Born in London to Scottish parents, Siobhian Brown emigrated to Australia when she was four and was raised and educated in Sydney. On leaving school, she travelled the world, working in Spain, Italy and London, before settling in Scotland in 1999.

A former South Ayrshire councillor, Ms Brown was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2021 as MSP for Ayr. Until her ministerial appointment, she served as Convener of the Covid-19 Recovery Committee.

Away from politics, she enjoys walking the Ayrshire coast with her husband, children and Ruby the dog.

Alison is the co-founder of Hook Tangaza following the merger of Hook International and Tangaza Advisory Services in 2016. Alison leads on Hook Tangaza’s technical assistance, trade and regulatory work.

Before setting up Hook International in 2011, Alison was the Director of International at the Law Society of England and Wales where she played a leading role in advocating for more open legal markets and working with government to develop an export promotion strategy for UK legal services.

Earlier in her career, Alison worked for the European Commission, both in London and Brussels and for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and Lagos. She graduated in economics from the University of Edinburgh and holds a Masters in Economics from Warwick University and an MBA from the Open University. In 2008, she was recognised in the Lawyer ‘Hot 100’.

Brian Inkster is the founder and CEO of Inksters. He is a Solicitor and Notary Public.

Brian originally comes from Shetland where he still maintains strong business and personal links. He has lived in Glasgow since 1991 but travels regularly on business throughout Scotland and especially the Highlands and Islands. He has established offices for Inksters in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Eigg, Forfar, Glasgow, Inverness, Lerwick, Portree, Thurso and Wick.

Brian was referred to as ‘a one man Scottish legal institution’ in the Recommended Law Firm Guide 2010.

He is an award winning lawyer including being named Solicitor of the Year in 2006 and Managing Partner of the Year in 2014.

Brian as a lawyer concentrates on property related work and specialises in particular in crofting law and the law of servitudes (easements).

Brian also has an active interest in entrepreneurship, marketing, technology and corporate social responsibility in relation to running a law firm. He is often asked to speak on these topics at conferences, summits and retreats.

“Strategist, independent legal thought leader and advocate for social and organisational fairness, Professor Stephen Mayson helps organisations make difficult decisions in times of structural or industry change. Famed for his unique perspective and sense of justice, Stephen is valued most of all for his ability to guide his clients in the right direction.”

I have a long association with the legal world. My objective is to bring independence, insight, challenge and objectivity to the various contributions I make to organisations and the broader world of legal services. These include:

Non-executive
Serving as a non-executive director or trustee with a variety of plc, limited company, LLP, ABS and charitable bodies, bringing independent market knowledge and governance experience to these organisations.

My aim is to be a critical friend: offering appropriate challenge; supporting effective governance and decision-making; encouraging organisational integrity with strategy and markets, values, professional and ethical obligations, and attitude to risk.

Advisory
I work as both a retained and ad hoc strategic advisor for organisations in or connected to the legal sector. Clients include law firms, barristers’ chambers, patent and trademark attorneys, other providers of legal services (including licensed ABSs), corporate and government legal departments, regulators, and professional bodies.

My aim is to offer: facilitation and process for identifying and thinking through the relevant issues and options; challenge; market analysis and information.

Policy and regulation
I monitor and comment on developments in the legal services market, policy and regulation, ethics and training, and seek to engage with government, regulators, professional bodies, practitioners and others. In 2015, I chaired the review by the regulators of the Legal Services Act 2007 and related legislation to identify for the Ministry of Justice potential options for legislative change. I am also the former director of the Legal Services Institute (a charitable think-tank originally established by The College of Law).

I am currently leading an independent review of the regulation of legal services in England & Wales.

My mission is taking a public interest perspective on the regulation, development and education of an independent and effective legal services sector.

Conferences and commentary
I chair and speak at both public commercial and not-for-profit events, as well as private partnership and board meetings and away-days. I write for a variety of publications, and am often asked for comment in national and local news media.

My objective is always finding a new way of looking at familiar issues and pushing thinking into new territory.

Follow me on this blog or on Twitter @StephenMayson 

Coach
I undertake a limited amount of business coaching for those in strategic leadership positions (in the law, the commercial world, the armed forces and public sector), working particularly with individuals who have reached, or are making a transition to, a very senior governance or leadership position within their organisations and who are facing business or personal issues that are strategic to their organisations.

My role is normally non-directive, that is, not offering advice but rather facilitating a client to reach his or her own resolutions through a structured conversation. However, the boundaries between coach and advisor, or between coach and ‘sounding board’, can be fluid and (with agreement) blended. My objective is to develop a secure relationship in which issues and goals can be explored, insights and options developed, thinking challenged, and next steps agreed, all in a constructive and enjoyable way.

Diane McGiffen has worked in a variety of roles at Audit Scotland since its creation. Since 2021, as Chief Operating Officer at Audit Scotland, she has led their strategy to be a world class organisation, supporting the Auditor General for Scotland, Board and Management Team. Diane's role focused on ensuring the Audit Scotland delivers effective and sustainable public audit in Scotland. Before this, Diane was Director of Corporate Services at Audit Scotland and has worked in urban regeneration, in local government and at the House of Commons. Diane has been a member of the Northern Ireland Audit Office audit committee and has undertaken part-time study on the retention of women workers in health and social care. Diane became Chief Executive of the Law Society of Scotland in January 2022. 

Paul Sinclair has been a provider of senior level counsel, messaging and speechwriting to British Prime Ministers, Cabinet Ministers and CEOs. He is a former journalist with expertise in crisis management.

Neil joined as the Chief Executive of the Scottish Legal Complaints Commission in July 2015.

His previous background combines significant experience of regulation and complaints, and of the Scottish legal services market. Neil currently sits on the Council of the Advertising Standards Authority, involved in both the governance of the organisation and in adjudication on complaints within the £20 billion UK advertising industry. He is the Senior Independent Director and Chair of their Audit and Risk Committee.

In 2009 he was appointed by the Privy Council to sit on the General Dental Council, the regulatory and complaints body for 104,000 dental professionals in the UK and he served two terms on the Board (demitting in September 2017) as well as chairing the Remuneration Committee. Between 2004 and 2015 Neil worked with the Law Society of Scotland, latterly as their Director of Representation and Professional Support. He has previously held a number of other Executive and Non-Executive Director roles in organisations spanning the legal sector, healthcare, consultancy, and oil and gas. He holds a Law degree from Edinburgh University, and a Masters in Quality Management from Birmingham University (focussing on a comparative analysis of regulatory quality systems for doctors and lawyers). He has just stepped down (August 2022, following a six-year trustee term) as the Chair of Changing the Chemistry, a peer network of over 700 members supporting diversity of thought on UK boards.

Rachel joined the senior leadership team of the Law Society of Scotland as Executive Director of Regulation on 18 May 2020. Rachel is a qualified solicitor and has worked in private practice in Scotland for more than 25 years, initially as a Corporate solicitor before moving into risk and knowledge management. For the last 15 years she has held senior leadership positions in several firms, including as Director of Risk and Knowledge of a large Scottish firm. Rachel has also served on various Boards and was a volunteer on the Law Society of Scotland Education & Training Committee.