Governance

Born in the village of St Monans in the East Neuk of Fife I have lived and worked all my life in the East Neuk, later moving few miles along the coast to Cornceres near Anstruther. We farm Cornceres with 200ha of combinable crops and my family also run Silverdyke Park, a diversification project, which has 120 static holiday homes and 31 tourer spaces.

I studied at the East of Scotland College of Agriculture leaving with an HND in Agriculture in 1979. I was a keen member of the young farmers movement working my way up through club and regional hierarchies to become national Chairman of SAYFC in 1989. More recently I rejoined the board of SAYFC becoming Hon President in 2018.

I have held positions in many different agricultural bodies, including board positions in NFUS and QMS. I served on the board of SAOS for 14 years becoming Chair in 2012 and am currently Chair of Tayforth Machinery Ring.

My family and I live in a vibrant tourism focussed area and I have enjoyed being involved in various bodies within the community. I have been chairing our local tourism association and am currently Chair of the local community council and a member of the East Neuk Emergency Planning Team.
I was appointed an Associate of the Fellowship of Royal Agricultural Societies in 2017.

After studying at SAC, Craibstone in 2002, I continued my agriculture education at California State University in Fresno before I began my, what ended up being 14 years of high school agriculture teaching in Bakersfield California. While teaching inner-city students about food production, I saw the progamme grow from 120 students to more than 500 learning agriculture on a daily basis. Due to the continual growth and strength of the programme, I was recognised in the community and throughout the state for the impact we were making. After earning the Masters of Science in Agriculture Education at California Polytechnic University, I took up the role as agriculture lecturer at SRUC in Edinburgh and now lead the Agriculture programme as the Programme Team Leader.

I am a former student of SRUC. My core business is progressive mixed farming and contract farming, based in Fife. We supply beef, cereals and potatoes to well-known quality brands in the food and drink sector.

I sit on a Machinery Ring co-operative board covering the central belt, a sector board for AHDB covering the whole of the UK, and am Chair of the local NFU branch. In addition, I am a member of AHDB’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee.

I am committed to balancing livestock and crop husbandry with protection and enrichment of the local environment in order to ensure a long-term, sustainable future in agriculture and I have received awards for agricultural practices in my business.

Fiona has held senior positions in the public and private sectors in Scotland and, most recently, in the university sector as Chief Operating Officer and University Secretary at the University of the Highlands and Islands. A chartered accountant by background, she has gained experience across a wide variety of industry sectors with national and international clients through her work.

In 1991 she was appointed Chief Executive of  Inverness and Nairn Enterprise and in that role, recognising the economic potential for the community, she was influential in the successful formation and admission to the Scottish League of  Inverness Caledonian Thistle Football Club. For the next 10 years she held senior management positions in business process outsourcing with Cap Gemini and Vertex Data Science Ltd. She played a formative role in the creation of the University of the Highlands and Islands as Chief Operating Officer and Secretary and was awarded the MBE in 2017 for services to higher education in Scotland. In addition to her executive roles, Fiona has volunteered in a non-executive capacity on the boards of charities and business organisations. She is currently a member of the Council of the Law Society of Scotland, a director of the Robertson Trust, Scotland’s largest independent grant-making trust, a director of the Port of Cromarty Firth, a director of Highland Tourism Community Interest Company and chair of Prosper’s (formerly SCDI) Highlands and Islands committee. Fiona chairs the audit committees of the Robertson Trust, the Law Society of Scotland and the Port of Cromarty Firth.

I run a highly respected marketing and communications business based in Aberdeenshire which has a proven track record in supporting businesses and organisations in the agri-food and rural sectors with their marketing, communications and public affairs. The business focuses on strategic and creative planning, implementation, digital communications, media relations, and events organisation, counting various blue-chip organisations amongst its clients.

Active in agricultural leadership, I am a past participant of the Institute of Agricultural Management’s Leadership programme, the Scottish Enterprise Rural Leadership programme and Windsor Leadership. I serve on the Executive of the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists, the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists’ Council, the OECD Expert Advisory Committee on Enhancing Rural Innovation, and I co-founded the Rural Youth Project. I am also a trustee of Lantra, Forage Aid and a board member of Ringlink Scotland.

