Becoming Chair in 2022, Jane is the CEO of South of Scotland Enterprise – the first of Scotland’s public agencies to promote a wider view on the economy, the wellbeing of communities and the environment.

Formerly CEO of Scotland IS, the industry body for the digital and technology industries, Jane worked on both Connecting Scotland and the Digital Nation Challenge. Prior to this she was CEO of Taigh Chearsabhagh, the Arts & Heritage Centre in North Uist, and Business Development Director with Capgemini Scotland.

With a background and first degree in the arts, Jane is passionate about bringing creativity to the heart of both business and economic growth. She is a Fellow of the RSA and Chair of both a Scottish charity in Dumfries and the NSET Entrepreneurial Advisory Board; she also sits on the Civtech Strategic Advisory Board, the NSET Portfolio Board and the Scottish Energy Advisory Board.

A freelance arts fundraiser, Lucinda brings 30 years’ experience of philanthropy and sponsorship experience with cultural organisations to our Board. A graduate of the University of Aberdeen, with an MA in Music History, she has worked for London Philharmonic, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra and National Youth Choir of Scotland, as well as grassroots charitable organisations.

Also involved in the hospitality industry for many years, Lucinda has empathy with the challenges business organisations currently face. Seeing the evolution of sponsorship and business partnerships shift from a focus on client entertainment to a more creative and symbiotic partnership, she is passionate about the ways that the culture and business sectors can learn from each other.

Lucinda has benefited from many years of training, insight and support from Culture & Business Scotland, and is now delighted to give something back.

Graeme has spent his career advising business organisations on the full spectrum of their communication planning. Following stints with Underbelly and the Traverse Theatre, he joined a London-based marketing consultancy, working with blue chip clients including Unilever, Cisco, Siemens and Standard Chartered Bank, before two years in Shell’s communications team, managing their UK sponsorship activity.

On returning to Edinburgh, Graeme became Head of Communications & Development at CMI (Edinburgh International Film Festival and Filmhouse) before joining the Union Advertising Agency as Group Account Director. He then joined technology company, Clearwater Controls, as Marketing Director during a period of significant growth, before moving into professional services as Marketing Director at French Duncan.

In 2022, Graeme set up UXL Marketing, providing strategic communications, marketing and sales advice to business in Scotland and across the UK. He has an MA in Economics from Edinburgh University and sits on the Board of Grid Iron Theatre Company.

A veteran of the financial services sector, Graham’s career has predominantly been with Abrdn – the FTSE 100 Scottish-based global investment company. Joining us in 2022, and with over 35 years’ experience in financial services, operating in senior roles, Graham brings commercial and strategic acumen from a business perspective to the Board.

Graham has built considerable expertise in leading and developing commercial partnerships and initiatives with businesses in the UK, US, Europe and Asia, although his current focus is somewhat closer to home, leading Abrdn’s ecosystem strategy. Adding to his many industry qualifications, he has recently completed – with distinction – the Oxford University/Said Business School course on Executive Business Strategy.

Peter brings over 30 years’ experience of working in the built heritage and environment sector to our Board. He was Chair of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland from 2008 until 2013 and sits on the Board of the Built Environment Forum for Scotland (BEFS). He is a Fellow of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (also sitting on the National Council) and a member of the Royal Institute of Architects in Scotland, the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain, the 20th Century Society, Docomomo UK, the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA) and the Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE).

Peter’s work on heritage-led regeneration projects includes the Kilmarnock Townscape Heritage Initiative, St Francis Monastery, the People’s History Museum in Manchester, Shrewsbury Music Hall, Lews Castle and Portencross Castle. He provides expert advice to bodies such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund

Leah is a marketing and communications professional with experience in strategic brand development and communications. Leah is Founder and Director of The Goldie Collective, a marketing and communications consultancy based in Scotland working across the UK.

Leah has previously led marketing and communications for Aberdeen Performing Arts, for three venues – His Majesty’s Theatre, the Music Hall and the Lemon Tree, three city-wide festivals and creative engagement programme.

