In Memory of Sir Bob Reid : A life rooted in leadership, legacy, and love of nature

It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Sir Bob Reid, known to all of us simply as “Sir Bob”. He died peacefully this week, shortly after celebrating his 91st birthday. We wanted to celebrate his extraordinary life and the impact he had on LtL.

Sir Bob served as the Chair of our Board at Learning through Landscapes from 2000 to 2019, steering the charity through both challenge and growth with his trademark blend of business brilliance, quiet determination, and dry wit. For many of us in the team and on the board he was a mentor, a role model, and most of all, a friend.

Before joining LtL, Sir Bob was already a giant in the world of business and public life. His career spanned continents and sectors, from Chair and Chief Executive of Shell UK, to Chairman of British Rail, and Deputy Governor of the Bank of Scotland. Yet despite his many honours, including a knighthood and even an honorary BAFTA (a story it took him three lunches with me to share!), Sir Bob wore his achievements lightly.

He brought to LtL not only his strategic and financial insight, which helped secure our long-term future, but also a profound belief in the value of nature for every child. He often reminded us that trees should be as common in school grounds as books in classrooms. He was fascinated by how childhood was changing and loved visiting schools and nurseries to see it first-hand.

One of his favourite visits was with me to a Scottish nursery perched on a cliff overlooking the North Sea. There, children played outside all day and slept in yurts, unfazed by the bracing wind and, well into his 80’s, Sir Bob stood watching them, beaming with delight, and declared it one of the finest examples of Scottish resilience he’d ever seen.

Sir Bob engendered huge respect wherever he went, he was indomitable, unstoppable and charismatic. He was the most powerful leader of people that I have ever come across and his passing is a sad day. I consider it an absolute privilege to have known him a little.
Juno Hollyhock, Chair of LtL Trustees

Shaped by challenge, driven by grit

Sir Bob’s outlook on life was forged early on. Born in Fife, he lost his right hand at the age of nine in an accident in his father’s butcher’s shop (as a butcher’s daughter myself a story that my blood run cold). Rather than letting this define or limit him, he taught himself to write with his left hand and considered a career in golf before ultimately setting his sights on business. This experience gave him a lifelong resilience and resourcefulness, a sense that no obstacle was insurmountable. He once credited that accident as the moment he learned to adapt, to persevere, and to focus on what he could do, not what he couldn’t, especially when it came to his love of golf.

Business as a force for good

Sir Bob never saw Learning through Landscapes as “just a charity”. He treated it as he would any business, demanding clarity of purpose, sound finances, and high expectations. He introduced our red line in all financial correspondence, shown in all forecasts as the point where LtL would stop being financially viable as a charity, a brilliant reminder of how important it is for charities to plan and uphold financial accountability with the same seriousness as the work we deliver. He challenged us to be bolder, more confident, and to lead the outdoor learning movement with both head and heart, he always fully of new ideas for us, born out of breakfast conversations with wonderful Lady Reid.

And yet, for all his business acumen, Sir Bob never lost sight of the joy and wonder at the core of our work. He loved listening to children’s ideas, marvelling at their creativity and logic. After a group of 8-year-olds pitched him their school garden redesign, complete with slides, mud kitchens, and a rain shelter for bees, he left saying the future was in safe hands.

When asked what makes a great leader, he didn’t mention charisma or confidence, but “the ability to identify with and empower others” a principle he lived by. He brought many skilled minds to the board of LtL with him, and I’m grateful to them all for their continued support when Sir Bob stepped down.

Great leaders are always natural communicators. They are ready to engage with people at any time, actively projecting the vision and seeking their input. This is always an ongoing process, never stops.
Sir Bob Reid, No Condition is Permanent

Sir Bob Reid leaves behind a profound legacy, not just in the boardrooms of industry or the corridors of power, but in the trees planted in school playgrounds, the laughter of children exploring outdoors, and the charity he helped to shape and protect.

To those of us at Learning through Landscapes, we will always have “our Sir Bob” – wise, curious, humble, and full of wry humour. We will miss his stories, his insights, and his irrepressible belief that even in the most uncertain times, nature and learning could lead the way.

So tonight, we raise a glass in your honour, Sir Bob. Thank you for believing in us, challenging us, and always reminding us to plant more trees.

Carley Sefton, CEO, Learning through Landscapes