Katrina is Global Head of Sustainable Land Use & Supply Chains at HSBC in the Group Sustainability Centre of Excellence. She is working to develop the company’s net-zero business plan and supporting the bank and its customers globally, in land-based industries and across supply chains, transition to a low carbon future. Previously she was at UKRI’s Innovate UK, where she held a number senior roles including Executive Director for Healthy Living and Agriculture, strongly connected with the top leaders in health, food and agriculture sectors, ministers, and other key decisions makers. She was also accountable for significant funding programmes including the Defra Farming Innovation Programme and the Transforming Food Production challenge. Katrina has worked for different organisations across the Agri-tech sector including FERA Science, DuPont Pioneer, and the World Economic Forum. Throughout her career, she has worked on the commercialisation of technology innovation both from a public and government perspective. Katrina has a PhD in Biosciences, an MSc in Ecology and a BSc in Plant Sciences.

I was elected to the Board in 2019 and chair the Finance & Estates Committee. I am a Chartered Accountant, Chartered Tax Adviser and a graduate of the University of Glasgow. I have a family farming background in Central Scotland.

I was a partner in Ernst & Young for over 25 years, during which I advised many educational and charitable institutions. I held various management and leadership roles, including graduate recruitment and the establishment of EY’s Smart Futures programme in Central Scotland. Smart Futures offers paid work experience, skills development and mentoring to eligible young people from lower income households, attending state schools.

I am now an independent consultant providing business, accounting and tax advisory services to owner managed businesses. I am a Governor of The Glasgow Academy, Chair of Trustees of the University of Glasgow Trust and a member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the University of Stirling.

I joined the board in 2019 as the EIS Union representative.

I joined SRUC in 2013 as a lecturer in Animal Science at the Ayr campus after a brief partnership with SAC during my PhD. Originally, I studied Zoology, but agriculture was my true passion and, whilst finishing my PhD examining the energetic budgets of broiler chickens at Aberdeen University and Auchincruive, I decided that the post of lecturer was too good to pass by.

I am proud to be a ‘Jack of all trades’ when it comes to my job; to date I have taught over 20 different modules (from 1st year Chemistry to Msc Statistics). I am/was module leader for 14, and teach every degree program that comes through SRUC (no one can escape statistics!).

In 2019 I assisted in the writing and validation of the ‘Sustainable Food Production and Land Use degree’ and hope to see this flourish.

I have had a career in Higher Education as a research scientist, serving as a panel member for two rounds of the Research Assessment Exercise, and as Deputy and Pro Vice-Chancellor for research and enterprise. I have also held senior executive roles as a Registered Clinical Scientist in the NHS.

I have been committed to the role that the Higher Education and tertiary sectors can play in economic and social transformation and has established many partnerships with the commercial sector. I have formed many spin-out companies and advises internationally on the commercialisation of innovations.

I have wide experience as a Chair, Non-Exec Director, Governor, and Trustee of very large organisations, as well as emerging SMEs and micro companies. My experience and analytical skills have enabled me to work effectively in a number of sectors, including bioscience, nanotechnology, engineering, manufacturing, digital, informatics, and the arts sector. I live in Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway.

I retired as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee after ten years in the role at the end of 2018. I currently serve in a range of non-executive roles as President and Chair of the Council of Trustees, the Biochemical Society; Chair of the Board of Trustees at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh; Chair of the Board of Directors, Platinum Informatics Ltd. and as a member of the Board of Scotland’s Rural College.

Under my leadership the University of Dundee was consistently rated best in Scotland for student experience by Times Higher Education and achieved record levels of research funding. I led the development of the University’s Transformation agenda, with the goal of becoming Scotland’s leading University, helping transform lives locally, nationally and globally and delivering economic, social and cultural impact.

I was Convener of Universities Scotland from August 2012 to July 2016, having previously served as Convener of its Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee. I have been a leading voice in championing the strengths an autonomous and diverse university sector can offer Scotland, and particularly the role universities can play in driving innovation and economic growth. I was a founding member of the Board of Design Dundee Ltd. which delivered the V&A Museum of Design to Dundee.

I am one of the UK’s leading biochemists. I spent eleven years in the pharmaceutical industry before joining the University in 1989. Before his appointment as Principal I served as Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Life Sciences. I played a key role in establishing Dundee as a global leader in life sciences, making a significant impact on both the Scottish economy and our understanding and treatment of major diseases including diabetes and cancer.

I was a co-founder of the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT) at Dundee, a partnership between the University and several of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. The DSTT was founded in 1998 and has attracted over £60 million of inward investment to the city. It is widely regarded as a model for how universities and industry can interact productively and was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education in 2005.

