I have spent my working life where strategy meets delivery. I started in large-scale corporate change, including 23 years across Standard Life and Royal Bank of Scotland, where I led business transformation programmes. I have also run small businesses in several sectors.
That mix shapes how I give advice. Large organisations teach you how change really happens: slowly, through people, and with more friction than the plan allowed for. Small businesses teach you what a decision costs when the money is your own. Both make me wary of ideas that look neat on paper.
Public service
I am a former Member of Parliament and a former Member of the Scottish Parliament. Public life gave me a close view of how decisions are made: how evidence is weighed, how priorities compete, and why a sound proposal can still stall. It also showed me what good scrutiny looks like, and what makes a case credible.
How this informs my advice today
I do not see business, policy and governance as separate subjects. A commercial plan often depends on a public decision. A change programme often depends on whether a board asks the right questions. I try to help leaders see the whole picture before their options narrow.
I am particularly interested in how Scotland supports women-led businesses, and I have written about it.
I also care about how decisions are made at the top of an organisation. Good boards ask direct questions and welcome people who think differently, and I have written about why governance matters to businesses, charities and social enterprises of every size.
How I approach advice
I start with the decision an organisation has to make, then work back to what it needs to understand. I test political and policy ideas against commercial realities such as customers, cash flow and operational constraints, and I look for the assumptions nobody has questioned.
I work with organisations across Scotland. Business, local priorities and public decisions look different from one place to the next, so good advice starts with the people and the place involved.
Growth for Good
I advise through Growth for Good, an independent Scottish firm founded by Drew Hendry, where I work as a strategic adviser. I also speak at events about leadership, resilience and communication.
Experience at a glance
- Corporate: business transformation programmes at Standard Life and Royal Bank of Scotland, over 23 years.
- Business: has run small businesses across several sectors.
- Public service: former MP and former MSP.
- Advisory: strategic adviser at Growth for Good.
- Speaking: profile on Speaker Buzz.