Leah worked in communications in local government and Scottish Parliament; in communications, marketing and engagement with Zero Waste Scotland; in leading the Design for a Circular Economy programme; and in brand management for Recycle for Scotland, Resource Efficient Scotland and Love Food Hate Waste.

Leah is Vice Chair of VisitAberdeenshire and Non-Executive Director for Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce.

A graduate of the Glasgow School of Art with BA Hons in Fine Art, and of the University of Stirling with an MLitt in Publishing, Leah also studied at Ontario College of Art & Design and began her career as a designer.

Graduating from Glasgow University with LLB Hons, Fiona is a lawyer by background and an experienced business leader, spending over 30 years with Shell.

Her areas of expertise including strategy development, shaping business improvement and leading diverse teams. She has held contract and procurement roles in the UK and Norway, finance leadership roles in the UK, and commercial and business development leadership roles across Europe and internationally. Fiona has also worked with multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary teams on a range of complex projects and with a broad spectrum of stakeholders.

Fiona strongly believes in a diverse and inclusive culture as a way of unlocking individual and collective potential and is keen to bring a diverse perspective to our Board, along with her invaluable business experience. She is a member of the Law Society of Scotland and a Patron of Scottish Ballet.

As Director of Finance and Commercial at the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), Susan is responsible for financial planning and reporting and her remit covers the wider operation function including responsibility for HR, IT and Estates. A member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, she joined EIF from a senior finance role at the University of Edinburgh and, prior to this, worked for a variety of companies – large and small – in the private sector.

Susan spent a number of years in Australia before relocating to the UK in 2007.

An experienced corporate relations professional and non-executive director, Jane has worked in a variety of roles, both in Scotland and internationally, and principally with the global drinks company Diageo. Her early career included roles with Scottish & Southern Energy, Logica (now CGI) and De La Rue. As Communications Director for Entrepreneurial Scotland, she led the communications strategy for this not-for-profit, member organisation and firmly believes that encouraging entrepreneurship across all sectors is key to Scotland’s growth.

Jane previously sat on the Boards of Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre, Dundee and Angus College and the Scottish Government’s Board of Trade, and she acts as Changing the Chemistry’s ambassador for the Tayside area and is a volunteer fundraiser for Big Noise Douglas.

Jane has a law degree from Edinburgh University, a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing from the Chartered Institute of Marketing and speaks fluent Spanish.

Paul is currently an independent consultant with a particular focus on Scotland’s college sector.

Until 2018, Paul worked with the Scottish Government as Deputy Director of the College Policy, Young Workforce and SFC Sponsorship Division. Prior to this he helped to deliver over £300m of investment into Scottish farming, directed the programme to establish Historic Environment Scotland (HES), held several senior posts in the Justice Directorate of Scottish Government, developed the Scottish Executive’s first anti-racism campaign, was a senior press officer working for Scottish Ministers and was the first Head of Rail Policy in post-devolution Scotland.

Before joining the then Scottish Office in 1998, Paul held a number of posts within Scottish Homes (the national housing agency) after several years as an academic, during which time he was a lecturer in the Politics Department of Edinburgh University and gained his PhD.

Joining our Board in 2022, Pamela is both an enthusiast and supporter of the literary and arts scene in Scotland. She is currently the CEO at the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC), the independent advisory body to the Scottish Government on library and information related matters. An advocate for libraries for many years, she has held a number of strategic, managerial and voluntary posts in library and information establishments as well as holding senior positions within Glasgow Life, Glasgow City Council and Dundee City Council.

Pamela is a member of Scottish Government’s Creative Industries Leadership Group, the British Library Advisory Council, the First Minister’s Reading Challenge Advisory Group and a number of other library and information related alliances.

Scott has specialised in VAT for over 20 years and provides advice and assistance to clients in all sectors. He works closely with a wide variety of clients, ranging from further education colleges and private schools to arts bodies such as Scottish Opera and the National Theatre of Scotland. Examples of his recent work include the review of income/expenditure for a not-for-profit body and the negotiation of VAT recovery on capital works with HMRC. Scott enjoys interacting with clients, making VAT rules understandable, resolving client issues and identifying opportunities to make savings and benefits.

