Team and directors

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Along with Laura, Louise provides support to local area partners.

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. 

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.

Careen listens to and collaborates with people and organisations across Scotland to drive forward the change needed to keep the promise.

She’s passionate about relationship-based practice, leading teams to support positive outcomes and driving change through partnership working and collaboration.

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. She leads on:

• Promise Learning Collaboratives: creating on and offline spaces where the workforce can come together to share good practice, learning and explore challenges.
• Aspects of Promise Design School, including Design School Lite, Co-Design Essentials, Spotlight sessions, Co Design Café and bespoke interventions.

Her focus is on:

• Education and the Education Routemap
• Moving On

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.

Along with Louise, Laura provides support to local area partners.

Claire 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 keep the promise and,
• data, information and evidence as improvement tools across the change landscape.

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.

Clare has a background in early childhood education and innovation. She is passionate about unlocking learning that will drive change to keep the promise.

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 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.

Fee leads the development and design of the route maps underpinning Plan 24-30. Fee oversees programme delivery, supporting cross-sector collaboration, and working to ensure clear connections between policy, practice, and lived experience. Her work includes working collaboratively across sectors to ensure the route maps reflect and support joint working and identifying policy and system enablers that can guide the work to keep the promise. 

Tom has worked alongside children, young people and families with experience of care in Scotland for over twenty years. He is particularly interested in co-design approaches to transformational change rooted in the perspectives of those who are experts by experience. He has used the Three Horizons framework in a range of national and local contexts.

Morag works with colleagues across Scotland to ensure that there is clear accountability to keep the promise 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hannah’s role is to communicate and support the learning and collaboration needed to inspire action and enact change.

She helps ensure the right information is delivered to the right people, clearly and effectively.

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.

Fiona Duncan is the Independent Strategic Advisor on the promise, and advises Scottish Ministers in this capacity.

Doctor Anna Matthews is a locum GP in Glasgow, working between:

• Dungavel Immigration Detention Centre,
• St Vincent’s Hospice, and
• practices in Possilpark and Pollokshields.

She also works in the Glasgow Youth Health Service, with a focus on mental and sexual health. She is passionate about reducing health inequalities and improving access to healthcare.

She also regularly teaches at the University of Glasgow, and through NHS Education Scotland’s programme for training for GPs and GP trainees. In her teaching, she covers:

• migration health,
• inclusion health, and
• health inequalities.

Anna is also:

• a non-executive board member at Public Health Scotland,
• a Scottish Human Rights Commissioner,
• a trustee for the Govan Community Project, and
• a mentor through the MCR Pathways.

Jackie Brock was previously a Deputy Director within Scottish Government, and Chief Executive of Children in Scotland. She acted as The Promise Scotland Interim Chief Operating Officer supporting the set-up of the organisation.

David Garbutt has held many policing roles, including:

• Chief Officer of Lothian and Borders Police,
• Chief Officer of Grampian Police,
• Assistant Inspector of Constabulary,
• Director of the Scottish Police College. and

He was awarded the Queen’s Police Medal in the 2001 New Year Honours.

He has also been a member of:

• the Board of the Scottish Leadership Foundation, and
• the Justice Sector Skills Council.

And has chaired:

• the NHS Education for Scotland (NES) Board,
• the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) Board,
• the NHS Chairs Group, and
• the NHS Active Governance Reference Group.

He currently chairs the NHS National Performance Management Committee, and is a member of:

• the Everyone Matters Implementation Group, and
• the National Leadership Development Programme Board.

Jane O’Donnell was appointed the Chief Executive of COSLA, the voice of local government in Scotland, in March 2023.

COSLA is a councillor-led, cross-party organisation which champions councils’ vital work to improve the lives of everyone in their communities. Jane has over 25 years’ experience working in and with councils and, prior to her appointment, spent two years in senior roles in Scottish Government.

Jane has a particular interest in ensuring a whole system approach to public policy and public services. She has held senior trustee roles in several third sector organisations supporting women and girls. She was a founder member of the Suicide Prevention Leadership Group, and is a strong advocate for the role of local government in wellbeing.

In her spare time, Jane is an avid reader and film fan and enjoys taking her dog for long walks across the country. She lives in West Lothian with her family.

Philip Rycroft was a civil servant for 30 years, in roles including those in education and children and young people's policy.

He worked for 20 years in the Scottish Office, then Executive and Government.

For the last 10 years of his career, he worked in Whitehall, latterly:

• as head of the UK Governance Group in the Cabinet Office, with responsibility for advising ministers on all aspects of the constitution and devolution, and
• as the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Exiting the EU.

He is now a non-executive director, academic and consultant.

Jim Savege started his career training as a teacher in Liverpool, before working in management consultancy. His career in local government spans nearly two decades ,with previous roles at:

• Staffordshire County Council, and
• Cumbria County Council.

Jim took up post as Chief Executive with Aberdeenshire Council in February 2015. He is:

• Returning Officer for Aberdeenshire Council, and
• Clerk to the Lieutenancy of Aberdeenshire.

He is Chair of the Scottish Resilience Partnership, and a past Chair of Solace Scotland, continuing to work across public services locally and nationally to ensure the most effective team approach. He's passionate about working with communities to help people achieve their dreams.

Vicky Underwood is Head of Leadership, Governance and Research at the College Development Network (CDN).

A key focus of her work is driving forward enhancement within colleges. In this way, she supports them to deliver for learners, their families and communities. She is passionate about the role colleges – and the wider education system – play in addressing poverty.

Before joining CDN, Vicky worked in several roles in the UK and around the world, delivering projects in:

• international education,
• business development, and
• policy.

She comes from a large family which includes care experienced young people, and they have had a profound impact on her personal and professional life. She's passionately committed to playing her part in helping Scotland keep the promise.