A career committed to delivering impact that stands the test of time
“Being out in nature with people I care about is what makes my heart sing," says Kirsty.
Since April 2025, Kirsty Wilson has served as Vice President for NIRAS International Consulting’s UK and Africa regions, following seven years as Managing Consultant at the organisation. Long before joining NIRAS, Kirsty already sought to create meaningful, large-scale change, particularly in challenging and complex contexts.
After more than two decades in the development sector, Kirsty is no stranger to uncertainty. Yet recent years have been more demanding than normal as funding models have shifted and several long standing donors realigned their priorities following years of impact driven financing. But for Kirsty, adaptability has always been part of the job.
“One thing that is certain in our sector is uncertainty. We need to be flexible and agile to respond to these changes. And that's what we're doing,” she says.
Leading a team of equally driven changemakers at NIRAS, Kirsty is confident in their ability to overcome these hurdles, while continuing to deliver impact through systems-driven projects.
Impact through consultancy
Her reason for pursuing a career in development was similar to that which led her to study social anthropology. Kirsty was curious about the world.
“I always had a massive interest in different cultures, different ways of doing things, [and] different ways of being,” she says. “That led me into the development sector.”
Kirsty began her career in bookkeeping and accounting with FARM Africa, a non-government organisation (NGO) based in Tanzania, where Kirsty lived for a time. The organisation focussed on helping farmers across East Africa build sustainable livelihoods while protecting the environment.
From there, she moved through various NGOs and assignments largely dedicated to mainstreaming climate resilience. Over time, however, Kirsty realised she wanted to “make things happen at a larger scale”, working directly with governments and private sector institutions that made systemic change happen. Consultancy offered this opportunity.
Kirsty is an inspiring leader and role model, especially for other women working in development. She brings a strong focus on impact to our work, and leads with empathy and humanity. She recognises people’s strengths and encourages us to build on them, which makes NIRAS a great environment for learning and growth. I really value being able to learn from her.
Elena Bellitto, Senior Consultant for Climate Change
Kirsty joined LTS Consulting in 2013 in the UK, working on evaluations and advisory assignments for clients that included governments and development banks — right where she wanted to be. Five years later, NIRAS acquired the firm.
The acquisition opened new doors for Kirsty. She directed a broad portfolio of climate- and forestry-related projects, contributing to sustainable development outcomes using her technical expertise, as well as to NIRAS’ targets in the UK.
Systems change starts with people
Now in her current leadership role, Kirsty’s work has become increasingly centred on building and sustaining relationships, both internally with teams and externally with clients.
“There are loads of moments in my career where I feel a real sense of satisfaction, and a lot of them are to do with teamwork,” Kirsty says.
Establishing client relationships, she adds, is just as fulfilling and important. For Kirsty, that NIRAS partners with institutions sharing the same vision of a more sustainable and socially just world makes partnerships more rewarding. “It's wonderful to be able to support them in achieving their vision,” she shares.
A good example of this is the recently concluded Scottish-funded Climate Just Communities (CJC) project, which NIRAS implemented in Zambia and is representative of our cross-sectoral, systems-driven work. CJC’s efforts to ensure locally led development were one of the programme’s central features, meaning the project empowered communities themselves to guide interventions.
Within CJC Zambia, NIRAS worked with over 34,500 participants, installed and rehabilitated more than 250 water points, and supported the establishment over 400 village savings and loan associations. There was an equally significant focus on gender equality and social inclusion — removing barriers for women to influence household and community decision-making, as well as identifying and registering people with disabilities to access and influence government services targeting their needs.
The CJC programme revolved around promoting climate justice, supporting communities hit by the effects of climate change the hardest despite contributing to it the least.
Kirsty has been my project director and line manager, but above all she has been a constant mentor. I’ve learned a lot about what good international development practice looks like from Kirsty — she’s solutions-oriented, empathetic, collaborative, and deeply values driven. She’s a truly inspiring leader.
CJC in Zambia Project Manager Mackenzie Klema, who has worked closely with Kirsty through the years.
“There are lots that we can do for individual households, individual communities, individual businesses, but that is a drop in the ocean unless we can catalyse change in the surrounding systems ,” she says.
In practice, the CJC project deliberately involved local government at every stage, drawing from the Government of Zambia’s own initiatives to fund and sustain the work the project achieved.
The programme’s impact was significant enough that the Scottish Government invited NIRAS to prepare a proposal for a new one-year project to strengthen the collaboration with communities, government, and private sector on climate justice. A strong signal, Kirsty says, of the Scottish Government’s confidence in both the programme and the approach.
In harmony with the world
Despite her busy schedule, Kirsty prioritises spending time outdoors, exploring beaches and woodlands across the UK with her husband and two young children.
Balancing her busy life with grounding moments in nature is Kirsty’s way of keeping her energy reserves intact. But they also remind her of the deeper motivation behind much of her work, particularly in climate resilience: protecting the world in all its beauty.
“Being out in nature with people I care about is what makes my heart sing,” she shares.
Kirsty Wilson
Vice President - NIRAS International Consulting (UK and Africa)
Edinburgh, United Kingdom
