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Advisory Committee

The Rt Hon the Lord (David) Steel of Aikwood KT KBE: was the first Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament, holding that post between 1999 and 2003. Currently a member of the House of Lords he was Leader of the Liberal Party form 1976-1988.
The Rt Hon George Reid: was the second Presiding Officer (Speaker) of the Scottish Parliament, and was the Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland in May 2008. He was Director of Public Affairs for the International Red Cross & Red Crescent for 12 years and worked worldwide in conflict and disaster zones-being recognised with the Gold medal of the Supreme Soviet of Armenia and the Pirogov Gold Medal of the USSR
Professor Elizabeth Ewan: Born to Scottish parents in Canada, Elizabeth grew up in Canada but had many trips to Scotland. She is now University Research Chair in History at the Centre for Scottish Studies, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, where she lectures on pre-1707 Scottish history to undergraduates, graduate students, and community groups with an interest in their Scottish heritage. Her research focusses on women in Scottish history. A recent collaborative work, The Biographical Dictionary of Scottish Women (2006) included several entries on women in the Scottish diaspora.
Mark Strudwick, CBE: Chief Executive of the Princes Scottish Youth Business Trust following 37 years in the Army with last appointment as the General Officer commanding the Army in Scotland and Governor of Edinburgh Castle PPSYBT
Irene Johnstone: Irene is Director of Global Relations and International Network at Scottish Enterprise. Irene is responsible for the Globalscot Network, the International Advisory Board and the delivery of an International Sales and Marketing Programme. In addition Irene is the Executive Director of the Saltire Foundation, an ambitious programme that will provide Scotland with its future generation of business leaders. Irene started her career as a nurse and then midwife and held a number of senior roles in the Service both as a practitioner and as commissioner for Health Services
Young Dawkins: became Vice-Principal for Development at the University of Edinburgh in June, 2005.  Prior to this appointment, Mr Dawkins served for eight years as President of the University of New Hampshire Foundation in Durham, New Hampshire. Before which he served as Vice-President for Development, Alumni Affairs, and Communications at Oberlin College. He is a 1997 recipient of the CASE Stueben Apple for Excellence in Teaching, a past member of CASE District 1 Board of Trustees, and an immediate past member of the CASE Philanthropy Commission.    
Lord Sempill: Co-director of The Gathering 2009 ltd. Jamie has over 32 years of commercial management experience in marketing and communications, and spent over 12 years living and working overseas, mainly in South Africa. In 1995 he inherited one of Scotland’s oldest titles and took his seat in the House of Lords. He is a member of The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, a High Constable of the Port of Leith, and Vice-Convenor of the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs.

Executive Team

Event Director: Kirsty is Managing Director of MacGregor Events & Consulting Ltd, which has taken  a  key role in high profile projects including the” Voyages of  Discovery” which showcased leading Scottish Science to Fortune 500 companies; “Beyond Best Practice”, a recent EU Summit on Innovation; and the new Outsider Festival in  Rothiemurchus. With an MBA from the University of Edinburgh, Kirsty has over two decades of experience in creating exciting, innovative events  which  generate real results.
janice Artistic Director: Janice Parker’s work has been described as ‘pushing the boundaries of potential and possibility’. Working across media in both live performance and in film, Janice creates both large and small scale works ranging from a few hundred performers to solo pieces. Originally trained in Laban Movement in the late 70’s, her work spans both community and professional performance. Janice is a strong collaborator and works with many leading artists nationally and internationally from dance, visual arts and live art
frances Event Coordinator: Frances Bigwood has worked as a professional event manager in Edinburgh for over 8 years. She has held a variety of organizational roles within the industry giving her a broad knowledge and a wealth of experience. She has worked with an assortment of private and corporate clients both local, national and international, organizing a diverse array of events including weddings, conferences, corporate evenings, festival and theatre shows, and charity fundraisers.
PR: Fiona Duff has built up a considerable reputation as a publicist over the past two decades, running her own business, Duff Publicity, for much of this time. Fiona has experience in promoting a broad range of sectors from the entertainment industry to fashion, restaurants, architecture and authors.    

Fiona has also worked as a freelance journalist- writing for many publications including the Daily Mail, Evening News and Mail on Sunday. From 2000-2002 she worked at the Scotsman as Commissioning Editor (Features).

Project consultants

  Artistic Consultant: Judy Steel
  Project Consultant: Allan Lindsay
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