Head of School Building | Scottish Government 

Associate Director | Scottish Futures Trust

Steven is an advisor in Scottish Future Trust’s Learning Estate team. He previously worked as an education-sector architect in private practice, informed client with sportscotland, and most recently in preconstruction with a Tier 1 contractor. As a former client, consultant and contractor on large-scale public projects, he brings his rounded knowledge in school design and procurement to the team providing additional technical expertise and a design focus to the development of education facilities across the country. Steven collaborates across the SFT workstreams developing our joined-up approach to the delivery of our Learning Estate Investment Programme.

Strategic Director, Curriculum Innovation, Design and Pedagogy | Education Scotland

Ollie has responsibility for curriculum, pedagogy and innovation at Education Scotland. This responsibility includes major national initiatives, such as the ongoing implementation of Curriculum for Excellence; Glow; STEM; Developing the Young Workforce; Digital Learning and Teaching; the Learner Journey; 1+2 Languages; Inclusion, Wellbeing and Equality and Curriculum Innovation (including pedagogy and assessment).

Immediately before re-joining Education Scotland he was Global Director: Connecting Play and Education at the LEGO Foundation where he led the Foundations work related to education improvement through the use of technology and play. Prior to joining the LEGO Foundation he was headteacher of Kingussie High School, Highland. He started his career at the Glenmore Lodge (the sportscotland national outdoor training centre) before becoming a geography teacher and going on to hold a number of promoted posts in East Lothian.

Professor of Sustainable Architecture - Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture | University of Edinburgh

John Brennan is an academic and practicing architect with 25 years experience of both theorising and delivering sustainable architecture and has a personal chair at the University of Edinburgh in sustainable architecture. He established and remains programme director of the University’s  Masters programme in Advanced Sustainable Design that provides a global perspective on the making of resilient settlements and buildings. He is a Fellow of the Edinburgh Futures Institute and is currently lead for a new interdisciplinary masters for Sustainable Lands and Cities.

John started his professional career with Gaia Architects and was responsible for the design of a series of projects that help to open the field to holistic sustainable design practices in the UK. John remains in practice specialising in sustainable rural design and was author of the recently published Scotland’s Rural Home.  His buildings have received a range of awards that include the Saltire Society Award for housing and the Scottish Design Awards Northern Exposure prize. John has an interest in adaptability as a means of making stable more resilient settlements. His WholeLife experimental house was built and exhibited as part of Scotland’s Housing Expo in 2010.

John’s uses built work to validate research through combining qualitative and quantitative methods. His research includes work on long-term adaptability, rural architectures and environmental design and low carbon futures for the workplace. In particular, he is interested in how design practice fits into wider social and economic perspectives of sustainable development.  This includes using environmental narratives, cartography and social policy to shape new ideas in how we make resilient settlements.  John was head of the Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture where is work included planning and delivering new postgraduate programmes and a growing international perspective in learning, teaching and research.He is a theme leader at Energy@Edinburgh and was convenor of the Saltire Society Housing Design Awards programme, 

John has been External Examiner at the University of Nottingham, University of Sheffield, and the Centre for Alternative Technology Graduate School. He is a chartered member of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Strategic Development Director | Morrison Construction

Alan is the Strategic Development Director for Morrison Construction, responsible for future business opportunities.  As a respected professional, with over 30years experience in both public and private sectors, he continues to work extensively procuring and delivering a myriad of education projects across Scotland.

Passionate about building construction, he contributes and leads industry forums / working groups promoting contemporary initiatives such as Passivhaus and Zero carbon. In his role as a Construction / STEM ambassador he continues to work with clients and education bodies to maximise the potential of people wishing to enter the industry.

He began his career as a trainee civil engineer and believes his journey so far in the construction industry has been truly remarkable and rewarding, proudly playing a part in shaping the careers of future generations of young people by transforming Scotland’s education estate providing innovative and inspiring facilities.

Depute Chief Executive | West Lothian Council

Dr. Elaine Cook was appointed as Depute Chief Executive in August 2015. From 2011 until 2015 she was Head of Education in West Lothian with responsibility for secondary, additional support needs, professional learning and infrastructure.

From 2005 until 2011, she was Head Teacher at two secondary schools in West Lothian – West Calder High School and Deans Community High School.

Elaine’s career in education began in 1991 in England where she taught for 6 years before moving to Scotland. Prior to that she worked in Actuarial Finance in both Glasgow and London.

