British Ports Association
Our staff
Richard Ballantyne
Chief Executive
Richard Ballantyne joined the British Ports Association in 2007 and became the Chief Executive in 2016.
He represents the BPA on a number of industry bodies and is a member of a wide range of government stakeholder groups and international committees.
Richard has in-depth expertise in ports, transport and environmental policy matters as well as a wide experience of the legislative process around the UK.
He is a Director of Maritime UK, a Trustee of the Merchant Navy Welfare Board charity and was previously a Director of Port Skills and Safety Ltd.
Before joining the BPA Richard spent five years at a Westminster political consultancy and was previously an MP’s researcher in the House of Commons.
Mark Simmonds
Director of Policy & External Affairs
Mark Simmonds joined the Association in 2016 and leads on environmental and technical policy issues. He is also our main liaison for media and public affairs enquiries.
Before joining the BPA he spent five years working for an MP in the House of Commons as a senior researcher and speechwriter, focusing on business and technology policy.
Prior to that he worked in Government as a policy advisor and a Business and Systems Analyst at the Dreyfus Corporation, part of the Bank of New York Mellon in the USA.
Mobile: 07387090955
Rhona Macdonald
Senior Sustainability Advisor
Rhona joined the association in 2021, focusing on environmental policy issues and sharing best-practice with UK ports to support and strengthen sustainability efforts within the sector.
Rhona acts as a focal point on sustainability policy issues for UK ports, collecting and disseminating good practice and welcoming opportunities to collaborate with BPA members within the area of climate change, the environment and sustainable development. Rhona also works closely with the International Association of Ports and Harbors and other collaborative partners on various sustainability programmes for ports.
Rhona joined the BPA following the completion of an MSc in Sustainability and Environmental Studies from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Prior to her role, Rhona worked as a Sustainability Intern for the environmental NGO, Ninth Wave Global in Mexico, as well as executing research on the circular economy for Zero Waste Scotland.
Mobile: 07917909506
George Finch
Senior Policy & Economic Analyst
George joined the British Ports Association in November 2021 and leads on economic reporting, surveys, trade issues, and Scottish ports.
George joined the BPA after spending one year interning at the Department for International Trade in Taiwan, where he supported high value UK exporters and encouraged Taiwanese companies to take climate action. Before that, George studied International Relations at Royal Holloway, University of London.
Mobile: 07918635737
Zoe Ojo-Earl
Finance and Administration Assistant
Zoe joined the British Ports Association in September 2023 and assists with the Association’s finances and administration.
Prior to the BPA, Zoe had worked within the financial sector as an operations assistant where she assisted investment teams with transactions, invoices and arrears. Zoe also spent time in the NHS working as a Medical Physics administrator at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital. Zoe is very excited to be joining the BPA and looking forward to visiting the British ports.
Jayden Cooney
PA, Events and Programs Coordinator
Jayden recently joined the British Ports Association in November 2025 and will be responsible for coordinating events and programmes across the Association, as well as providing administrative support to the senior team.
Relocating from Australia to the UK, Jayden brings broad experience from the events and marketing sector, having worked as an Event and Partnerships Manger with a range of organisations across both the mining and corporate industries.
Sector Representatives
Various
The BPA draws on its broad and diverse membership to provide specialised or technical input and support for the BPA’s policy work in certain areas. Our member’s expertise and support strengthens our engagement and improve policy outcomes. Read more about the areas we are seeking support from members, here.