Scotland committee

Committee Chair

Kate is the former Director for Scotland for the Prince’s Trust, a leading youth charity supporting young people to live, learn and earn. She was a Board member of ERSA for many years, Chair of Employment Support Scotland and a Fellow of the Institute of Employability. Kate started her career as a teacher after completing an MA (Hons) in Politics at Glasgow University.

She has over 25 years of relevant experience in delivery of education, apprenticeships, skills, employability and community enterprise and regeneration programmes across multiple sectors, including 15 years in the Charity sector. Kate has a passionate desire to make a difference coupled with the drive to achieve impact on issues of poverty, equality and diversity and social justice. Kate has held strategic leadership roles at EU and UK levels including Management of EU aid programmes to Central and Eastern Europe. A former Board Member of Strathclyde European Partnership, she completed her MPhil in European Policy research at Strathclyde University in 2011.

She has held Director roles previously with Rathbone and Wise Group. Kate has spent over four years volunteering with her local community council.

Bruce is a human rights lawyer who has worked in over 20 countries. He was a member of Scotland’s Children’s Panel for 13 years and is a former Chair of the Scottish Child Law Centre. Bruce was Children and Young People's Commissioner Scotland 2017-2023 and a Professor in Practice at the University of Glasgow School of Law 2023-2024.

He is currently the Vice Chair of the global Child Friendly Governance Project, a board member of the Scottish Human Rights Consortium, and strategic lead for human rights at Elevate Great.

Following retirement from her role as Chief Executive of Children in Scotland, the national intermediary charity for the children’s sector, with over 550 members, Jackie has held a number of interim roles, such as Chief Operations Officer for The Promise Scotland and is currently Project Manager for What Matters 2 You, a voice-led system change approach funded by BBC Children in Need and The Hunter Foundation. . She was deputy director for learning and support in the Scottish Government and has also worked in local government.

Jackie is a member of the Scotland Committee for the National Lottery Community Fund; she is a non executive director for Wheatley Care and the Wheatley Foundation. She is a director of The Promise Scotland and a trustee of PEEK, a youth work charity based in Glasgow.

Melodie has over 25 years of experience in developing and leading community-based projects with children, young people, and families impacted by poverty across Scotland. As the founding CEO of PEEK – Possibilities for Each and Every Kid, a multi-award-winning charity, Melodie supported thousands of children and families across Glasgow.

She is currently the Deputy CEO of MCR Pathways, where she plays a key role in supporting the organisation’s mission to improve the lives of young people facing challenges through mentoring and support. Prior to this, she co-led the Thrive Outdoors Programme at Inspiring Scotland.

Throughout her career, Melodie has served on several boards and advisory groups and has mentored many emerging leaders in the social sector.

In 2013, Melodie was awarded the Herald Society’s Unsung Hero award and is also a Clore Social Fellow.

Melodie is deeply passionate about driving social change to create a fairer and healthier society for children and young people, with a strong belief in giving back.

David worked for 43 years in Scottish local government and developed extensive experience in all financial and senior management matters. In 1995 he was appointed Director of Finance for Dundee City Council and in 2009 was appointed Chief Executive of the Council retiring from that position in November 2014. In 2015 David was appointed Associate Director of the Rank Foundation, a UK national charity. David's role was to manage 21 local community projects in Dundee, that were funded by the Rank Foundation to the tune of £4m over 6 years. In 2016 David founded the local children's charity Dundee Bairns, to provide meals to children and families who live in deprived areas of Dundee. In seven years, the charity has delivered over 500,000 meals. Dundee Bairns now has 11 staff and offers an extensive range of support services to children and families in Dundee. In 2019 David helped found the charity Launch It Dundee which provides incubator units and support to unemployed young people to allow them to set up their own businesses. In 2016 David became a Director of Dundee United Football Club and resigned in December 2022.

David is currently the Chair of Dundee United Community Trust and Alexanders Community Development. David is currently a Trustee of Leisure and Culture Dundee. In 2018 David was appointed by Her Majesty the Queen as a Deputy Lord Lieutenant of the City of Dundee and in 2020 was awarded an MBE for his services to children and families. In 2024 David was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Abertay University.

Dr Erin Williams is an academic at the University of Edinburgh, specialising in reproductive health, infant feeding, and food insecurity. As Co-Founder and Director of Feed, an independent infant feeding charity based in Scotland, she leads research and advocacy initiatives to reduce infant feeding inequalities and support women and babies. Erin is a strong believer in the power of community, and is a member of local Ayrshire charity The Night Before Christmas Campaign which supports people living in poverty.

Erin is also a Trustee of the Society for Reproduction and Fertility, where she leads on education and public engagement.

Naila is an enthusiastic and dedicated community engagement professional. With more than 15 years of experience working across Scotland, she has in turn built up a strong network across all sectors. As Head of Social Impact at Balfour Beatty, Naila supports communities in several areas including: employability and training, employer supported volunteering, charitable giving, and supply chain development.

Holly's journey in youth participation and governance began in 2020 when she shadowed Tim Frew, CEO of YouthLink Scotland, during university. After graduating, she joined YouthLink Scotland as their Youth Volunteering Development Officer, collaborating with young people and organisations to support the YouthVIP and IWill programmes. Holly was inspired by seeing first-hand the value of putting young people at the centre of decision making. In 2022, Holly moved to UK Youth as a project officer, where she continued to support delivery of youth-led programmes and further develop her skills in youth engagement.

In 2024, Holly joined Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) as a Strategy and Governance Officer and was selected to sit on the board of trustees for Change Mental Health. It is in these two roles that she developed an interest in charity boards and inclusive governance. Holly hopes to bring her unique insight from working with a board of trustees in her day-to-day role coupled with being a trustee herself to the Scotland committee.

Her combined experience in youth participation and charity governance drives her passion for making a difference. Holly is excited to bring her expertise to the Scotland Committee, believing that putting young people at the heart of charity governance is key to creating lasting change.