing, product management, business management and strategy. He retired in 2021 with view to getting involved in conservation and humanitarian causes in his homeland.