Abi Banks

Abi joined the Mountain Training Trust as an independent advisor to the HR Committee in February 2024 and became a Mountain Training Limited Board member in September the same year. Her focus has been on strengthening governance through people-related matters, including policy, practice, and organisational culture.

Alongside her role with MTL, she is Head of People at a green technology business, and runs and HR consultancy, Wye Business Solutions Ltd, supporting a variety of organisations, including those in the climbing wall industry, with policies, contracts, and people management advice. Her career has always centred on developing good practice in HR, drawing on experience across the commercial, non-profit, and outdoor sectors.

She is a member of her local BMC club and enjoys the social side of climbing as much as the technical challenge. She is passionate about expanding access to outdoor climbing, and see people progress from their first experiences outdoors to building confidence and finding their own climbing projects. She also regularly documents her own outdoor experiences on social media to share with others and to inspire her daughter to develop her love of adventure as she grows up. She has been fortunate to attend a number of Plas y Brenin courses, including Welsh Winter Mountaineering (yes, there was snow), a trip to Scotland for even more winter mountaineering, and most recently SheClimbs in August 2025.

My goal is to see Plas y Brenin continue to nurture future leaders in the sector and create inclusive opportunities for everyone to experience the outdoors.