Keegan & Pennykid are independent insurance brokers, offering tailored insurance solutions, as well as claims support, to a wide range of sectors including business, heritage, charity and not-for-profit organisations. They also provide risk management advice and support. Garry is responsible for the delivery of workshops and presentations on a variety of insurance related topics designed to assist the understanding of, and need for, specific insurance covers.

Founded on extensive experience in senior roles for leading creative institutions, Catherine’s consultancy work spans organisational change and governance, fundraising strategy, brand and marketing, as well as personal and team development. Catherine’s clients include a wide range of national and regional museums, galleries, festivals, performing arts organisations, science centres, local authority trusts, heritage bodies and historic houses, as well as membership and leadership networks.

Before founding Catherine Holden Consulting in 2016, Catherine’s career including senior roles with National Museums Scotland, the Natural History Museum, Tate, and the National Theatre. She is a trustee of the National Theatre of Scotland, Art UK and Clore Leadership, and was formerly Chair of the national development agency Craft Scotland.

Passionate about data protection, privacy and information law, Laura was part of the only legal team in the UK to have successfully overturned a data breach fine imposed under the old Data Protection Act 1998. She has been a solicitor since 1999 and was a prosecutor in a previous life.

Laura advises clients across all sectors on how to work with what is now known as the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018. She wrote the GDPR Guide for the Law Society of Scotland, is accredited as a specialist in data protection law by them and chairs their privacy committee.  Laura is also a director of the Scottish Business Resilience Centre and a co-founder of Protectors of Data Scotland (PODs), a Meet Up group of ‘data protection geeks’.

Marina Jones has been described as “one of the UK’s most successful arts fundraisers”. She has over twenty years’ experience of working at a variety of arts and cultural organisations and implementing legacy campaigns and stewarding donors. As well as working on major capital campaigns, audience engagement, membership, apprentices, core revenue support and learning and participation projects.

She was awarded a Distinction in her Masters in Philanthropic Studies with a dissertation on legacy giving to the Royal Opera House. The dissertation, working with Dr Claire Routley was published as “When I go my family will see my life in programmes”: Legacy giving and identity at the Royal Opera House in the Journal of Philanthropy and Marketing (2022).

Armed with over 25 years’s industry experience, Pam works with management committees, volunteers and staff across the voluntary sector to strengthen their fundraising capacity. This includes providing guidance and training in strategic planning, governance for fundraising, proposal writing and research, as well as developing membership and friends’ schemes and individual giving programmes. In addition, she has been a trustee for two Scottish grant-making trusts and has assessed a wide range of grant applications for several funders including the emergency Covid grants for the charity sector.

An accredited specialist in charity law, Gavin advises charities and philanthropists on all aspects of charity law and regulation including governance, risk, fundraising law and the structuring of charitable giving. He frequently supports charities through inquiries by the Scottish Charity Regulator and advises on the reorganisation of endowments and restricted funds, unfair dismissal, discrimination, working time and employment status.

Kirsty regularly assist arts and heritage organisations on all aspects of tax, ranging from day-to-day corporate tax compliance matters to advising on the use of trading subsidiaries. She is an expert in Creative Industries Tax Reliefs, having claimed back over £12m for her clients in recent years.

David joined Culture & Business Scotland in 2023 to take up this new role to lead on the development and implementation of key programmes, as well as contribute to organisational strategies and initiatives.

A languages graduate from Heriot-Watt University, he has enjoyed a variety of roles. In industries as diverse as hospitality, financial services and professional investigation, he worked for businesses ranging from a small family firm to a FTSE 100 company.

David subsequently developed a career in fundraising, with a decade at the Scottish Chamber Orchestra working across all income streams and then the National Galleries of Scotland managing their philanthropic giving programme and corporate partnerships.

Barry qualified as a solicitor in Northern Ireland in 1999 and in Scotland in 2000. In 2011 he was accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in Employment Law. Working with employers ranging from owner-managed businesses to PLCs, Barry has a particular interest in the education sector, advising a number of universities and independent schools.

