The 50th SCDI  Forum in pictures

Dr Linda Yueh

Economist, Writer and Broadcaster

Dr Yueh is Fellow in Economics at Oxford University and Adjunct Professor of Economics at London Business School. She is also Adviser to the UK Board of Trade, Trustee of Malaria No More UK, and a Fellow (FRSA) of the Royal Society of Arts.

Dr Yueh’s latest book, The Great Economists: How Their Ideas Can Help Us Today , was selected as The Times's Best Business Books of the Year.

Dr Yeuh has fronted BBC TV series such as The New Middle Class, Next Billionaires, and Working Lives.

Ivan McKee MSP

Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise

Ivan McKee was appointed Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise in May 2021. Early in his career, Ivan spent two years with VSO in Bangladesh. He is currently a trustee of the charity CEI, which supports education and health projects in Bangladesh. Ivan has been MSP for Glasgow Provan since May 2016. Ivan Grew up in Glasgow where he studied at the University of Strathclyde. He also studied at the University of Newcastle.

Lord Malcolm Offord

Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

Lord Malcolm Offord is a Scottish businessman who was appointed a Parliamentary Under Secretary of State to the Scotland Office on 4th October 2021. He was born and educated in Greenock and graduated in Law from Edinburgh University in 1987 before embarking upon a 25 year career in The City of London. He returned to Scotland in 2014 and established the private equity boutique Badenoch & Co which invests in Scottish SMEs, that focus on manufacturing their products at home and selling abroad.

John Swinney MSP

Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Education

John Swinney is the Deputy First Minister of Scotland. He was first elected to Westminster as MP for North Tayside in 1997. In 1999, he became the MSP for Tayside North, remaining as the constituency's MP until standing down from Westminster in 2001. He served as party leader of the SNP between 2000 and 2004. He was re-elected in 2011 and appointed Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth. He was appointed as Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education in May 2016.

Sally Magnusson

Broadcaster

Sally Magnusson has worked on a range of BBC programmes and currently presents Reporting Scotland. She is also the author of ten books, including most recently two novels. Her bestselling memoir Where Memories Go: Why Dementia Changes Everything, has been credited with improving knowledge and understanding of this widespread brain condition.

Joanna Boag-Thomson

Chair, SCDI

Chair of SCDI and a partner in the Media & Technology Team at law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP.

David Farquhar

CEO

David joined IGS as CEO in November 2017. David’s strategic appointment was made to raise the Series A funding round, recruit a world-class management team and drive global expansion.

He is a seasoned technology entrepreneur, with a track record of driving shareholder value, based upon building empowering, collaborative culture for growth. Most recently he was CEO of global SaaS vendor Workplace, delivering a double-digit money multiple return in less than 3 years.

Ben Garratt

Co-Director of Communications

Ben Garratt co-leads LNER’s Communications, including working with East Coast Main Line stakeholders and media, investing in LNER’s local communities by partnering with initiatives and charities, and communicating with all LNER colleagues. He has played a leading role on LNER’s steering group for responding to the pandemic.

Prior to joining LNER, Ben was Head of Rail Communications at the Department for Transport.

Adrian Gillespie

Chief Executive

Adrian became Chief executive of Scottish Enterprise, Scotland's national economic development agency, in September 2021. Prior to this, he was the University of Strathclyde’s first Chief Commercial Officer and member of their Executive Team. Before joining the University, Adrian spent sixteen years at Scottish Enterprise where he was Managing Director of Operations and member of the Executive Leadership Team. 

Iain Gulland

Chief Executive

Iain Gulland is Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland. Zero Waste Scotland leads on the delivery of the Scottish Government’s Circular Economy strategy and other low carbon policy priorities. He is President of the Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management (ACR+). He was voted the ‘most influential person in the UK waste and resource efficiency sector’ in 2014 by Resource Magazine, and was granted Fellowship of Chartered Institution of Wastes Management in 2016.

Simon Hodge

Chief Executive

Simon Hodge joined Crown Estate Scotland as Chief Executive in April 2018. He leads the staff team and works with the Board and the Scottish Government to fully establish Crown Estate Scotland as a new public corporation.

Originally from Devon, Simon’s previous roles have focussed on natural resource management including policy and research in farming and forestry and eight years as Chief Executive of Forest Enterprise Scotland responsible for Scotland’s National Forest Estate.

Calum MacPherson

Group Director, Strategic Development

Calum joined Robertson Group in 2011, prior to which he worked in revenue law and with enterprise agency HIE. Calum is Robertson’s Group Director for Strategic Development working across all 20 businesses within Robertson Group. He has 25 years of is experience of development from both a public and private perspective.

Shonaig Macpherson CBE FRSE

Shonaig Macpherson has held a number of executive and non-executive roles in the private, third and public sectors. These include Senior Partner of McGrigors (now Pinsent Mason) Chairman of the National Trust for Scotland, The Princes Trust, and The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. She has served on the governing bodies of several Universities including Edinburgh, the Open University and Heriot Watt University.

Peter Mathieson

Principal and Vice-Chancellor

Professor Peter Mathieson MBBS (Hons), PhD, FRCP, FMedSci, FRSE assumed the office of Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Edinburgh in February 2018. He was formerly the 15th President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong.

Previous posts include: Director of Studies for Clinical Medicine, Christ’s College Cambridge; foundation Professor of Renal Medicine, University of Bristol & Honorary Consultant Nephrologist, North Bristol NHS Trust.

