The supporting cast.

As the public face of Prosper, Sara works tirelessly to make sure members’ thinking is shaping government and industry action.

She is a hands-on leader, working closely with the Prosper team to meet members’ needs, and acts as the main point of communication between the board of directors and the staff team. It’s very important to Sara that Prosper represents the true diversity of corporate and civil Scotland, and she’s a huge advocate for purposeful ways of working.

Sara is a fair-weather wild swimmer who also loves discovering Scotland’s places by bike and on foot. As well as mum-dancing to old soul music, she is hooked on history, current affairs, political podcasts and jazz gigs.

sara.thiam@prosper.scot

Scott spends most of his working day staring intently at spreadsheets and haggling with his colleagues about why they want to spend money out of Prosper’s precious budget.

A real multi-skiller, Scott can just as easily be found balancing the books as rolling his sleeves up to assemble the office furniture or putting his IT know-how to the test when the wifi goes down.

One of his greatest passions is being out on the hills, walking or running amongst the snow-dappled peaks of the West Highlands or on the gravel trails of Glenmore.

scott.fergus@prosper.scot

Magnus leads the development and delivery of Prosper’s growth strategy. When not representing Prosper in national forums, he helps shape policy and is always ready to offer a warm welcome to new members.

A former editor of The Times and Sunday Times in Scotland, Magnus spent more than 30 years as a journalist and is passionate about making Scotland a better place to live and work in.

When not bringing people and organisations together to fight the good fight, he can be found either pounding the streets of Edinburgh in a valiant bid to keep fit, listening to current affairs and history podcasts or failing to impress family members with his cooking.

magnus.Llewellin@prosper.scot

Gareth works with our members to influence public policy in ways that we think will develop a more prosperous Scottish economy.

That work involves producing research reports and consultation responses, communicating members’ views in Government meetings and creating opportunities for them to engage with key people on big issues. Gareth led Prosper’s work on our Blueprints for Scotland’s economy, and has written reports on subjects like tech, business purpose and natural capital.

Away from his policy brief, Gareth enjoys a daily run and racing or volunteering in parkrun at the weekend. A strong community is important to him and he chairs his primary school’s parent council.

gareth.wIlliams@prosper.scot

Working closely with the Policy Team, Sophie will work with members toward shared priorities for a sustainable and prosperous Scotland. Having previously worked in the third sector, Sophie looks forward to representing and collaborating with members from across Scottish society on a range of important topics.

Sophie gained her PhD Interdisciplinary Studies from the University of Glasgow’s Dumfries Campus where she conducted research examining the opportunities for agricultural education in Scottish secondary schools through Curriculum for Excellence. She also holds a Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Governance and is passionate about working toward a more circular and sustainable Scotland.

Away from the office, Sophie loves taking in Scotland’s stunning scenery – usually from a walk or bike and always involving coffee and bacon rolls!

sophie.brett@prosper.scot

Peter enjoys meeting people and building relationships with our members and political stakeholders to shape public policy towards a more prosperous Scotland.

Peter recently graduated from the University of Cambridge with a Masters degree in Politics and International Studies where he conducted research on democratic politics and civil society engagement in policymaking. He previously worked at a think tank in Westminster, writing reports on regional devolution, innovation, and fiscal policy.

Away from the office, Peter likes to relax by going to yoga and Pilates classes, listening to podcasts, and completing sudoku puzzles.

peter.hourston@prosper.scot

As our man in the north, Grant works closely with members from all sectors and industries to support their growth and development ambitions.

Organising thought leadership and networking events for members in the Highland & Islands and working with the regional committee to understand the ever-changing economic landscape, allows him to work collaboratively towards better prosperity in the region. Living in Ross-shire allows Grant to live an active outdoor life with his family.

In his free time, you’ll find him on the golf course, out on a kayak or enjoying in the natural environment of a woodland walk, mountain or beach somewhere across the Highlands.

grant.campbell@prosper.scot

One of the great joys of Mhairi’s working life is that no two days are ever the same.

As one of Prosper’s Regional Managers, covering Central and South of Scotland, her job is to look after existing members and recruit new ones. There’s also plenty of event planning and hosting. Mhairi’s a west coast lass, hailing from the Isle of Bute and now enjoying life in rural Stirlingshire, living in a B&B run by her husband.

She enjoys country walks and hill climbing with the family’s cocker spaniel Cooper. Mhairi is also an occasional golfer, foodie, sports lover, music nerd and proud mum to Maisie & Tom.

mhairi.duncan@prosper.scot

John has a long-standing affiliation with the North East and is proud to represent Prosper members from that area.