I was awarded the Colworth Medal of the British Biochemical Society in 1987 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1991 and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2009. I was honoured by The Queen with an OBE in 2004 and a Knighthood in 2015.

Jeremiah "Jerry" is the co-president for Barony campus. Last year, Jerry was Co-President for North and has been studying Poultry Production. He is building his own production site at the moment.

As a distant learning student, based in the south of England, Jerry brings insight as a student with no base campus.

Jerry will be focusing on listening directly to students on campus as well as interests in making sure every student gets the skills to start their own business and bringing a broader representation of ethnic minority students on SRUC Boards and Committees.

Saul is the Co-President for Edinburgh, Oatridge, and the Queens Park campus. Last year he was studying horticulture at the Queen's Park campus in Glasgow.

Saul is looking to run events on all campuses this year and wants to empower students to have their voices heard on environmental issues.

I am a non-executive staff representative on the board.

I have been with SRUC since 2004 where I started as a database programmer for EGENES (Edinburgh GENetic Evaluation Services) and stayed in that role for six years.

I then moved to the Information and Digital Services team where I was mostly involved with small IT projects and managing the corporate SharePoint environment.

Managing SharePoint resulted in me liaising with SRUC’s academic, professional services, and commercial colleagues on a regular basis. Over the years, this allowed me to build strong internal relationships throughout the business.

My current role as IT Business Partner for Academic staff was a natural progression that has allowed me to build further on the relationships that I have established over the years. As a business partner I am often the first point of contact for academic colleagues that require assistance with technology projects.

I hope the knowledge I have gained over my years within SRUC will enable me to contribute positively to board meetings in what is a very exciting and interesting time for SRUC.

I started my career in science as an animal technician at Moredun Research Institute in 1990 at 17 years old. I worked there for 10 years and got to work with every species including all types of livestock and even deer. A truly amazing job. I was unfortunately made redundant in 2000 but was lucky enough to be hired straight away to work at The University of Edinburgh. My role there involved working with mice and rats and I even had the opportunity to work with Professor Ian Wilmut, the lead of the team who cloned Dolly the sheep, doing some genetic modification studies which again, was an amazing experience.

In 2011 I decided I wanted a change and left the Uni to study and ended up graduating from Edinburgh Napier University with an Honours Degree in Biological Sciences in 2016. I applied for a number of positions and was lucky enough to be taken on as the lab technician for the Crop and Soils group at SRUC. Since then I have moved roles a few times. First I worked with Jamie Newbold in the gut microbiology group and then with Eilleen Wall on the fascinating Conception to Consumption project. My current role is as a research technician back with the C&S team where I continue to learn and I have had the chance to help out with many student projects which gives me an insight into the education side of SRUC as well as the research work which has been hugely rewarding.

I am a former student of SRUC. My core business is progressive mixed farming and contract farming, based in Fife. We supply beef, cereals and potatoes to well-known quality brands in the food and drink sector.

I sit on a Machinery Ring co-operative board covering the central belt, a sector board for AHDB covering the whole of the UK, and am Chair of the local NFU branch. In addition, I am a member of AHDB’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee.

I am committed to balancing livestock and crop husbandry with protection and enrichment of the local environment in order to ensure a long-term, sustainable future in agriculture and I have received awards for agricultural practices in my business.

Katrina is Global Head of Sustainable Land Use & Supply Chains at HSBC in the Group Sustainability Centre of Excellence. She is working to develop the company’s net-zero business plan and supporting the bank and its customers globally, in land-based industries and across supply chains, transition to a low carbon future. Previously she was at UKRI’s Innovate UK, where she held a number senior roles including Executive Director for Healthy Living and Agriculture, strongly connected with the top leaders in health, food and agriculture sectors, ministers, and other key decisions makers. She was also accountable for significant funding programmes including the Defra Farming Innovation Programme and the Transforming Food Production challenge. Katrina has worked for different organisations across the Agri-tech sector including FERA Science, DuPont Pioneer, and the World Economic Forum. Throughout her career, she has worked on the commercialisation of technology innovation both from a public and government perspective. Katrina has a PhD in Biosciences, an MSc in Ecology and a BSc in Plant Sciences.

