To Chester Zoo via a life of adventure in Africa

Sep 26 2007 by Caroline Innes, Liverpool Daily Post

HE HAS driven across the Sahara desert three times, almost run headlong into a revolutionary coup in Nigeria, is an expert in marine biology and has enjoyed a top level career in the leisure industry.

But now firmly settled in Chester, Alasdair McNee is facing a fresh challenge, as a director of Chester Zoo.

The passionate conservationist, who has lived in Chester for 12 years with wife, Jo and two daughters, has just been appointed as the Zoo’s director of corporate services, and says life has almost have come “full circle” for him.

With a strong empathy with the pioneering research and conservation work which has long been carried out by the zoo, Mr McNee hopes to use his passion for the natural world to spearhead more pioneering work at the zoo, while securing its commercial future.

He said his early childhood years growing up and attending primary school in Zambia instilled in him a sense of respect for his global heritage and was delighted to again be working surrounded by some of the world’s most rare and fascinating animals.

He said: “I remember once visiting Britain to attend a school in Scotland for a short time after those early days in Zambia.

“It was a complete culture shock. I was so used to the different way of life out there, starting the days much earlier and finishing school when the heat was at its height at 1pm.

“I was privileged at such a young age to be able to see such wide-ranging species close at hand and in their natural wild habitat.”

The family returned home to Britain by the time he was due to attend high school, living in the Lake District for several years before he went on to Scotland and eventually studied marine biology at university.

But his love of nature stayed with him into adulthood.

One of his first jobs was as assistant manager at Britain’s first Sea Life centre when it opened in Oban, Scotland.

He has also worked as an adventure tour guide, leading parties of tourists on trips around the African continent.

It was during that period that he was confronted by border patrols on the Nigerian border who, for safety reasons, prevented him from taking a tourist group through the trouble-torn country, where a coup had just erupted.

He also travelled extensively in the Congo, safari and big game parks and crossed the unforgiving desert terrain of the Sahara no fewer than three times.

Before joining the zoo he was a marketing consultant with Macdonald Hotels for 15 months.

He says lessons gained in those high level commercial sector roles would also be important in his new directorial position. “While the zoo is a charity with a dedicated research and conservation mission, it is also a commercial concern,” he said.

“It is able to achieve important fund-raising targets because of the loyal support of the public and its success as one of Britain’s leading tourist attractions.

“But in an increasingly competitive environment it is important to be able to maintain that commercial lead to continue such pioneering work.”

He added: “While undoubtedly challenging, the role offers the rewards of a deeper level of satisfaction that comes from knowing the work we do will positively impact on generations to come.”

carolineinnes