Barry deals with all aspects of employment law, both contentious and non-contentious, including disciplinary and grievance matters, redundancies and business transfers, maternity and paternity rights, and discrimination and equality issues. He regularly provides bespoke training and workshops on employment law issues and, more recently, on social media and the employment relationship, employment tribunals and disability discrimination. Barry regularly represents clients – both employees and employers – at employment tribunals addressing unfair dismissal, discrimination, working time and employment status.

Shirley is an independent specialist focusing, in particular, on the governance and management of third sector organisations in Scotland. Over the last 30 years, Shirley has worked with a wide range of organisations in the third sector including service providers, self-help groups, community arts projects, collectives, housing associations and NGOs. Shirley has a particular interest in cross-border governance, the dynamics of Boards and the impact of values on the functioning of organisations.

Shirley provides training on management and governance topics, facilitation of team development and strategic planning sessions, and she is also an ‘action learning set’ facilitator.

Joining Culture & Business Scotland in 2007, Catriona’s role is to support capacity building in the culture sector, particularly in the areas of governance and management, through specialist skills training and engaging business organisations to share skills with arts and heritage organisations.

Head of Fundraising and Sponsorship at Scottish Opera for 10 years prior to joining us, Catriona also worked with Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, with a range of membership responsibilities. A graduate in History of Art from the University of Aberdeen, she began her career as a paintings valuer with Phillips Fine Art Auctioneers. Catriona is a formidably experienced board member in the charitable sector and is currently a Trustee of the The Royal Society for the Support of Women in Scotland and Chair of Bloody Scotland (Scotland’s International Crime Writing Festival).

Alice believes that effective corporate-arts partnerships can deliver exceptional results, and that the power of the arts to transform people’s lives can be powerfully amplified with the support of a strong corporate partnership. She works with companies and charities to give them the tools to create high-performing and rewarding arts partnerships.

Alice has significant experience in creating business partnerships for the culture sector. With over £8m in partnerships value delivered to date, 14 years of industry experience, and three academic degrees, she has both deep, professional knowledge and expertise in creating meaningful, creative and innovative partnerships. Before launching Samtoy Consulting, Alice worked for major institutions including the National Theatre, the Barbican Centre, English National Opera, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the City of London Festival and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Previously Director of Client Services at Tayburn Design and Director of Copy & Communications at Redpath Design, Allison is a highly experienced copywriter and brand consultant who has been working freelance since 2013. She now works with a variety of organisations, mainly in the charitable sector, helping her clients to find their voice, articulate their message and, ultimately, achieve their communication goals.

Allison has a particular interest in arts, heritage, education and environment, and her fundraising and case for support copywriting includes work for National Museums Scotland, Gretna Landmark Trust, Highland Museums Forum, National Youth Choirs of Great Britain, Penicuik House Preservation Trust, Willow Tea Rooms Trust, Hearts & Minds, Maid of the Loch, St Mary’s Music School, National Trust for Scotland and The Royal High School Preservation Trust.

Bernard is director of =mc, a management consultancy working worldwide for ethical organisations. He is an internationally regarded expert on fundraising. He has advised many of the world’s leading INGOs on strategy including UNICEF, UNHCR, IFRC, ICRC and MSF/DWB. In recent years he’s written a case for support for France’s oldest university; advised Europe’s largest scientific experiment in Switzerland on individual giving; secured HNWI and corporation finance to rebuild an Argentina museum to house the largest dinosaur that ever walked the earth; and engaged celebrities and billionaires to save the last 800 great apes in Africa. As a fundraising consultant, he has advised many of the U.K.’s leading arts and cultural organisations including The National Trust, Tate Gallery, Science Museum, V&A and Scottish Opera.

Birds of Paradise Theatre Company was formally launched in 1993 and is Scotland’s first touring theatre company employing disabled and non-disabled actors. Many of their original aims have remained the same since then: to employ disabled and non-disabled actors and other theatre professionals, to commission new work, to work in partnership with other organisations at home and abroad, to create positive images of inclusion and to encourage participation in the arts. They are disability-led since 2012 through the appointment of their current Artistic Directors and their training has been developed by a disabled-led team with many years experience of delivering training.