Pauline Buchanan Black is a creative thinker with bags of energy combined with infectious enthusiasm, who communicates ideas well. Her instinct is to seize the moment and pick up opportunities as they arise, but underlying that is a collaborative and thoughtful bedrock, underpinned by her longstanding commitment to the co-operative movement. She will research, listen and analyse before espousing a cause but once convinced, she has indeed proved herself to be an articulate, persuasive and determined advocate. Described as ‘a truly remarkable and outstanding leader who combines huge commitment with an extraordinary capacity for hard work; someone who refuses to acknowledge any problems or obstacles put in her way, makes things happens and gets things done’ PBB is also recognised as having made an ‘extraordinary contribution to the world of trees’ as an ‘energetic and enthusiastic advocate’ who ‘fought harder to get important issues raised’.
To see and judge her solely in the context of her environmental sector connection would be to underestimate the breadth and depth of her achievements. With successful leadership positions in the charitable field across housing, education and welfare disciplines, PBB demonstrably sets high personal standards and is unafraid of challenge. The colleagues and Trustees throughout her career describe someone who is focused not on problems, but on solutions and action; someone who can be relied on when the going gets tough.
‘Indefatigable doesn’t really do her justice’ said one. ‘I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s much better simply to describe Pauline as a force of nature’.
pbb by charlie hopkinson