Marielle is responsible for facilitating the development of strengthened partnerships between youth work and schools to close the poverty-related attainment gap.

Brief overview of my professional career:

• 25 years in education, starting as a Maths teacher in a school in Paisley
• Head teacher of Renfrew High School 2013-23
• Past President of School Leaders Scotland
• Involved in various national education work, most recently the Muir Report
• As a school leader, always had a strong interest in inclusion, equality and wellbeing of our young people and the leadership approaches required to achieve this
• I co-host a podcast on education and wellbeing – Changing Conversations
• Now head of development and innovation at SAMH leading our work to support young people’s mental health

John Dickie is Director of the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland. He is responsible for promoting and influencing policies that will contribute to eradicating child poverty in Scotland. He was previously Head of the Youth Unit at Scottish Council for Single Homeless. Before that he worked directly with young people experiencing homelessness, both as a volunteer and professional. He is a graduate from Aberdeen University in Sociology and Social Anthropology, and holds a postgraduate diploma in Housing Studies from Stirling University. He lives in Edinburgh and enjoys spending time with his family, walking and cycling among other things.

Martin Dorchester became Chief Executive of includem in March 2018. Previously Martin was the Group Chief Executive of the David MacBrayne Group, including CALMAC Ferries, Argyll Ferries Ltd and Solent Gateway.

In a career spanning 30 years Martin has operated nationally and internationally with organisations covering logistics, technology and finance. As CEO of Dixon's B2B operation Martin built up the largest Apple reseller business in the UK as well as developing a £100m public sector business. Martin was part of the team that brought the 5 radio authorities together to create Ofcom and worked with the London Borough of Hackney on developing its infrastructure for the 2012 Olympics. Martin is also a keen lecturer and academic and has written a number of papers covering areas as diverse as CSR and Emotional Intelligence in Management Development and more recently on children and young people.

Martin is a Co-chair of the Independent Care Review and a Non-executive Director of CCPS. He has held a number of non-executive roles including: Non-executive Director of Traveline Scotland, The Sailors' Orphan Society of Scotland and most recently Transport for Wales. He is a supporter of Social and Community Business and Chaired Firstport Ltd, a start-up funding organisation for social enterprises.

Professor Richard Kerley is Professor of Management at QMU with a specific interest in public service management. He was previously at the University of Edinburgh and the Scottish Local Authorities Management Centre, University of Strathclyde . He has also been a visiting scholar at Yale University. Before entering academic life, Richard worked in advertising, hospitality and in prison education. He also worked for four different councils, in adult education and then latterly in staff and management development.

He is currently also a Non-Executive Director with Mainstreet Consulting and a Trustee of the Centre for Scottish Public Policy 2021. He has been on the board of various companies, charities, and arts organisations.

Richard is the author of various books, research papers, academic journals, and numerous articles in the quality print media. His most recent publications include an edited book on International Local Government, and he is currently working on a taxonomy of international local government.

Richard chaired the Working Party on Renewing Local Democracy; the report of which was published in July 2000, and which was legislated for in June 2004 as the Local Governance Act. He has carried out research projects supported by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Scottish Consumer Council, Alcohol Scotland, The Accounts Commission Scotland, Tayside, Edinburgh and Fife Councils, the Association of MBAs, and the Scottish Government. He has been engaged in consultancy projects by government; local governments; government agencies; voluntary organisations and international education providers.

Jenni Leigh taught in Dundee primary schools for 10 years prior to taking up her current post with National Literacy Trust. As manager for the Trust’s first regional Hub in Scotland, her role keeps her within the city’s boundaries although she has also delivered NLT’s Libraries for Primaries programme to schools in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Fife.

The Hub is a 10-year commitment to the city of Dundee, working in partnership with statutory organisations, community groups and families to improve literacy levels, working to drive change from within the city’s most deprived communities.

Married with three grown sons, Jenni and her family made Dundee their home almost 30 years ago and they have witnessed its significant transformation over this period. She would love to see this upward trajectory spilling over into a citywide love of books, reading and literacy in all its beautiful formats.

Shona took up the post of Depute Director of The Open University in Scotland in August 2017 with responsibility for student experience and widening access. The Open University provides life-changing learning opportunities to people across Scotland with 22,000 students and almost half a million users of its free online learning platform, OpenLearn. Shona and her team focus on opening up access to OU learning to individuals, communities, third sector, public sector and business.

Shona previously worked as Vice Principal and Pro Vice Chancellor at Robert Gordon University where she had accountability for the student experience and external relations portfolios for almost 10 years. Prior to that, Shona was Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise Tayside and has experience in both private and voluntary sectors. In a personal capacity Shona is currently Vice-Chair of SAMH, the Scottish Association for Mental Health

Jim McCormick is Chief Executive of The Robertson Trust.

