Staff
Part of: What is The Promise Scotland?
The Promise Scotland is split into three staff teams:
The Insights team
This team establishes what information Scotland needs to #KeepThePromise. They also make sure the people who need that information both know and understand it.
The Support team
This team supports individuals and organisations across Scotland in their work around keeping the promise.
The Governance and Operations team
This team works behind the scenes to make sure The Promise Scotland functions effectively as an organisation. They also support The Oversight Board in their work monitoring the promise.
Chief Executive
Fraser McKinlay
Chief Executive
Fraser has been Chief Executive of The Promise Scotland since September 2022. Prior to that, he spent 16 years working for Audit Scotland, including ten years as Controller of Audit and Director of Performance Audit and Best Value.
Before joining Audit Scotland, Fraser was a public services consultant in Edinburgh and London. He specialised in leadership, change management, facilitation and process improvement.
Fraser is committed to systems change, focusing on how public money is spent more effectively to enable better lives for children, young people, care experienced adults, families, and communities.
Teams
Claire Stuart
Head of Insights
Claire leads the Insights Team and is a member of The Promise Scotland’s Senior Leadership Team. The work she leads splits into two parallel programmes:
- data, information and evidence used to track and monitor Scotland’s progress to #KeepThePromise and,
- data, information and evidence as improvement tools across the change landscape.
Claire Burns
Strategy and Development Lead
Claire's job is to understand where Scotland is in its journey to #KeepthePromise by 2030.
With her colleagues, she works to collate and analyse data from many different sources. They use what they find from that data to drive accountability, innovation and change.
Stephanie Crisp
Improvement Lead
Steph works with others to understand how data, evidence, and research can be used to improve things so that Scotland can #KeepThePromise.
Her job is to make sure that this work stays rooted in what the Independent Care Review heard about what matters to children and families.
Celeste Berteau
Doing Data Differently Manager
To #KeepThePromise, we need to do data and evidence differently.
As the Doing Data Differently Manager, Celeste oversees projects around improving data in Scotland.
The first of these is The Promise Data Map, which will allow us to understand what information is collected and shared throughout Scotland.
Rebecca Rierson-Lott
Analysis Coordinator
Rebecca analyses data for the Insights team around how Scotland can improve, within the work programs:
- Using Money Differently— how Scotland can spend money more effectively, and
- Doing Data Differently— how Scotland can gather data in a way that's centred on children and families.
Her work includes:
- supporting projects,
- designing and structuring projects, and
- analysing text of reports and publications.
Alison Sutherland
Head of Support
Alison leads The Promise Scotland’s Support Team which is focused on engaging with a wide range of organisations to #KeepThePromise. This includes:
- Building new ways of working
- Identifying and sharing/communicating effective practice
- Facilitating networking events
- Nurturing Communities of Interest, and
- Driving reformed local and national activity
Alison’s background is in Children’s Services with experience as Head of Children, Families and Justice Services in a local authority, and previously in Education as a former Head Teacher of two secondary schools. She also serves as a non-executive Board Member at Ayrshire College.
Alison also manages PDP activities for:
- Aberdeen City, and
- Aberdeenshire.
Thomas Carlton
Implementation Lead
Thomas and his colleagues seek to get alongside all those looking to keep the Promise, to respond to their support needs in order to best drive the necessary required change.
Careen Rennie
Implementation and Design School Lead
Careen listens to and collaborates with people and organisations across Scotland to drive forward the change needed to #KeepThePromise.
She’s passionate about relationship-based practice, leading teams to support positive outcomes and driving change through partnership working and collaboration.
She also acts as Promise Delivery Partner for Falkirk.
Chloe Riddell
Policy Lead
Chloe leads The Promise Scotland’s policy work. She helps to make sure that Scotland's policy and legislative framework and scaffolding is effective at upholding and enabling the implementation of The Promise.
She works to support the translation of these laws and policies into practical changes for children and families.
Emma Young
Policy Officer
Emma supports the Policy Lead and broader public affairs team to develop evidence-based policy positions and advice.
By doing this, she helps decision makers make sure the conclusions of the Independent Care Review are embedded across Scotland’s policy and legislative developments to #KeepThePromise.