He lives in Aberdeen, and absolutely wants the city and region to thrive. John’s working weeks are centred around meeting with existing members to try and understand the opportunities and challenges they are currently experiencing, and finding ways to help. He is heavily involved in developing a strong events schedule so local members can network, listen to quality speakers and experience many of the great venues in the region.

Personal time is devoted to family, golf, Aberdeen FC and many walks on the city’s glorious beach.

john.urquhart@prosper.scot

Sabrina is queen of communications at Prosper.

She is in charge of our communications strategy, making sure that Prosper is proudly promoting what it does to all sorts of audiences, and sharing our many success stories. Before joining Prosper in 2023, Sabrina honed her communications skills across a range of roles including social housing, the third sector and higher education. She is passionate about making a difference and volunteered as a member of the Children’s Panel in Glasgow for four years.

Sabrina’s happy place is anywhere with friends and family – especially if it’s sunny and good food is involved.

sabrina.allan@prosper.scot

Fiona is a Prosper veteran. She’s been providing support to the Regional Managers for over 20 years, helping them generate membership leads and building productive relationships with members in the different regions. Fiona also assists Sara, Prosper’s CEO, in her regular engagement with members. Away from work she likes to keep active, whether that’s working out or walking her two Australian labradoodles. When she’s not taxi-ing her children to activities, she’ll pick up her latest cross stitch and relax in front of a warm fire, perhaps with a glass of wine.

fiona.downie@prosper.scot

Carol Anne is Prosper’s very own organisational genius.

A born organiser, she puts those skills to good use at Prosper by managing our annual events calendar. She’s responsible for bringing members together to network, collaborate and, hopefully, have a bit of fun while they’re about it. From printing badges to teaching celebrity hosts to use digital event platforms, Carol Anne does the lot. No matter how complex an event is Carol Anne can always come back to her core strengths of structure, spreadsheets and smiling through the chaos.

Outside of work, she enjoys puzzles and cryptic crosswords, and knits like nobody’s business.

carolanne.grady@prosper.scot

Alasdair’s role at Prosper sees him handling external communications to raise awareness of the organisation’s activities.

One minute he might be promoting in-depth policy work and the next he’s publicising events or just-published reports. Alasdair makes sure that Prosper’s digital presence remains up to date – his job is to keep on top of the website, social media streams and direct marketing. He’s a problem-solver who enjoys identifying new ways to improve the way Prosper works.

In his spare time, Alasdair enjoys photography and graphic design as well as all things DIY.

alasdair.gray@prosper.scot

Gillian is Prosper’s Management Accountant and brings invaluable experience from her previous roles across various industries including financial services, energy and education. Gillian is a team player and enjoys collaborating across the organisation to provide financial support, insight and informed decision making. Gillian is always looking to identify new ways for improving the financial systems and processes to increase Prosper’s efficiency.

Outside of work Gillian enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Gillian likes things Italian, including dining in nice restaurants, enjoying a relaxing holiday on the Amalfi Coast or some sightseeing in Rome.

gillian.mcmillan@prosper.scot

Ethan is the team’s Business Administrator Modern Apprentice, helping the membership and Peer Works teams with all things administration, social media, and general support.

Ethan is hard working, willing to help, conscientious and enjoys collaborating with the whole team. He is really excited to learn more about every aspect of the business and we’re delighted to have him on board.

When he’s not working hard in the office, Ethan likes gaming and reading manga.

As the IT Manager at Prosper, Stephen brings a wealth of experience in supporting and implementing IT infrastructure. With over 25 years in the industry, he has experience within Education, Hospitality and Corporate Finance.

Always moving forward and continually learning changes in technology to provide the foundations for collaborative team environments and assisting the organisation to strive towards excellence. Occasionally, he does simply switch devices off and back on again.

Outside of work, Stephen enjoys travelling, Barbecues and music. He is obsessed with all things Star Wars!

An integral part of the events team, Claire manages all the intricacies of the events calendar, ensuring that everything happens when it’s supposed to, with no detail left behind.

Claire is always on the lookout for new ways of working, particularly when it comes to making processes more efficient. She is also an invaluable addition to the team when it comes to improving Prosper’s sustainability credentials and bringing colleagues together socially (Cake Wednesday being just one notable innovation).

When she’s not organising and planning events, she loves trying new restaurants and cafes, is an escape room afficionado, and bakes a mean carrot cake.

claire.williamson@prosper.scot

Eleonora is Peer Work’s hunter-gatherer!

Her role is to connect people and provide places where they can learn from each other’s experiences. To do that she hunts for inspirational leaders who share their stories, explaining the challenges and achievements of running an organisation. Eleonora is also skilled at gathering together people from all sorts of backgrounds who want learn from those stories and apply their new knowledge to be able to work better and smarter.

