Staff

Andrew MuirheadChief Executive

Catriona HendersonHead of Communications

After graduating with an Honours Degree in Chemistry Catriona worked in research at Strathclyde University for a year before joining the nuclear industry. Based at Sellafield she continued in research for a number of years before moving into Public Relations where she managed the employee communications team. Whilst there she undertook a Masters Degree in Public Relations and was on the local Board for Young Enterprise. She also worked as a volunteer drug and alcohol counsellor for a local charity.

In 2005 she moved up to Scotland and took up a post as Press and PR Manager for the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland. She was involved with Inspiring Scotland from its inception and now divides her time between the two organisations. As Head of Communications Catriona helps to deliver the strategy of the organisation in practical ways. Her role involves overseeing the bigger picture whilst taking care of the detail. Catriona is also a Director of the Broomhouse Centre in Edinburgh which offers a range of services to local people in one of the city’s most deprived areas. She loves to be outside when it’s nice, walking, gardening or cycling, and when it’s not enjoys staying in, reading, cooking and drinking wine.

Celia TennantHead of Funds

Celia graduated with a First Class Honours Degree in Micro Biology from Glasgow University and subsequently spent 20 years in the Pharmaceutical Industry with the global blue chip organisation Pfizer Pharmaceuticals. As a senior leader, she has managed people, projects and processes in Sales, Marketing and Medical functions at National and Regional level. She began as a Medical Rep and in a variety of senior roles went on to gain experience of strategy, project and change management.

Most recently her role as Business Director in Scotland and Northern Ireland involved setting the strategic direction for the business, allocating all resources and delivering the UK leading performance in portfolio growth and financial results. Celia brings to Inspiring Scotland years of experience working with and for people and getting results through people. Her Venture-facing role as Performance Advisor utilises this knowledge which is supported by hard work and a commitment to making a difference. Celia loves the great outdoors and enjoys pushing herself to new limits through Iron Man Triathlons. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends.

David HardieHead of Venture Philanthropy

David is Head of Venture Philanthropy at Inspiring Scotland. The European Venture Philanthropy Association defines ‘Venture Philanthropy’ as ‘a field of philanthropic activity where private equity/venture capital models are applied in the non-profit and charitable sectors. David is also Chairman and Senior Corporate Partner at Dundas & Wilson C.S. LLP, a leading corporate law firm which he joined in 1976 as an apprentice solicitor and of which he became a partner in 1983. David, who divides his time between his roles at Inspiring Scotland and Dundas & Wilson, brings to Inspiring Scotland a wealth of experience of the private sector.

His work at Dundas & Wilson with leading financial institutions, corporates (large and small) and business people (both nationally and internationally) helps to bring a private sector investment approach to the way in which Inspiring Scotland addresses key social issues. David has always had a keen interest in social issues and a turning point for him was a visit with a Scottish charity to see at first hand the plight of the street kids in Lima, Peru. David enjoys reading, motorcycling, scuba diving, keeping fit and the occasional round of golf as well as spending time with family and friends.

Duncan MacKechniePerformance Advisor - 14:19 Fund

Duncan started his working life as a fisherman working out of Oban and Mallaig in both near shore and deep sea boats. In 1975 he took up a post at Equitable Life and was to work there in various roles for the next 17 years, ultimately as General Manager Sales and Marketing. He then moved to Scottish Widows where as Head of Direct Sales he spent 5 years developing this new distribution channel. In 1997 Duncan was appointed Managing Director of Direct Line Life and Direct Line Unit Trusts where he was responsible for the development of business, for regulatory compliance, financial impacts and for interactions with the Royal Bank of Scotland.

During his time with Direct Line he was involved in the introduction of groundbreaking products in life assurance and critical illness and also for the introduction of a FTSE for Good tracker fund. Alongside these roles Duncan also served on various regulatory committees of LAUTRO, the forerunner to the FSA. Duncan brings a wealth of business experience to his Inspiring Scotland role along with the ability to motivate people. In addition, he has worked in a results driven environment all his life, experience which serves him well. In his spare time Duncan enjoys walking with his Border Collie and holidays in Italy.

Elaine McLellandPerformance Advisor - Go Play

Elaine graduated with an Honours degree in Law from Glasgow University and went on to train as a solicitor with Dundas & Wilson in Edinburgh, where she became an Associate in the Corporate team. After a number of years she moved in-house, becoming Head of Legal with Martin Currie Investment Management. Here she was instrumental in designing and managing the in-house legal team and was responsible for legal risk management across the company. She advised the Board and Executive on key transactions and made sure that her team were right at the heart of the business.

