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.

Jackie is Chief Executive of Children in Scotland, the national intermediary charity for the children’s sector, with over 550 members.

Prior to her current post, Jackie was depute director for learning and support in the Scottish Government and has also worked in local government. Jackie is a Lay Panel member of the General Teaching Council for Scotland and of the Royal Society of Edinburgh's Education Committee.

Lindsay is a leading UK expert on school food and health promotion.

She was a founder and former director of two Highland children's charities that support families affected by disability. She is also a trustee of the Greggs Foundation, a trustee of children’s charity Dundee Bairns and a member of the Scottish Government’s Food Insecurity Delivery group.

Martin is a secretary of the Church of Scotland’s Church & Society Council and facilitates a network of Poverty Truth Commissions across the UK.

He has previously chaired Glasgow’s Third Sector Forum, was a board member of Glasgow Community Planning Partnership and helped to establish the city’s Poverty Leadership Panel. More recently he chaired the Independent Working Group on behalf of the Scottish Government.

Janet, a resident of Gairloch, has worked with community development trusts and social enterprises in rural Scotland for the past 19 years as part of her role in managing Gairloch and Loch Ewe Action Forum (GALE). Janet has grown GALE’s portfolio of projects and income generating capacity to change it from a fully grant funded organisation to a thriving social enterprise employing 18 staff and engaging 40 volunteers.

She was recently an Advisor for the Community Ownership Support Service in the North of Scotland, she is a Non-Executive Director of the Development Trust Association Scotland and is a Scottish Land Fund Committee Member.

Aaliya has over 16 years of senior management experience in voluntary sector organisations.

She is Director of Customer Journey at Citizens Advice Scotland. She is also a member of the Scottish Refugee Council’s board of Directors and a lay member of The Law Society of Scotland, Civil Legal Aid Quality Assurance Sub-Committee and Equality and Diversity Committee.

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.