Our People
Staff team
Animated guide - What is FOI?
Visit our fixtures calendar to view a wide range of events and to enter those organised by scottishathleticsVisit our fixtures calendar to view a wide range of events and to enter those organised by scottishathletics
- The maximum number of media items have been selected.
- The maximum number of media ite
- The maximum number of media items have been selected.
Visit our fixtures calendar to view a wide range of events and to enter those organised by scottishathleticsVisit our fixtures calendar to view a wide range of events and to enter those organised by scottishathletics
Contact Claire: claire.fergusson@stjohnscotland.org.uk
Contact Lisa: lisa.millar@stjohnscotland.org.uk
Contact Kayleigh: kayleigh.hirst@stjohnscotland.org.uk
Contact Annemarie: annemarie.mcrobbie@stjohnscotland.org.uk
Our Board
Eleanor was an Account Director with Charles Barker/Weber Shandwick until she and her husband Torquhil took over the running of Inveraray Castle & Gardens. The house is one of Scotland’s main tourist attractions and welcomes 125,000 visitors a year.
Eleanor sits on the board of Historic Houses and chairs their tourism development team; is President of the Georgian Group; Patron of Richmond’s Hope (Scotland’s leading child bereavement charity) and is a past Chair of the Women of Achievement Luncheon. She became Prior and Chair of St John Scotland in June 2021.
Simon retired in 2021 after 40 years of practice as a solicitor, specialising in charity law and succession planning.
After serving on the Scottish Government’s Charity Law Review Commission in 2000-2001, Simon’s involvement in charity law deepened as charity law in Scotland developed. Among other roles, he served on the executive of the Charity Law Association, chaired the Court of Directors of The Edinburgh Academy and the Scottish Episcopal Church Pension Fund, and was chairman of his firm Turcan Connell from 2015 to 2019.
He became Chancellor of the Order in Scotland, and Vice Chair of the Board of St John Scotland in 2021, and in addition to these roles remains a trustee of four grant giving charities.
Allan is a Chartered Accountant who spent his working life with Gillespie & Anderson CA, joining in 1972 and eventually retiring as senior partner in 2017. Allan became involved with St John Scotland through a connection with his office and served for a short period as Treasurer to the Glasgow Area committee. He was appointed Receiver General in 2016 and chairs the Finance and General Purposes Committee.
John Ferguson-Smith
Rev Neil Gardner MA BD was born and brought up in East Lothian and is a graduate of the Universities of St Andrews and Edinburgh. He served in the Royal Army Chaplains’ Department from 1991-1998 then became minister of Alyth in Perthshire before being inducted to Canongate Kirk, the Kirk of Holyroodhouse and Edinburgh Castle, in 2006. St John’s House is also in his parish and he has been associated with the Order of St John for a number of years before being appointed Dean, and joining the Board of St John Scotland, in 2021.
Michael, a Chartered Accountant, joined St John on being appointed as the first CEO of the St John Eye Hospital, Jerusalem in 2000. Prior to that he had been CEO for fifteen years in the NHS, academia and the charity sector. The Second Intifada broke out in September of that year but the hospital managed to continue its work in Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza despite the hostilities. It also instituted a major building and refurbishment programme.
On retiring he became the Chair of St John Scotland's Dumfries and Galloway committee, and was appointed to the Board of St John Scotland in 2017.
Ian is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development with a passion for positively helping people. This background and his interest in history is what drew Ian to St John Scotland over 20 years ago. Over his time as a volunteer in many roles, including area secretary, fundraising chair and area chair, he now serves at a national level as a Board member of St John Scotland supporting the life saving work of the charity. He was appointed Director of Ceremonies for the Order in 2022.
Jess has over 30 years experience in education, at both secondary and tertiary level. A graduate of the University of Glasgow, she completed her postgraduate teaching qualification in Edinburgh. She taught Modern Languages in Ayrshire and was then Principal Teacher of Guidance. Jess later moved to the University of Strathclyde as Development Manager where she was involved in research, policy development and postgraduate teacher training.
A committee member of St John Scotland Ayrshire and Arran since 2013, Jess was appointed Area Chair in 2021. She was a member of the St John Scotland Strategy Working Group before joining the Board in 2021.
Andrew has a professional background in the world of data and analytics and is passionate about the positive impacts that people can make with data given access to the right skills and support. Having spent 10 years as a St John Scotland volunteer in Edinburgh, he has been involved with the development of many of the area’s services. Andrew was invited to join the Board of St John Scotland in 2021 to bring his expertise and experience to the organisation at a national level, and in addition, Andrew currently holds the position of Assistant Director of Ceremonies.
