Meet the Board

Allan has held leadership roles across public, private and third sectors in the UK and Asia Pacific. He joined the Social Enterprise Academy Board in May 2024 as chair.

As a senior Advisor to the Global Ethical Finance Initiative, Allan was a member of the Scottish Taskforce for Green and Sustainable Financial Services, supporting the development and drafting of the report and also chairing GEFI’s Path to COP programmes – a coalition of over 40 global  financial institutions ahead of COPs 26, 27 and 28.  Allan has extensive experience of the third sector as CEO of Prince’s Trust and Director of Prince’s Trust Scotland – working closely with Scottish Government to build out the enterprise, education and employability programmes to support over 10,000 young people each year and opening Glasgow’s first dedicated Youth Employment and Enterprise Centre.     Early in his career,  Allan was Development Director of the Wise Group, delivering urban regeneration and employment to Glasgow, Lanarkshire and Alness and supporting many English cities to develop their own local solutions.

Allan worked for RBS for 13 years,  initially developing the bank’s social investment programme which included overseeing the first investments in Social Investment Scotland and the Bridges Venture Fund and then leading the bank’s global marketing and internal communications programme from Edinburgh with a three-year spell based in Hong Kong as a member of the Asia Pacific Executive Board.    He began his career with Monitor, a firm of international strategy consultants led by the late Michael Porter based out of Harvard Business School.  In the early 1990’s,  Allan joined the Scottish Development Agency and then worked as executive assistant to the Industry Director of Scottish Enterprise.

He has also undertaken communications consulting assignments for a number of private sector organisations and public sector institutions.  He holds a degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University; and is currently Vice Chair of Sportscotland, a member of the Audit & Risk Committee, and board member responsible for Clean Sport.

Founder of Bike for Good

I am a really proud founder and Cycling Enthusiast Officer (CEO) of Bike for Good, a charity that has helped thousands of individuals to get into cycling over the last 10 years.  I became a social entrepreneur but my new desire is to support the community into cycling. Social entrepreneurship is my passion and I am pleased to work with a passionate team that changes lives through cycling, improving well-being and the environment.  It is only after five years running my social enterprise that I have realised the impact of this kind of organisation on changing the world. Since then my personal mission has been to support as many social enterprises as possible. I believe that even the most unethical business in the world has the potential to become a social enterprise.

Busy, married, with two weans. Not to worry, regular exercise such as yoga and cycling, as well a bit of mediation keeps me sane.

Director of The Franchise Company

Having been brought up as part of a small business family it was natural for me to start my career working in the business sector and as a result of joining one of the UK’s leading franchise organisations I developed an expertise in franchising and scaling businesses.

A friend then introduced me to the Social Enterprise sector and that led me to working with a number of social enterprises within the UK and internationally to support them to scale through social franchising.

As a result of working with a number of social enterprises based in Edinburgh, I became aware of the vibrant social enterprise culture within Scotland and specifically the work of the Social Enterprise Academy. After applying for a trustee role, I was invited to join the board at the end of 2019.

My experience with working with the Social Enterprise Academy so far has been challenging and rewarding. Weeks after attending the first board meeting the country went into lockdown with Covid 19 The Academy team stepped forward to transform what has largely been an organisation delivering face to face programmes to developing a virtual delivery system within a matter of weeks.

My initial reflections are that I’m working with a vibrant and innovative organisation with the strongest values that’s focused on developing and supporting the leaders of the Social Enterprise sector within the UK and internationally. I’m running fast to keep up and to understand the role of trustee within the charity sector and to date the whole experience has been an amazing learning curve working with a fabulous group of people who are gifted, a joy to work with, and gracefully supportive to their rookie trustees.

In the early 1990s, I was a member of the investment banking division of Swiss Bank Corporation in London. In 1995, I joined global strategy consultants Bain & Company in London, where I worked on a wide range of strategy and private equity projects.

In 2002 I swapped London for Edinburgh and joined SL Capital, the private equity business of Standard Life Investments. There I was a partner and a member of the investment committee with a focus on co-investments and manager selection. Since 2015, I have worked independently on private equity projects and as a business mentor and non-executive.

