Our Team

Jacqui Scott

Chief Executive

Jacqui oversees the strategic development of our Festival, ensuring that we stay true to our vision; she has grown the event into a global brand.

Steve Scott

Director

Steve is responsible for the creative development of the Festival, but you'll also find him presenting Festival events and sharing his wealth of outdoor knowledge on stage. 

Clive Allen

Director

Festival Director Clive looks after brand partnerships and guides PR here at Kendal. 

Paul Scully

Literature Festival Director

Paul's passion for arts and culture has led him to curate our ever-growing Literature Festival. 

Years ago on the banks of the River Frome, Paul spent the morning swimming with, and listening to, the great Roger Deakin talk about his book - Waterlog. It began a journey exploring nature writing, landscape, interconnection and place. He hopes audiences will be inspired and will ask themselves about their own connection to nature. 

Jenny Rice

Designer

Graphic designer Jenny heads up all things design here at Kendal, presiding over our artwork output with a keen eye for detail.

Adam Simpson

Business Development Manager

An experienced climber, Adam has been working alongside the Festival for many years, recently taking on a new role – Business Development Manager – in order to maximise opportunities and grow the Festival sustainably.

Anna Bailey

Marketing Manager

Anna joined Kendal Mountain Festival in 2017, she heads up marketing here at Kendal, with an aim to inspire people to have their own adventures.

Zoe Wilkinson

Hospitality Manager

Zoe heads up all things hospitality, community and guest relations; you'll spot her over the Festival weekend wearing red lipstick and entertaining Festival guests with her local anecdotes and hilarious Festival tales.

Anna Blakeley

Tour Manager

Anna is the brains behind our tour, scouting venues and organising event logistics up and down the country, so we can take Kendal to new audiences.

Claire Carter

Artistic Director

​Claire is a our film chaser and artistic director. She hunts adventure talent down like hurricanes!

Tom Rumsey

Festival Manager

Tom is our Festival Manager. He looks after behind-the-scenes operations, logistics and venues here at the Festival, as well as providing support to the team on the ground, and looking after our team of amazing volunteers. When he's not working, Tom loves ticking off Wainwright's with his four-legged friend Poppy.

Henry Iddon

Arts Officer

Henry has over 20 years experience as a professional photographer. Henry joined the Festival as Arts Officer and plays a central role in curating our art, photography and literature programme.

Tim Murray

Basecamp Manager

Tim is responsible for the smooth running of our famous 'Basecamp Village' – not a small task!

Andy Perkins

Presenting Team

Andy Perkins first got involved with the Festival when as a young rock climber in the early 80's he had a photo exhibited at Kendal. He now organises the training, recruiting, briefing and scheduling of our fabulous presenters

Seonaid Lafferty

PhD Researcher and Sustainability Advisor

Seonaid joined us in 2017 to help us to develop our Festival sustainability – through not only looking at how we can reduce their environmental impact and increase our social impact – but also how we are influenced by, and influence, different groups.

Nick Colton

Presenter

Nick is Deputy CEO of the BMC.  He is an enthusiastic walker and climber who made the first ascent of the Colton/MacIntyre route on the Grandes Jorasses in the Alps.

Izzy Cambray

Presenter

When I don’t have to be in uni lectures, I enjoy being on my bike, skiing in the backcountry (seasonal), dragging myself up rocks, swimming in water that’s probably too cold or just anything that’s a bit of a challenge

Martyn Hurn

Presenter

Martyn is a life long adventurer, gear freak, writer, and long term supporter of the film festival which never fails to inspire and motivate him to look beyond the next horizon.

Duncan Shaw

Presenter

Duncan has spent years in the hills and mountains and now brings his love of the festival and it’s films to a wider audience by introducing the films and speakers.

Robert Taggart

Presenter

Robin is an exploration geologist who enjoys ski touring & alpinism, sea kayaking around his local Irish coastline and messing about on bikes. He’s happiest when in the hills (but says that KMF runs a very close second!)

Annie Goodman

Presenter

Working for a number years with brands producing commercial films and more recently the great privilege to work with the production teams at BBC Worldwide has given Annie a fascinating insight into the craft of story-telling and film production. With a love of the outdoors and active engagement in a number of sports from road bike to windsurfing and ski-touring the opportunity to introduce films that capture others fantastic achievements in the great outdoors is a highlight of her year.

Andy Airey

Presenter

Born and bred in the Lake District. After career in the outdoor trade is now working with various event companies, the Lake District Pound and is a trustee of the Lake District Foundation. Regularly to be found on the Lake District Fells Since losing Sophie, his daughter, to suicide in 2018 is now an advocate for PAPYRUS, the suicide prevention charity.

Gail Caddy

Presenter

Gail is a mountain-wandering, spaniel-herding veteran Festival presenter. 

Paul Rose

Presenter

Paul leads polar and deep sea science expeditions, presents documentaries for BBC and for 10 years was Base Commander for the British Antarctic Survey. An enthusiastic supporter of us, he always calls the Festival the best event of the year.

Kelvyn James

Presenter

Kelvyn turned a lifelong passion for the outdoors into a career nearly a decade ago - and has been involved with the Festival ever since. He is the current Chair of the British Association of International Mountain Leaders and works and plays in mountains all over the world, but he always comes home to the Lake District.

Alice Chivers

Presenter

Alice is a keen climber and mountain biker based in the Lakes. She organises and leads treks across the globe and loves to inspire young people to get outdoors and discover new places. Since joining the presenting team in 2017 she has enjoyed being involved in the festival from a different side and soaking up the buzz of the weekend.

Andrew Denton

Presenter

KMF presenter Andrew is the CEO of the Outdoor Industry body OIA. He’s been coming to KMF since 1991 and is a passionate Outdoor enthusiast. 

Sam Sykes

Presenter

Sam is a Kendal based outdoor education business owner and head of the Mammut Mountain School UK. He has been volunteering at the festival for the last few years.

Lin Petry

Presenter

A significant encounter on a world journey inspired me to get into hiking and trekking in Australia, New Zealand, US and Canada, and eventually lured me from the Netherlands to Kendal. I discovered the Kendal Mountain Festival in 2005 and have been a volunteer ever since, presenting for the last 5 years. Current passions are family cycle touring, wild swimming, mini outdoor adventures and everything nutrition science.

Marian Jones

Presenter

Marian joined the KMF presenters team in 2012 when she moved to the Lake District.  From big walls to sport crags around the world, she has almost climbed a number of gnarly ascents.  When not rock climbing or working as a National Park Ranger, Marian is usually falling off her mountain bike or face-planting in the snow. At least she’s enthusiastic.

Nick Wharton

Presenter

Nick is a Kendal-based climber and guidebook writer who has been involved with the Festival for many years. Since the last Festival he has given up full time work to spend more time with his climbing kit and bike.

Kat Dunbar

Presenter

Kat is an outdoor enthusiast. Sadly this also includes golf. Irritatingly she spends a lot of time abroad climbing anywhere from Morocco to Nepal. The rest of the time she spends getting wet in soggy sheepland aka north Wales.

Graham Desroy

Presenter

Pete Robinson

Presenter

Following in the family footsteps, (Pete's Dad cycled from Derby to Zermatt to climb the Matterhorn in 1965) Loves climbing, adventure, the Lakes and Triathlon – completing first Ironman this year. Happiest on a sea cliff somewhere – preferably Cornwall. Works as a presenter and coach worldwide.

Alasdair Rutherford

Presenter

Nigel Vardy

Presenter

Nigel has worked at Kendal for many years and is an experienced Speaker and Mountaineer.  He enjoys fine whisky, major accidents and has no intention of dying in an unused body...