Promise Delivery Partners
Promise Delivery Partners work alongside local and regional areas, supporting change and innovation as they happen in places across Scotland.
They provide connection across Scotland to transfer local action into national learning.
When good practice is happening somewhere to keep the promise, they can help make sure it spreads. And when positive change happens, they can help it to happen elsewhere.
Tom Boyd
Promise Delivery Partner
Tom has a background working alongside the care experienced community in both the third and public sector. He is passionate about fresh approaches to enabling relationships between the workforce and children, young people and families.
Tom covers:
- Highland,
- Moray,
- Orkney,
- Shetland, and
- Na h-Eileanan Siar.
Greig Ferguson
Promise Delivery Partner
Greig’s background is in child and family social work, and he has worked with families throughout his career. He is passionate about using restorative practices to support families.
As a Promise Delivery Partner, Greig works in partnership with:
- Angus,
- Fife,
- Dundee, and
- Perth and Kinross.
Clare Morris
Promise Delivery Partner
Clare has a background in early childhood education and innovation. She is passionate about unlocking learning that will drive change to keep the promise.
As a Promise Delivery Partner, she covers:
- East Ayrshire,
- North Ayrshire, and
- South Ayrshire.
Fiona Robertson
Promise Delivery Partner
Fiona has worked in Community Learning and Development with young people, adults and families. She is passionate about people having a voice, which helps shape better outcomes for all.
Fiona covers:
- Clackmannanshire,
- Dumfries and Galloway,
- East Renfrewshire,
- North Lanarkshire,
- Renfrewshire,
- South Lanarkshire, and
- Stirling.
Laura Sharpe
Promise Delivery Partner
Laura has a background in the third sector, leading participation to influence policy, practice and systems change. It’s important to her that Scotland offers inclusive and equitable support— to children, young people, families, and the workforce.
Laura covers:
- Argyll and Bute,
- East Dunbartonshire,
- Glasgow,
- Inverclyde, and
- West Dunbartonshire.
Louise Bouchier-Hayes
Promise Delivery Partner
Louise’s background covers quality assurance and senior leadership within the third sector— and throughout her career, she’s worked alongside children and families. Equality and inclusion remain important to Louise, with a particular focus of intersectionality.
She also covers:
- East Lothian,
- Edinburgh,
- Midlothian,
- Scottish Borders , and
- West Lothian.
Morag Burnett
Head of Governance
Morag works with colleagues across Scotland to ensure that there is clear accountability to #KeepThePromise nationally and locally.
She makes sure that The Promise Scotland’s own governance and operations are excellent, and runs the secretariat that supports The Oversight Board.
Nick Jedrzejewski
Strategic Communications Lead
Nick leads communications at The Promise Scotland, looking at the best ways to tell the stories of change happening across the country, and developing communications strategies and plans to make change happen.
Asima Hussain
Finance and Central Services Manager
Asima works alongside colleagues across the organization to deliver services and provide advice and support on all aspects of finance, risk, HR and business planning.
She also leads on:
- regulatory requirements ensuring legal and financial compliance, and
- organisational risk management and mitigation processes.
Robert Shepherd
Online Tools Manager
The Promise Scotland manages several online tools. Robert works to make sure these tools will:
- be clear,
- be accessible, and
- work together in a way that makes sense to their users.
Gillian Graham
Executive Assistant and Governance Coordinator
Gillian supports The Promise Scotland's Chair and Chief Executive by planning and organising their time.
She also:
- leads on governance and assurance processes
- supports the Directors of the Promise Scotland, and
- co-ordinates meetings and support for The Oversight Board.
Hannah Gould
Senior Strategic Communications Officer
Hannah’s role is to communicate the learning, hope, and support needed to inspire action to #KeepthePromise.
She helps ensure the right information is delivered to the right people, clearly and effectively.
Her experience lies in strategic communications and storytelling which she uses to highlight Scotland's journey of change to a place where children and young people grow up loved, safe and respected.
Tiana Donnelly
Finance & Administrative Officer
As Finance & Administrative Officer Tiana works in the Governance & Operations team to ensure The Promise Scotland runs smoothly in all areas including finance, IT and HR.