I speak fluent Dutch and proficient German. Outside work, I am a motorcycle enthusiast and an occasional silversmith. I am also a runner and I have an interest in architecture and digital leadership.

Julie is a coach, facilitator and consultant with a global portfolio and over 25 years of Organisational Change experience. Her passion is working with individuals, teams and Boards – typically through transition periods – to support insights, learning and positive action.

Julie works to build long-lasting results with her clients, getting underneath surface symptoms to address root-cause issues. In her practice, she works with a range of tools including appreciative inquiry, reflective writing, somatic/body work and leadership theory.

Her client portfolio is varied and includes supporting transformation and strategic growth in companies such as: CIPD, Scottish Ballet, Lyell Centre (Heriot Watt University), British Geological Survey, Mazda Europe, Scottish Refugee Council and MindTools.

Julie is co-chair of Scottish Games Week steering committee and a Trustee of The Social Enterprise Academy. She has recently taken up a strategic partner role as Head of Coaching for CLO100 .

Other areas of interest: Founder of “Write Nights” creative writing sessions & retreat. Founder of the Facilitation Shindig – Development spaces for practitioners who want to develop their facilitation skills. Associate Faculty, People & OD, for Manchester University and regular contributor to Training Journal.

Julie lives in Edinburgh with her family and dogs. She writes, paddleboards and wild swims regularly.

Jahangir is an academic leader and entrepreneur specialising in strategy and enterprise. With a profound commitment to the social enterprise agenda, he pioneered an innovative entrepreneurial program in Scottish prisons that equips inmates with essential business skills. This initiative not only reduces reoffending rates but also fosters economic independence, highlighting his dedication to creating transformative social impact.

In addition, he founded an offshoring company aimed at providing a safe and harassment-free workplace for women, addressing systemic barriers prevalent in many regions. This initiative empowers skilled women to thrive professionally while delivering high-quality outsourcing solutions to global businesses.

Jahangir is honoured to serve on the board of the Social Enterprise Academy, and to represent the values and mission of the organisation.

Cheryl joined the Academy Board in May 2025. She founded Effectiv8 Ltd in 2005, committed to designing and delivering consulting and training which brings top line growth. For the 4 years prior to that Cheryl was Director of Training for SBR Consulting, having primary responsibility for the writing, development and delivery of consulting and training.  At the same time, she personally exceeded the revenue target given to the Business Development Managers. Prior to SBR Cheryl was a sales manager/director for 12 years, building a team of over 150 salespeople and 35 managers, averaging over 30% growth per year.  Working in both the States and the UK. In 2002 Cheryl was named International Sales Professional of the Year (at the National Sales Awards). In 2000 Cheryl was named Sales Trainer of the Year. Cheryl is also a long-standing committee member of the Sales Performance Association. Her business, Effectiv8 has gone from strength to strength, with a loyal client base, equally focused on results.

Paul joined the Academy board in May 2025, and is the chair of the Finance Sub-Committee. He is a qualified accountant with an outstanding academic record and experience of financial management in blue-chip companies who broadened into a general manager used to dealing with high-profile issues in the UK and internationally. He now has considerable experience as a Non-Executive Director in a wide variety of organisations including an AIM-traded company, a VC-funded start-up, a FCA-regulated funeral plan provider, a charity and two Executive Agencies of the UK Government.  He has Chaired the Boards of two non-profit organisations and several Audit & Risk Committees. As Group Internal Audit director for a large international insurance Group, Paul initiated a significant programme of improvement in risk management and controls and a re-positioning of the internal audit function to have a more prominent role in contributing to the achievement of organisational priorities.

Paul is comfortable in dealing with high-powered boards of directors and government ministers.  He has extensive experience of public speaking, dealing with journalists and broadcast interviews and dealing with public officials in Whitehall, Brussels and Washington.    He was awarded an OBE in the 2010 New Year Honours; in 2014 he was awarded Fellowship of the Institute of Internal Auditors (UK), and in 2018 he was awarded Honorary Fellowship of the Association of Corporate Treasurers.