Previously he was Associate Director Scotland with the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (2017-20), ran an independent research consultancy and was Director of the Scottish Council Foundation think-tank (2002-07).

He is Chair of the independent Disability and Carers Benefits Advisory Group reporting to the Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and a member of the Scottish Government’s Social Renewal Advisory Board. He was Chair of the Edinburgh Poverty Commission (2018-20) and a member of the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC, 2014-20) scrutinizing DWP regulations. He was also an Advisory Board member of Business in the Community Scotland.

In 2018 he was a travelling Churchill Fellow looking at the impact of mentoring programmes for children and young people facing disadvantage in the USA, Canada and New Zealand. 

Interests include music, languages and Greenock Morton FC.

Fiona is Director of Place 2 Be in Scotland.

Having practiced as a Barrister representing children in London, she went on to work with the Care Review in Scotland and then as Head of Public Affairs for The Promise Scotland. There she led on the policy and communications work of the organisation, working to support organisations across Scotland to embed and keep the promise to Scotland's children and families.

She is passionate about place-based working, bringing services to where people are and smoothing the paths to early help and support.

Appointed in September 2023, Jimmy joined the SVRU following a career managing health and social care services, leading in care reform in Scotland, and as director of a charitable organisation working towards creating a wellbeing economy. He is a service designer, executive coach, and has represented Scotland internationally on leadership programmes with the World Economic Forum and the British Council. Jimmy leads the SVRU in its work reducing violence across Scotland using evidence-based solutions. As part of that work, he is committed to ensuring those who have lived experience are at the heart of the mission to make Scotland the safest country to live in.

Over the last 30 years I have held various roles across Scottish Education. Qualifying as a Primary Teacher in 1994 I worked in a number of schools within different contexts. I was then appointed as Principal Teacher and held this post for eight years before securing then position of Depute Head Teacher. After five and a half years in this role I was successfully appointed as Head Teacher of a primary school in South Ayrshire in 2011.

I completed the Flexible Route to Headship in January 2013 successfully meeting the standard. The FRH was accredited by the General Teaching Council Scotland. This alternative route to headship was based on experiential learning and coaching.

In November 2017 I successfully completed the Scottish Improvement Leaders Programme, a key part of Scotland’s innovative approach to address increasing demands across public services by developing Quality Improvement capacity and capability. This programme includes emphasis on the people element of change and how to lead and influence for improvement interlinked with the core concepts of Improvement Science.

After seven years as Head Teacher, I joined Education Scotland in 2018. I was an attainment advisor for 5 years working as the link for three different local authorities during that time – Western Isles, Dumfries and Galloway and North Ayrshire. I am currently in the role of Senior Regional Advisor (SRA) in the Lifelong Learning Leadership Team within Education Scotland. As SRA I have strategic oversight of 8 local authorities, supporting and challenging identified work, taking an effective whole system approach to complex and dynamic issues. My remit also includes primary responsibility for ensuring the effective design, delivery and further development of related plans, projects and programmes that will further Education Scotland’s commitment to support practitioners, local authorities, and collaborative working, supporting the development of a whole systems approach to improvement. I provide policy insight and implications through direct communications with senior leaders in local authorities and strategic leadership within the context of national policy areas, local authority priorities and/or relevant areas as agreed with Strategic Directors. I work in partnership with Scottish Government policy colleagues and, at times, Ministerial staff, as well as other national partners. A key aspect of my remit is strategic responsibility for the Scottish Attainment Challenge.

Sara is Cost of the School Day Project Manager at Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) in Scotland.

The Cost of the School Day project works with schools, local authorities and government to tackle financial barriers and poverty stigma for children and young people at school. Sara oversees youth participation work through the Cost of the School Day Voice network, resource development for practitioners, local authority partnerships and research and good practice sharing to help reduce financial pressures and promote equity in schools.

Prior to this, she worked in research and policy roles in a range of children’s organisations.

Mona is a policy and public affairs professional with over 15 years of experience in communications and external affairs roles across the public, private and third sectors.

Since joining CHAS, Mona has worked on a wide range of policy issues, ranging from energy costs to transition to adulthood, social care to assisted dying.

Prior to joining CHAS, Mona held a similar role at Cancer Research UK, and during this time was seconded into the Scottish Government’s Diet and Healthy Weight team.

Mona is a Member of Children in Need’s Scotland Advisory Committee, helping to advise the Trustees of BBC Children in Need on grant awards in Scotland.