Our Trustees work together, alongside the Chief Executive and the Senior Management Team to ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and staff, and oversee the finances and strategic plan. They are a group of people with a range of backgrounds that care passionately about the work we do.
Jennifer started her career in 1972 as a secondary teacher in Strathclyde Region, moving into the role of guidance teaching when this was still a new concept in schools. Following the birth of her children she became a senior Housemistress in an Edinburgh boarding school. This sparked her interest in residential care, and in 1992 she joined Lothian Region as an assistant manager in one of the residential homes for young people in West Lothian. From 2001 she held various management positions becoming West Lothian’s Head of Social Work Services in 2010. Following her retirement in 2015 she took on the role of West Lothian’s Independent Chair of the Public Protection Committee, retiring from this post in 2018.
Although latterly responsible for all areas of social work, Jennifer never lost sight of the importance of education and ensuring children are given the best possible support to ensure they reach their potential. She feels very strongly that children should have a voice and feel listened to. In addition, throughout her career she ensured that children and young people who have experience of care should be supported for as long as they need while in, and after, they leave care.
As a trustee in Harmeny she is able to oversee, support and encourage strategic developments that achieve these ideals for some remarkable children and young people.
Anna has a professional marketing background and is currently Director of Maketing and Comms at the Scottish National Investment Bank. Her previous roles include managing large-scale marketing and sponsorship campaigns for the NatWest Group’s full brand portfolio across NatWest, Royal Bank, Coutts and Ulster Bank.
Since 2002, Anna has held a number of varied communications roles, managing both internal and external communications teams. Before specialising in financial services, Anna started her career in advertising in New York. She now plays an active role in Scotland’s marketing community, being made a Fellow of the Marketing Society, Scotland in 2019.
Gareth has significant experience in finance and investments and is currently a multi asset investment manager with Aegon Asset Management. Gareth has also held roles at Martin Currie and Standard Life Investments. He completed a PhD in finance at the University of Dundee and has published several items of investment research in financial journals.
Gareth lives locally to Harmeny and is a youth rugby coach at Currie Chieftains. Gareth joined the Board in March 2023.
John retired from full time employment in 2020 after a working life in education including 22 years as a headteacher in three different Scottish schools – Rannoch, Albyn School and, since 2008, the High School of Dundee. During that time he served, amongst other responsibilities, on the Board of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools and chaired the Scottish division of HMC schools. A modern linguist by background, he completed a PhD in German literature and worked as a freelance translator and taught English at a German university before entering school teaching. Prior to headship he worked as a Head of Modern Languages and also as a Boarding Housemaster.
Alongst his lifelong passion for education, John is active in sport and music, currently including a part-time role with the SRU. He also writes from time to time on historical and cultural subjects and has been involved in community groups including Rotary.
John is a great believer in a school as a community – of children, staff, and carers – and sees education as something that brings together intellectual development, individualised care and involvement in the ‘co-curricular’ in all its forms, to create an integrated, holistic environment with young people at the heart. He is therefore really excited to be involved with Harmeny, particularly at this dynamic period in its development.
Sarah has worked in local authority Children and Families social work for the past 26 years as a practitioner and manager. She has a particular interest in promoting mental health services for looked after children and was instrumental in setting up the Mental Health and Wellbeing Screening group in West Lothian. Sarah also has a background in general nursing prior to her social work career. Outside of work Sarah is a foster carer for three young people and has a keen interest in ensuring that looked after children get the same opportunities to achieve and reach their potential as their peers. The right to be supported and have access to the appropriate education and care resources are fundamental to this.
Mike has been working with children and families who are care experienced for over twenty years in a variety of roles. He is currently working in a Senior Management role within Fife Council as Lead Officer for Strategic Commissioning. Mike has an extensive knowledge of family inclusive, rights based, therapeutic childcare approaches, and the evidence and policy frameworks which inform them.
Prior to his current role, Mike led on residential childcare provision across Fife. Mike joined the Harmeny Board in March 2023.
Scott currently leads the Supplier team within Sainsbury’s Bank and has worked there for a decade. His team is responsible for sourcing and managing third-party suppliers across the company. He plays an active role in various areas within Sainsbury’s Bank including charity support and championing diversity and inclusion. Scott’s career started after graduating from Heriot-Watt University with a degree in Economics and he is now a leader within his specialism within Financial Services.
Scott, who joined the Harmeny Board in January 2024, lives within the local area with his young family and is passionate about ensuring young people have the best opportunities possible. When not at work he can be found spending time with his daughter or on a golf course.
Rachel developed her interest in the Education sector through her position as Governor at Loretto school, becoming Joint Vice Chair, Chair of Finance Committee and HR Governor to name a few of her roles. She went on to do some consulting for Loretto before becoming Bursar & Estate Manager at Belhaven Hill School, a role she loved during her time there.
Rachel has a legal background, training at The Morton Fraser Partnership, but has worked the bulk of her legal career in financial services at The Royal Bank of Scotland with short stints in private practice at Dundas & Wilson and Anderson Strathern. Rachel has also set up her own company through which she completed a small residential development of three houses in East Lothian.
As a keen sports person, having represented Great Britain at Modern Pentathlon in her younger years, she likes to keep active in her spare time walking the dogs, cycling, swimming or horse riding.
Judi has been involved in education for over 40 years working with children and young people across all age ranges, in a variety sectors and settings. She started her career teaching Physical Education and progressed into the area of inclusion and pupil support at school and local authority level. Following a secondment to the Scottish Government, Judi was then appointed as Head of Education here at Harmeny from 2005-2007.
From 2007, Judi worked oversees, as a senior manager in an international school in Spain, then as consultant in a national education reform project on the Isle of Borneo, East Malaysia. She then returned to the UK, taking up a senior management role in a primary school in London and again utilised her skills and interest in inclusion, working in the culturally diverse community of Lewisham. Judi moved again overseas where she was appointed as Principal of an international school in Kuwait, leading her own and a partner school through the international accreditation process, and then as Chief Academic Officer in the company, managed their portfolio of primary schools and early years centres.
On returning to Scotland, Judi became a national trainer for the Scottish National Standardised Assessments, and from there, moved to the post of Senior Education and Families Manager in North Lanarkshire Council. This post involved her managing a group of schools in the council, and providing strategic leadership in the areas of inclusion and additional.
After leaving this post in 2020 to ‘retire’, Judi re-joined Harmeny as Curriculum Development Officer for the secondary curriculum, and was involved in the team that developed Harmeny’s 15+ services. Having completed this, she joined the Harmeny Board in September 2023, undertakes accreditation inspections for international schools and is enjoying retirement by spending more time with her husband and her growing family whilst also enjoying activities such as yoga, swimming, golf and taking interesting trips to see more of the world.
Walter has over 30 years’ experience as an architect, founding his own private practice, QB Wood Architects, in 1991. He developed the practice over the years and has overseen numerous residential, commercial and community projects across Scotland. During this time he also was a director in a development company that specialised in architecturally designed housing.
Now retired, Walter enjoys mountain biking, playing golf and bee keeping, and when he has time, tries to keep the weeds under control in his garden. His voluntary interests also include being current Amenity Secretary of the West Lothian History and Amenity Society and raising funds for a variety of charities through an annual cycle run.
Walter joined the Harmeny Board in November 2023 having first becoming involved through our capital fundraising appeal to build our new Learning Hub. He has a passion for nurturing talent and ensuring that young people are supported to fulfil their potential.