I have had a career in Higher Education as a research scientist, serving as a panel member for two rounds of the Research Assessment Exercise, and as Deputy and Pro Vice-Chancellor for research and enterprise. I have also held senior executive roles as a Registered Clinical Scientist in the NHS.

I have been committed to the role that the Higher Education and tertiary sectors can play in economic and social transformation and has established many partnerships with the commercial sector. I have formed many spin-out companies and advises internationally on the commercialisation of innovations.

I have wide experience as a Chair, Non-Exec Director, Governor, and Trustee of very large organisations, as well as emerging SMEs and micro companies. My experience and analytical skills have enabled me to work effectively in a number of sectors, including bioscience, nanotechnology, engineering, manufacturing, digital, informatics, and the arts sector. I live in Wigtown in Dumfries and Galloway.

I retired as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee after ten years in the role at the end of 2018. I currently serve in a range of non-executive roles as President and Chair of the Council of Trustees, the Biochemical Society; Chair of the Board of Trustees at Dynamic Earth, Edinburgh; Chair of the Board of Directors, Platinum Informatics Ltd. and as a member of the Board of Scotland’s Rural College.

Under my leadership the University of Dundee was consistently rated best in Scotland for student experience by Times Higher Education and achieved record levels of research funding. I led the development of the University’s Transformation agenda, with the goal of becoming Scotland’s leading University, helping transform lives locally, nationally and globally and delivering economic, social and cultural impact.

I was Convener of Universities Scotland from August 2012 to July 2016, having previously served as Convener of its Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee. I have been a leading voice in championing the strengths an autonomous and diverse university sector can offer Scotland, and particularly the role universities can play in driving innovation and economic growth. I was a founding member of the Board of Design Dundee Ltd. which delivered the V&A Museum of Design to Dundee.

I am one of the UK’s leading biochemists. I spent eleven years in the pharmaceutical industry before joining the University in 1989. Before his appointment as Principal I served as Vice-Principal and Head of the College of Life Sciences. I played a key role in establishing Dundee as a global leader in life sciences, making a significant impact on both the Scottish economy and our understanding and treatment of major diseases including diabetes and cancer.

I was a co-founder of the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT) at Dundee, a partnership between the University and several of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies. The DSTT was founded in 1998 and has attracted over £60 million of inward investment to the city. It is widely regarded as a model for how universities and industry can interact productively and was awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Higher Education in 2005.

I was awarded the Colworth Medal of the British Biochemical Society in 1987 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1991 and a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2009. I was honoured by The Queen with an OBE in 2004 and a Knighthood in 2015.

Born in the village of St Monans in the East Neuk of Fife I have lived and worked all my life in the East Neuk, later moving few miles along the coast to Cornceres near Anstruther. We farm Cornceres with 200ha of combinable crops and my family also run Silverdyke Park, a diversification project, which has 120 static holiday homes and 31 tourer spaces.

I studied at the East of Scotland College of Agriculture leaving with an HND in Agriculture in 1979. I was a keen member of the young farmers movement working my way up through club and regional hierarchies to become national Chairman of SAYFC in 1989. More recently I rejoined the board of SAYFC becoming Hon President in 2018.

I have held positions in many different agricultural bodies, including board positions in NFUS and QMS. I served on the board of SAOS for 14 years becoming Chair in 2012 and am currently Chair of Tayforth Machinery Ring.

My family and I live in a vibrant tourism focussed area and I have enjoyed being involved in various bodies within the community. I have been chairing our local tourism association and am currently Chair of the local community council and a member of the East Neuk Emergency Planning Team.
I was appointed an Associate of the Fellowship of Royal Agricultural Societies in 2017.

• Register of Interests of Board members
• Schedule of Matters Reserved to the Board
• Scheme of Delegation
• Statement of Primary Responsibilities
• SRUC Governance Effectiveness Review
• Scottish Statutory Instrument (Standing Order), allowing transfer of Barony, Elmwood and Oatridge to SAC who are granted a name change to SRUC

• Articles of Association 2024
• SRUC Ventures Ltd. Articles of Association 2024
• SRUC Innovation Ltd. Articles of Association 2024

The open minutes from the SRUC Board meetings can be found via the links below:

• 2024 SRUC Board minutes
• 2023 SRUC Board minutes
• 2022 SRUC Board minutes
• 2021 SRUC Board minutes
• 2020 SRUC Board minutes
• 2019 SRUC Board minutes
• 2018 SRUC Board minutes
• 2017 SRUC Board minutes