It is after a spell at Scottish Widows Investment Partnership that Elaine joins the Inspiring Scotland team. Elaine has great enthusiasm and commitment and really enjoys working with a broad range of people and organisations to achieve real, lasting results. She brings to Inspiring Scotland a keen appreciation of people and their potential, senior leadership, project management and transactional skills and experience, and valuable knowledge and insight gained working across the public, private and voluntary sectors. Outside of work Elaine is on the Scottish Advisory Board of Marie Curie Cancer Care and is also involved with business and legal mentoring in the charitable sector. In her spare time she enjoys hill-walking, travel, yoga, literature and archaeology.

Graeme WallaceHead of Finance and Administration

Graeme has worked in the not for profit Charity sector for 16 years and has held a number of senior management positions mainly in the Performing Arts. After a number of years training and qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with a London based firm, Graeme went on to take up senior financial management roles with English National Opera, Tower Records and Shakespeare’s Globe, before returning to his native Dundee for a brief stint as Executive Director of Dundee Rep Theatre.

It is this experience which gives him a strong commitment to the values of the sector. He also brings to his Inspiring Scotland role a practical knowledge of the reporting and regulatory framework, an understanding of financial management in uncertain economic conditions and experience of working with diverse teams and change management. Graeme is Head of Finance and Administration. In his spare time he enjoys theatre going and reading. He is also on the Board of a contemporary dance company and is Treasurer of a voluntary organisation in Dundee dealing with vulnerable people.

Helen ChambersHead of Strategy and Delivery

Helen draws on a breadth of experience at all levels across the voluntary, public and private sectors. This gives her an understanding of the challenges of investing in social enterprise and of achieving a meaningful impact. Helen’s career began at Harpies and Quines Magazine. She moved on to working with Scottish AIDS Monitor, The Scottish Voluntary HIV and AIDS Forum, ASH Scotland and Carers Scotland before joining the Scottish Government as a civil servant in 2003. Her roles have encompassed many disciplines from publishing to service provision and policy work, lobbying and influencing.

In addition to this she has volunteered on the Board of a range of Voluntary Organisations and Social Enterprises and has also started some from scratch. Helen brings to her role at Inspiring Scotland scale of ambition, energy and the will to succeed. She has the ability to spot opportunities and sufficient rigour to see them through to implementation. In her spare time Helen enjoys challenging herself which most recently resulted in participating in a triathlon. She would also like to spend more time in the far North West of Scotland.

Kaylie Allen, Performance Advisor – Go Play

Kaylie qualified with Honours in Criminology and History from Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand before moving to the UK where she has been resident since 2000. Her career since arriving here has taken in two leading Funders in Scotland, namely the Big Lottery Fund and Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland. She supported the early development of Evaluation Support Scotland and has worked in business development for a Scottish based international development NGO using her business skills and expertise to build sustainability. During her time in the UK Kaylie has contributed to a number of charities, both as a Board member and as an active volunteer.

It is this combination of experience both in the Funding and Voluntary Sectors that gives Kaylie such a strong grasp of the challenges that funders and groups seeking investment face. She also has a keen understanding of the strength of the voluntary sector.

Kaylie enjoys hill walking and cycling in her spare time and loves exploring Scotland, particularly the Highlands and Islands. She also enjoys good food and wine.

Lorna Mackay, Performance Advisor – 14:19 Fund

Lorna joined Inspiring Scotland in April 2010. Prior to this Lorna worked in the investment management business where she spent over 20 years managing European equities latterly with Blackrock. She began her career as an oil analyst with BP in London before moving on to become a fund manager with Scottish Provident and then Dunedin Fund managers. On a voluntary basis Lorna also works with the Art Friends of St Columba’s Hospice, a group of enthusiastic volunteers, who along with many professional artists come together each year to organise an art exhibition to raise funds for St Columba’s Hospice.

Lorna was educated at Edinburgh University where she graduated with an Honours Degree in Economics before going on to complete an MBA. In her leisure time she enjoys all the arts and is a keen hill walker and skier.

Louise HanniganPerformance Advisor - 14:19 Fund

On graduating from Glasgow University Louise took up a post with the Scottish Executive running a national grants scheme which provided alternatives to drugs for at risk young people. She went on to manage a European Regional Development Fund programme for capacity building initiatives. In 2001 she joined the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland as an Assessor and worked on Capacity Building, the Standard Grant Scheme and the Overseas Programme.

Louise then moved over to work for Inspiring Scotland in October 2007 and was involved from the early development stage as the first Performance Advisor. She completed a 6 month Programme for Leadership Development at the Harvard Business School in June 2008. Louise brings to her role extensive knowledge of the voluntary sector along with her Harvard learnings around leadership, development of strategy and working to defined targets. In her spare time she is involved with business mentoring and enjoys keeping up with her network of friends from Harvard. She also enjoys spending time with family and friends, and gardening.