Eleonora is a real foodie and as an Italian in Scotland has been impressed with the country’s very best produce.

eleonora.vanello@prosper.scot

Alison is an essential member of the Peer Works team, managing the Club’s online presence and external communications, as well as organising and promoting all the monthly events.

She loves to make the most of online tools for digital storytelling, using these to help support others and make a positive impact. Alison has a degree in Law and Psychology, and prior to joining Prosper, worked mainly in the third sector.

Away from work Alison enjoys being a mum, baking and delving into all things true crime.

alison.douglas@prosper.scot

Jasmin leads on all things content – crafting our strategy and ensuring our digital platforms are filled with engaging material. Whether she’s writing newsletters and blogs, updating the website, or streamlining workflows and processes behind the scenes, she makes sure our communications are clear, vibrant, and purposeful for the Peer Works community.

Originally from Germany, Jasmin has lived and worked in five countries before settling in her home of choice: Scotland. She holds a BA in Media Culture & English Studies and an MA in Festival, Arts and Cultural Management. Having worked across the Scottish arts scene, she’s never far from a creative side project.

Outside of Peer Works, Jasmin loves travelling, wild swimming, arts and crafts – and throwing elaborate themed parties with her friends.

jasmin.geissen@prosper.scot

Science never stays still, and as the supremo of Stemovators, Thomas’s job requires him to constantly update his knowledge and he learns something new every day.

His day-to-day work involves overseeing all of Stemovators’ diverse education programs and partnerships in science and technology. With his team, Thomas develops science resource kits, experimenting with new ideas and distributing them to schools right across Scotland. He gets to travel around the country to deliver school workshops, teacher training CPDs, and events, while meeting with partners to secure funding, co-develop STEM activities, and arrange volunteering opportunities.

When not working, you likely find Thomas up a hill somewhere with his friends, or maybe taking apart a bit of his house to begin a new DIY project.

thomas.wild@stemovators.scot

Julie just loves her work with young people.

She thinks it’s brilliant to travel around the country to attend events and see the students’ enthusiasm for STEM first hand. Julie particularly enjoys working closely with schools, industry partners and other STEM providers to promote, grow and expand the project’s reach. She plays an important role coordinating Stemovators communication and marketing, distributing project and resource kits to schools across the country. Julie also organises our school workshops, teacher training and celebration of STEM events.

When not working, Julie can be found at the gym or out walking in local hills with friends.

julie.fleming@stemovators.scot

Melanie’s work is varied and diverse and she welcomes every opportunity to contribute to Stemovators’ growth and success.

She enjoys collaborating with schools, and forging strong ties with other STEM providers. As well as planning and implementing innovative activities and events for the project, Melanie helps organise teacher training workshops and creates engaging marketing materials, social media updates and project evaluations.

Outside work, you can usually find Melanie indulging her creativity with all kinds of crafts, both traditional and digital. However, crafting regularly gets put aside for walks with her energetic cocker spaniel puppy, Nova.

melanie.riddell@stemovators.scot

Amy is an experienced science communicator who is driven by a passion for making everyone feel like STEM is for them. She really enjoys being part of lightbulb moments, when a young person realises they have the curiosity and skills needed in science.

Much of her time is spent overseeing the Climate Smarter programme, which inspires young people to work together and design solutions for some of the planet’s biggest issues, as well as supporting teachers to facilitate STEM lessons in their classrooms which are exciting and relevant.

In her spare time Amy enjoys reading, listening to records and cuddling her cat. She is also a huge movie lover and is learning silversmithing.

amy.childs@stemovators.scot

Dave’s long experience in STEM subjects (36 years as an Engineer and 5 years as a Physics teacher) is perfect for his work with Stemovators, where he develops science, engineering and maths activities.

He really enjoys presenting them to young people when he gets the chance. It’s important to Dave that he makes sure that Stemovators present accurate and relevant science in simple language to young people, and of course, that it’s good fun!

When not doing science stuff, Dave likes to bag Munros (slowly), is trying his hand at curling, or can be found fixing up his cottage in Orkney.

dave.craig@stemovators.scot

Benjie has been taking things apart to find out how they work since he was tiny – but putting them back together again wasn’t always so easy!

This inquisitive mind has proved useful in his work with Stemovators, where he designs STEM projects, hosts teacher training workshops and delivers pupil events. Benjie was responsible for the popular Go Forth challenge – which involved designing a 2 metre bridge from lollipop sticks and cable ties, strong enough to support 50 standard bottles of water – and many similar projects. As an electronic engineer by trade, he also works with Edinburgh Laser Optics, Cramasie and CreativEnergie alongside Stemovators.

Benjie can often be found wandering in the countryside or making large pots of vegetable curry.

bmarwickjohnstone@stemovators.scot