Our People

Richard has been minister at Greyfriars Kirk in Edinburgh since 2003 and is founder and Chair of the Grassmarket Community Project. He is also Convenor of the Church of Scotland’s Church and Society Council. He has a longstanding interest in enabling people to flourish regardless of their background and has a passion for social justice and finding alternative pathways towards a viable and humane economy that includes rather than excludes and enables people and the planet to thrive. He has an interest in and has written on agriculture and pilgrimage walking and loves to cook, build and garden. He is married to Kate a counsellor and psychoanalyst and they have three grown up children.

Jayne has over 17 years of experience in the social enterprise sector, and is currently Finance & Development Manager with Social Enterprise Network Scotland. In addition to overseeing the finances for the organisation, she also co-facilitates the Employability SEN, a national network of over 250 social enterprises that deliver employability outcomes. In this wide-ranging role Jayne supports, promotes and connects social enterprises; raises awareness of their contribution to Scotland’s employability landscape and consults with and represents members’ interests. She believes social enterprises are the foundation for a fairer, more inclusive Scotland and is proud to be part of that community.

With over 30 years’ experience in various accounting and finance roles, Nicky is currently working as Head of Finance & Estates at a special needs school locally and prior to that had spent eight years working at a specialist alcohol & drugs charity based in Aberdeen. Nicky has also worked within the oil & gas and service sectors in various finance and management roles. In 2006, after a career change, she completed an MSc in Property Economics and undertook academic research for a further year. She hopes to put to use her skills and experience as a GCP Trustee, in supporting the team at this very exciting time in the future development of the organisation.

Jo Elliot has a background in finance, latterly as chief executive of the Edinburgh merchant bank Quayle Munro. Since 2010 he has held a number of appointments as non-executive director or trustee in arts, education and social care including University of Dundee, St Mary’s Music School, Scottish Grantmakers, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Dunedin Consort. Besides being a trustee of the Grassmarket Community Project and of Greyfriars Charteris Centre he is Session Clerk of Greyfriars Kirk and a board member of the Church of Scotland Social Care Council (Crossreach)

Sandy is one of the founding partners of MBM Commercial LLP. He was senior partner of the firm until 2015, is now retired but continues to work as a consultant for the firm on a part-time basis in an ambassadorial and advisory role. He is a non-executive director of African Lakes Company Limited and is the chairman of the Converge Challenge, which is a company creation competition and entrepreneurship development programme for staff, students and recent graduates of Scottish universities and research institutes aimed at creating a new generation of entrepreneurs in Scotland. Sandy was awarded an OBE in 2017 for his services to entrepreneurship.

Our newest Board Member, joining us in September 2018, Joanne is a communications professional with more than 15 years’ experience in both the public and private sector. Previously working on a number of internal and external campaigns for the City of Edinburgh Council, Joanne currently manages the marketing, PR and communications for Hub South East - a development partner delivering community infrastructure in partnership with public sector bodies in Edinburgh, the Lothians and Scottish Borders. Through this work, Joanne lead fundraising efforts to handover more than £40,000 to GCP and has since been a great advocate and supporter of our work. Joanne is married to Ramsay and has a nine year old son, seven year old daughter and two yappy miniature schnauzers.

Helene has been in catering and hospitality throughout her career, running her own ventures and specialising in start-ups and contract mobilisations for commercial and social enterprises. She completed a Masters Gastronomy 3 years ago with Distinction, focusing on sustainable food procurement in local authorities.

Now the Business Manager for SPACE & Broomhouse Hub tasked with developing the social enterprises. Her focus is on food as that vital connector, to engage with the community, and work towards reducing food poverty, social isolation, and mental health issues. It is fantastic to be able to bring this passion to GCP and share in the development of this amazing organisation.

Douglas brings over 20 years’ public sector experience on policy, strategy and operations within the Scottish Government. Currently, Fuel Poverty Strategy Team Leader, he has recently supported portfolio areas as part of the Covid-19 response, EU Exit transition, and on the Vaccination Programme roll-out across Scotland. He holds several non-executive appointments across mental health and social justice organisations, including as part of the Grassmarket Mission. He became a GCP Trustee in September 2021.

A former Social Worker, Youth Worker and Outdoor Instructor, prior to becoming CEO of the GCP, Jonny founded My Adventure, Edinburgh’s leading adventure company and youth social enterprise. He is a trustee of the Edinburgh Social Enterprise Network and was previously on the board of Streetfit Scotland. Jonny is passionate about social justice and seeks innovative social enterprise opportunities and cross-sector partnerships to change the lives of the most vulnerable in society. He sings in the Project Choir, occasionally leads the walking group and loves getting away with members whenever he can to enjoy their company, the community and the natural world. Jonny is continually inspired by the members, what they share with him, the challenges they overcome, how much they appreciate GCP and the difference it makes to their lives. He is also in awe of the committed and talented staff and volunteer team that deliver such high quality experiences for members and customers. 

Jonny was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Edinburgh in 2018 for charitable work and his innovative use of business to serve communities, and was highly commended as a Social Enterprise Champion by Social Enterprise Scotland in 2019.

Catherine was Deputy General Manager at Edinburgh Zoo for 16 years, with responsibility for dozens of restaurants and kiosks, managing multi-million pound budgets and serving one of Scotland’s largest visitor attractions. Following this she was training manager for Macdonalds across multiple stores. Catherine manages the largest team at GCP, many of whom have support needs. She nurtures talent many employers ignore. Her team were integral to the success of the GCP receiving Scottish Enterprise of the Year Scotland and Best Performing Business awards.

The newest member of the Senior management team - Perry has spent the past 8 years working with vulnerable children and adults in schools and social work organisations. Most recently managing Outreach & Day services with Scottish Autism.
Perry is a huge advocate of hobbies and is often out walking in the hills, swimming at Lothian beaches or creating art and writing songs at home studio (shed). Sharing these passions and exploring creative ways of supporting people has been a big part of Perry’s career so far and he is really looking forward to influencing and being part of an innovative and energetic community.