Liz McRobb

Partner

Liz is a senior regulatory and commercial lawyer at major UK law firm Shepherd and Wedderburn. Liz has a depth of experience across a number of sectors important to the Scottish economy particularly energy, water, waste and food and drink. Liz enjoys working with clients from the public and private sectors and is a key player in the firm’s Clean Energy Practice.

Professor Irene McAra-McWilliam

Deputy Director

Irene McAra-McWilliam has international experience of creative leadership having worked as Director of Design Research for multinational Philips Electronics and Professor of Interaction Design at The Royal College of Art. She is Deputy Director Research & Innovation at The Glasgow School of Art and is responsible for establishing GSA’s Highlands and Islands Campus and the GSA’s new Innovation School. She was awarded the OBE in recognition of her work in Higher Education, Innovation and Design.

Gillian Murray

Deputy Principal (Enterprise & Business)

Dr Murray leads on the development and implementation of the University’s Enterprise and Business Engagement Strategy, mobilising the University’s intellectual and capital assets to effect greater impact regionally, nationally and globally. The position is in support of the University’s strategic vision of being a world-leading institution in addressing global challenges to drive transformational social and economic benefits.

Daisy Narayanan

Senior Manager – Placemaking and Mobility

Daisy Narayanan is the Senior Manager - Placemaking and Mobility at the City of Edinburgh Council where she leads on delivering a city-wide integrated approach to transport and placemaking.

Daisy is on the Board of Architecture & Design Scotland and a member of the Evidence Group for Scotland’s Climate Assembly. She was on the Active Travel Task Force set up by the Minister for Transport and the Islands and is a member of the Scottish Transport Awards judging panel.

Ahmed Raafat

Solutions Architect

With more than 15 years of experience in Information Technology, security, and technical consulting, Ahmed has a wide experience across multiple industrial verticals like startups, retail, airlines, FSI, and Oil& Gas. Currently, Raafat is a senior solutions architect in AWS UKIR based out of London focusing on AI/ ML. Before that, he spent 7 years in Microsoft as senior technology strategist.

Andrew Ritchie

SCDI North East Regional Chair

Corporate Relations leader with over 25 years’ experience in Shell across 4 countries and in global roles, latterly supporting Shell U.K.’s Upstream business from Aberdeen. Leaving Shell at the end of November to pursue other opportunities. Invested in supporting Scotland’s prosperity, the energy transition and empowering people to realise their full potential.

Simon Roddy

Senior Vice President and Upstream Director

Simon leads the Shell UK Upstream business, a major operated business with a diverse workforce engaged in exploration, production, new investments, decommissioning and energy transition activities across the offshore North Sea and onshore gas processing. Simon a Board member of the industry body OGUK and a member of the North Sea Transition Forum.

Joanna Rowelle

Director, Integrated City Planning

Joanna is a Director at Arup where she leads the Integrated City Planning group which combines economics, planning, urban design, landscape architecture and climate change and energy. She leads projects linked to economic development, funding and finance, strategic city plans, social value and well-being and governance. She has advised city governments around the world on topics including infrastructure investment, housing, finance, regeneration, social value and economics.

Susan Stewart

Director

Susan took up the post of Director of The Open University in Scotland in December 2015. She has held senior roles in higher education and government and was Scotland’s first diplomat to the United States, based in the British Embassy in DC from 2001-05. She is a passionate advocate of widening access to higher education and was chair of the Universities Scotland articulation working group.

Mairi Spowage

Director

Professor Mairi Spowage is Director of the Fraser of Allander Institute. Areas of expertise include economic policy, regional economic statistics, and economic & fiscal forecasting.
Mairi leads on the Institute's work with various partners, including those in business, the public and third sector. Previously, she was Deputy Chief Executive of the Scottish Fiscal Commission and Head of National Accounts at the Scottish Government.

Sharon White

Chairman

Sharon became the Partnership's sixth Chairman in February 2020. Sharon moved from Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, where she served as Chief Executive. Before joining Ofcom, Sharon was Second Permanent Secretary at the Treasury, responsible for overseeing the public finances. She also held Board level positions at the Ministry of Justice and the Department for International Development, worked as an adviser at the Prime Minister's Policy Unit and in Washington DC as a senior economist.

Amanda Young

Global Head of Responsible Investment

Amanda is passionate about sustainability matters. She believes that companies have an amazing ability to make a positive difference to the environment and the societies in which we live. Amanda has featured on the Financial News 100 Most Influential Women in Finance in 2017, 2018, 2019 & 2020

Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel

Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel

Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel

Edinburgh Grosvenor Hotel features 184 elegant en-suite bedrooms - the perfect place to relax after the excitement and fun of Edinburgh. Enjoy a meal in relaxed surroundings or sample a cocktail or two in our stylish bar. For business visitors the hotel has 10 self-contained conference suites offering you the perfect backdrop for any meeting or event.

InterContinental Edinburgh the George

InterContinental Edinburgh the George

The InterContinental Edinburgh The George has been welcoming hotel guests since 1881. At its heart are five listed Georgian townhouses, built in 1775 as homes for Edinburgh’s most prosperous citizens. Today, The InterContinental Edinburgh The George offers all luxuries of an InterContinental life in the heart of the Scottish capital.

Kimpton Edinburgh Charlotte Square

Kimpton Edinburgh Charlotte Square

Kimpton Edinburgh Charlotte Square

Perched on the edge of a picturesque private garden in the New Town, Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel blends traditional glamour with the Scotland of today.

Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa

Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa

A travel program with extraordinary hotel brands and endless experiences.