Director | Holmes Miller

Craig Heap is Public Sector Lead for Holmes Miller, with 20+ years experience of delivering innovative solutions in Education, Civic and Leisure Sectors. During this time he has overseen the delivery of public buildings designed with an appropriate sense of place and setting, built with a focus on economic construction, ease of operation and maintenance, with a style and delight that embraces community involvement.

Craig is also Director at Virtual-PHi, a digital information management consultancy helping clients thrive in the digital age of construction.

Director of Estates and Campus Services | University of Dundee 

Rose Jenkins is the Director of Estates & Campus Services at the University of Dundee and also the Regional Chair for the Scottish chapter of the Association of University Director of Estates (SAUDE). Rose has over 22 years’ experience in the property sector, starting her career as a designer. Rose has worked across a wide range of area but predominantly for the Public Sector. She has a firm belief that good design can be transformative and can influence behaviour. She has a wide ranging experience of developing estate strategy and delivering major capital projects having worked on projects as a designer, as part of the contractors team, and as the client throughout her career. Rose is currently delivering the University of Dundee Estate Strategy and is overseeing £125m of investment. In addition, she is leading on the institute’s Net Zero Strategy, and identifying the emerging issues and solutions to digitalise the estate assets. 

Associate Director - Place | Scottish Futures Trust

Diarmaid helps clients make well-informed decisions about place-based policy and investment challenges. He is a designer, educator, and communicator. With a multidisciplinary background, and over 20 years’ experience working across sectors in the UK and Europe, Diarmaid champions creative approaches to making better places.

Assistant Director Capital & Climate Change | Scottish Funding Council 

Rufus is an experienced senior manager experienced in international partnerships and multi-disciplinary, expert teams. Rufus has over twenty years’ experience working across all aspects of the built environment, from developing national, policy and strategic interventions through to research, innovation and commercial programmes and networks.

Currently Rufus leads SFC’s work on all aspects of its capital and climate change activities and funding for Scotland’s universities and colleges. Leading a team working with the sector on all aspects of funding, which includes SFC’s annual capital maintenance funding and SFC’s universities financial transactions programme. Heading SFC’s work with the sector, Scottish Government, and stakeholders on the sector’s response to the climate emergency and future investment needs for the sector, which includes delivery of SFC’s College Infrastructure Strategy, and SFC’s investment into Fife College’s new Dunfermline campus.

Associate Director | Scottish Futures Trust

Stephen is an architect who worked in both design and construction prior to joining SFT. Seeing things from a variety of viewpoints helps him to appreciate and communicate the opportunities and challenges within a programme or project and assist in developing holistic solutions. He currently works across the SFT Education Team.

Chief Executive | hub West Scotland

Iain provides overall leadership and management of the Company and is responsible for the development and execution of the Company’s strategies and business plan.

Iain is a Chartered Accountant who has held senior roles management consulting, broadcasting and media, and education sectors.  He has led complex and award winning property, technology and business transformation projects with a combined capital value in excess of £1 billion including the BBC HQ at Pacific Quay and the City of Glasgow College’s New Campus.  

Iain’s experience covers strategy, finance, risk management, stakeholder management, performance improvement, change management and benefits realisation.

With over 20 years of experience in education, Fiona has been Headteacher at Perth Grammar with Perth & Kinross Council since 2016.  During her time there she has promoted the need to review spaces to best support learners, encouraging building users to love the school through the values of ‘Pride, Respect and Ambition’ and most of all recognising that the people are key.

She is excited to be invited as a member of the group in order to bring varied teacher experience to it, to learn more about Scotland’s Learning Estate and for ideas supporting continuous improvement.

Fiona has been involved in new build and refurbishment projects on a number of occasions throughout her career.  She has always been enthused by inclusive learning environments and the role of technology having demonstrated a clear interest in these themes through her time as a Depute Headteacher, Mackie Academy, Quality Improvement Officer with Aberdeenshire Council (including line management of nineteen primary schools in Alford and Banchory networks) and prior to that as a Principal Teacher at Aboyne Academy and The Gordon Schools, Huntly.

Project Director | jmarchitects

Yunming Thomson is a Project Director with jmarchitects with over 25 years experience in the design and delivery of community focused buildings. She has a particular interest in the nurturing and mentoring of pupils and students who are interested in pursuing and architectural career and works with colleges, school and universities. Yunming sits on the school council at St Margaret’s School for Girls in Aberdeen and is also a Certified Passivhaus Designer.