Margaret MortonHead of Investor Relations

Margaret graduated with an Honours Degree in Law and a Diploma in Legal Practice from Glasgow University. She began her legal career at Levy & McRae where she went on to become an Associate. In 1999 she joined Tods Murray LLP to develop the firm’s recently opened Glasgow office. She became a Partner in 2003 specialising in Property Finance, but also dealing with a wide range of Commercial Property transactions. Margaret joined Barnardo’s Scotland in 2007 and soon took on the role of Head of Fundraising. She led a team of ten fundraisers across Scotland covering community, corporate, education, events and major donor fundraising. Margaret likes to lead by example and, immediately on joining Barnardo’s Scotland, competed in their Cairngorm 50K Challenge – a 15K hike up Cairngorm followed by a 35K mountain bike route through Glenmore and Abernethy forests.

Margaret brings to her role at Inspiring Scotland a wealth of experience in both the private and voluntary sectors and a passion for people. She is an active committee member of Spifox Too, which raises funds for Scottish children’s charities, and enjoys travel, skiing, mountain biking and wine.

Neil BlakePerformance Advisor - Go Play

Neil graduated with a degree in Mathematics from York University. He spent the next six years teaching English as a foreign language in Algeria, Japan and the UK, before basing himself in Edinburgh and working in computer systems consultancy. In 1990 he joined the Bank of Scotland where he was to undertake a number of senior roles in Credit Risk Management, Product Management, and Policy and Planning.

In 2002 he began working with Sainsbury's Bank in the capacity of Head of Products. He went on to become Head of Risk Projects, successfully implementing two programmes of major change, before leaving the Bank in March 2009 to pursue his interest in the not-for-profit sector. Along with his energy and enthusiasm, Neil brings to his role at Inspiring Scotland broad and varied commercial experience and he is passionate about helping organisations who are providing play activities to do it better. Outside of work Neil spent four months in 2008 cycling in China and Japan and is also a keen badminton player and golfer. He is on the Board for a Credit Union and also for a charity which promotes positive mental health.

Peter JonesAdministrative Assistant

Peter is a member of the Administration team. His first role was as a database consultant at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris where he maintained a database linked to members worldwide. In 1999 he moved to Edinburgh and began working for Sykes Europe on their Motorola Account providing customer service and sales advice on mobile phones. He went on to take up the role of Assistant Designer at Scottish Field Magazine where he was responsible for all aspects of design and production of the editorial content of the magazine.

A keen artist and illustrator Peter then spent some time working freelance, acquiring commissions to produce house portrait illustrations, and exhibiting and selling his landscape paintings in Kirkcudbright, Newcastle and London. Peter brings to his Inspiring Scotland role a wide range of skills and experience and is particularly involved with financial administration, publications and the website. He is a father of two young children, loves to travel, and continues to paint in his spare time.

Rachel CowperPerformance Advisor - Go Play

After graduating with a BA hons in Business Studies, Rachel worked for a small national charity that provides support for people with learning, physical and sensory disabilities. Rachel’s role grew in the charity to encompass marketing and fundraising activities, as well as the co-ordination of events and managing a small team. She was also a part of the strategic team that amalgamated these activities for two sister charities. The fundraising aspect of this role involved presenting to varying audiences from parents and children at special needs schools through to larger multinational corporations and grant funds.

After several years Rachel moved into the business and economic development arena, working in South Yorkshire first on inward investment before moving to the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward. Here she led the team concentrating on international inward investment, managing clients and staff teams nationally and internationally. Rachel brings to her role experience in both the charity sector and the business development arena. At weekends she spends her time chasing sheep and cows on the family farm.

Steve FallaExecutive Assistant

After graduating with a degree in Marketing Management Steve spent a year working for a data solutions company before heading out to Australia where he worked and travelled for 2 years. On his return to Edinburgh he took up a position with the Lloyds TSB Foundation for Scotland working for their Administration Team. He went on to be seconded to Inspiring Scotland where he was involved from day one with the launch and rollout of the new organisation.

It is this hands on involvement from the start that gives Steve a detailed knowledge and understanding of the Inspiring Scotland model, the ventures and many of our key contacts. Steve has qualified as an Association of Project Management Practitioner. His skills in project planning and management are at the fore of his current role as Executive Assistant, where he provides support to the PA Team and organises events. Steve has a range of interests outside of work and enjoys football, cycling, swimming and travel. He is also a keen amateur photographer.