C2R Trustees
William ‘Mac’ Mackay (Chairman)
Mac Served in the British Army from 1971 to 2000 in both training and operational roles. Mac promoted from Soldier to Warrant Officer 1st Class before Commissioning as an Officer. Notable appointments include the Officer Commanding the Joint Services Adventure Training Centres, being a Royal Physical Training Officer, a Master at Arms, a Company Commander at ATR Lichfield HQ, and a Staff Officer at the Tri-Service Accident Investigation Unit.
Whilst serving in the Army Mac qualified as a military mountain guide and a civilian International Federation Mountain Guides Association guide and ski guide. Following his career in the military Mac established MacKay Adventure Consultants Limited as Managing Director, an advisory and support consultancy for mountain activities around the world.
Mac has also served as the President of the British Mountain Guides; a committee member and lead for the British Standards Institute concerning ISO Adventure Tourism standards and competence; and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
Alex Mackenzie
Alex Mackenzie is a Partner at SparkBeyond, an AI Technology business. In parallel to his career in startups and technology, Alex is the co-founder of Row2Recovery. On 25 Jan 2012, Alex and a crew that included 4 amputee servicemen rowed into Port St Charles in Barbados. It was a culmination of a 2637mile voyage which took 50 days to complete and 2 years to plan and prepare. The campaign would go on to raise over £1m for the service charities. Alex served in Iraq and Afghanistan as a Captain in the Parachute Regiment. He has a Law Degree from the University of Edinburgh.
John Sims-Hilditch
Having trained at Sandhurst, John began his career as an officer in the Coldstream Guards. His military career spanned eight years and saw him in a diverse number of leadership roles from public duties in London to emergency tours in Northern Ireland. He also saw postings in Hong Kong, Brunei and Cyprus.
John left the military to start a family with his wife, Emma (founder of the international interior design studio, Sims Hilditch). Soon he combined his love for home and family with his independent spirit and founded Neptune, a furniture and lifestyle brand, in 1996 with his friend, Giles Redman. The company started in the corner of a sitting room with an idea for a hammock. Over the last 23 years Neptune has evolved into a leading home lifestyle brand with its own highly skilled manufacturing serving stores across the UK and into Europe.
John lives in the same Wiltshire village where he and Emma started their life together. He is an avid sailor and is father to artist daughters, Daisy and Betty and son Billy who’s studying languages at university.
Nick Arding
After 23 years as an Officer in the Royal Marines Nick now specialises in helping teams and team leaders in achieving their maximum potential. Whilst in the Royal Marines Nick saw operational tours of duty in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Afghanistan. He commanded teams at a number of levels, finishing his time as the Commanding Officer of the 1,700 strong Commando Training Centre at Lympstone in Devon.
In 2003 Nick lead the Royal Navy Everest North Ridge expedition to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the mountain’s first ascent. As well as putting two team members onto the summit his team rescued two injured climbers from a commercial expedition and six members of Nick’s team (including Nick) were awarded the Royal Humane Society’s Bronze Medal. In 2005 Nick was made an OBE as a result of his work on the project.
Nick resigned his commission in 2005 in order to train as a science teacher at his local Community College, something that he describes as being ‘far harder than commando training’! He now works as a freelance consultant and coach concentrating on team and leadership performance as well as the delivery of inspirational talks based on his experiences as a leader. He is also a mountain instructor and runs summer and winter climbing courses throughout the UK, and guides and coaches sea kayaking.
Alex Jenzen
Alex Janzen joined the Royal Marines in 1995 and has served on operations around the globe. Since leaving in 2016 he has held senior appointments in Atkins and is currently the Chief Operating Officer of RMI Global Solutions. He is a keen telemark skier, ski tourer and an enthusiast for the outdoors.
Ben Johnson
Ben Johnson is an experienced operations and programme leader with a background in technology and highly regulated industries. Currently, Ben is the Head of Programmes at Deep Research Laboratories, where he established and runs the programme management function. Previously, he led operational transformation programmes at Newton Europe, improving submarine build processes and healthcare integration.
Ben served in the Army for two decades deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, Ukraine and the West Bank, as well as living in both Germany and Devon before finishing up on the staff at Defence Academy in Shrivenham.
As a Trustee and member of Climb to Recovery, Ben is enthusiastic about contributing his skills in strategy, planning, and project management to support the charity's mission of aiding injured service people and veterans through community, physical challenges, and long-term goals. As a novice climber, he is eager to learn new skills and deepen his connections with the forces community.
Kristian Smith
Kristian served as an Army Infantry Officer for 12 years, completing operational tours in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Iraq as a Platoon Commander and Operations Officer. He was also an instructor at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and a Staff Officer at the Army Headquarters and left the Army in 2012.
Building on his military experience, Kristian forged a second career in business transformation, working on a projects and programmes in utilities, retail, government departments, and now marketing and advertising, where he is a Strategy and Portfolio Director with one of the world's largest holding companies. Kristian has extensive experience in strategic planning, governance, and transformation management.
In addition to professional achievements, Kristian also challenges himself physically and has taken part in a wide range of outdoor sports, including: kayaking, running, swimming, triathlon, skiing, hill walking, mountain biking, SUPing, sailing, and more. Kristian lives with his wife, two children and various pets in Wiltshire.
With a strong background in leadership and a passion for the outdoors and making a positive impact, Kristian brings valuable insights and expertise to the charity's board.