Mark McSherry has decades of experience as a financial editor, publisher and reporter, having worked around the world for Reuters, Bloomberg, Forbes, London Evening Standard, The Independent, London Sunday Times, The Scotsman, The South China Morning Post and The New Zealand Herald.
His journalism has also appeared in The Guardian, The New York Times and The Washington Post.
McSherry has worked in New York, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Newcastle, London, Hong Kong, Auckland, Frankfurt and Dublin.
He is also a professor of journalism and communication arts.
McSherry gained an MBA at the University of Edinburgh and graduated in Global Affairs in the International Programs at NYU’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies. He completed his MBA thesis on The Marketing Of Investment Trust Companies (closed end mutual funds).
Mark Beaumont spent the first 15 years of his career building teams around sporting success and is best known as an athlete and BBC broadcaster. He still holds the 18,000-mile circumnavigation cycling record in a time of 78 days. Mark’s degree education was in Economics & Politics, and for over thirteen years he has also worked a leading UK’s mid-market private equity firm, before becoming a partner at Eos Advisory in 2019 to focus on impact investing in early-stage Scottish science and technology.
Zehrid is head of the Global Long-Term Unconstrained team and is manager of Martin Currie Global Portfolio Trust.
Chloé is an investment specialist in our Japanese Equities Team and a member of the Japan Product Group. Chloé maintains a close relationship with the Japanese Investment Team, participating in stock discussions and portfolio meetings, as part of her investment specialist role. Prior to joining the Japan Team, Chloé spent four years with our LatEMEA Team, responsible for existing clients and new business relationships in the Nordics and Iberia. She joined Baillie Gifford in 2013, having started her career in Martin Currie Investment Management. Chloé graduated MA (Hons) in Economics and International Relations from the University of St Andrews in 2011.
Kim McAllister is a freelance business journalist and communications consultant at Connect. She presented seven series of Clever About Cash on BBC Radio Scotland and contributes to a number of BBC shows including Radio 4’s Inside Science. She writes for newspapers across Scotland and hosts conferences across the UK plus once in Belgium, which allowed her to use her French! She lives in Edinburgh with her husband and two sons.
Be sure to check out some of the Clever About Cash episodes on the Blog page
Elizabeth Pirrie is CEO of AccelerateHER; a founders’ network that is moving the dial to create more opportunities for and increase the visibility and backing of female founders in the UK. In her role as COO of Investing Women Angels, she is also working to change the face of angel investment.
Through AccelerateHER’s programme of events, support, and market-building missions the organisation is helping female founders to accelerate growth, scale their companies, and access investment.
After a longstanding career as an Accountant and Finance Director in the private sector, Elizabeth brought her experience to the field of entrepreneurship, supporting founders to scale their businesses, consulting on everything from product launches to international market expansions.
A keen advocate of mental health in the workplace, Elizabeth is also an avid runner and supporter of all the benefits running can bring to both one’s personal and professional life.
Jo Freeman-Young is a Senior Nature and Biodiversity Manager, where she leads the development of the Group-wide nature and biodiversity strategy.
Jo’s experience and expertise cover all areas of sustainability, but most notably carbon markets, nature and ESG data. She has led a number of large ESG transformation projects , she sits on the nature working group of the Climate and Financial Risk Forum and is a key contributor to the development of nature-data solutions, in collaboration with FinTech Scotland and Space Scotland.
Kaisie Rayner is the Founder and Director of A Future Worth Living In, a pioneering organisation dedicated to guiding financial institutions in understanding and implementing sustainability practices as they invest in the transition to a low-carbon economy.
With a robust background in finance and organisational development and over 25 years of experience in the finance sector, Kaisie is striving to drive systemic change. Her career has been focused on transforming financial systems to align with societal goals, advocating for a shift toward sustainable and impactful investment practices. She shares her insights on the value and influence of finance, the necessary adjustments for a sustainable future, and how financial institutions can and should play a crucial role in shaping a better world.
Sandy Begbie CBE, FRSE was appointed Chief Executive of Scottish Financial Enterprise in October 2020.
Prior to joining SFE, Sandy led the development of the Scottish Government’s Young Person’s Guarantee following an 18-month contract at Tesco Bank as the Chief Transformation Officer.
Sandy was responsible for the Global People, Organisation and Culture Integration following the successful merger of Standard Life and Aberdeen Asset Management in 2017. Before the merger Sandy was the Chief People Officer and Lead Executive for China and Hong Kong for Standard Life for eight years. During this time, he led the Standard Life HR team to be recognised as one of the top performing functions in the UK and also led the turn-around of Standard Life’s Chinese Joint Venture. Sandy was appointed Senior Advisor to the Standard Life HASL Asia business in Hong Kong in July 2020, having been Chair of the Hong Kong-based Board since 2014. In December 2023 Sandy was appointed as International Director to the HASL Asia business and stepped down as Senior Advisor.
Before joining Standard Life in May 2010 Sandy held similar Transformation and Group HR Director positions within Aegon, Scottish Power and Royal Bank of Scotland.
Sandy holds several non-executive positions including Chair of Place2Be Scotland and a Trustee on the National Place2Be Board, Chair of Young Person Guarantee and Chair of DYW (Developing the Young Workforce).
Sandy was awarded a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in August 2018 for services to business and social inclusion. He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) in March 2023. In December 2024 Sandy was awarded Freedom of the City of London for his transformative leadership in Scotland's financial sector and his enduring commitment to fostering economic growth and social inclusion across Scotland.
Fahad Kamal is the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) at Coutts, where he leads the investment and risk teams. In his role, Fahad plays a key part in shaping the firm's investment strategies and ensuring the effective management of risks.
Before joining Coutts, Fahad served as CIO at Kleinwort Hambros, where he gained valuable experience overseeing investment operations. His career also includes notable roles at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Institutional Shareholder Services, further showcasing his expertise in financial management and strategic investments.
Fahad holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from George Washington University in Washington, DC, and an MBA from Bayes Business School in London, underpinning his solid academic background and commitment to advancing his knowledge in the field of finance.
Sandy MacDonald is Executive Director, Head of Impact at Scottish National Investment Bank, tasked with ensuring they deliver the impact aspect of their missions as a development bank. He has a professional background working within and across sectors to drive positive social and environmental change. Before joining SNIB he was Director of Public Policy and Communications at Scottish Financial Enterprise, the membership body for the financial services industry in Scotland. Before that he was at Standard Life, and Standard Life Aberdeen plc, including 8 years as Global Head of Sustainability, with responsibility for sustainability strategy, ESG reporting, and social, environmental and community impact.
Sandy’s active interest in the environment and tackling inequalities is also reflected in his voluntary and non-Executive career. He is currently a trustee of Turn2Us, the UK financial inclusion charity, and independent Chair of the Nominations Committee for the National Trust for Scotland.
John is a Senior Investment Manager in the Edinburgh office. He manages the portfolios for clients of independent financial advisers and high-net-worth clients. He is particularly skilled in collective investments, investment trusts and asset allocation.
He prides himself on being able to form deep connections with his clients, utilising both his experience and knowledge. He is a keen scholar of financial history and aims to use his learnings to improve client performance and enhance understanding, calming any nerves along the way.
John has spent most of his career at RBC Brewin Dolphin, starting in 1993 and qualifying in 1997. He has always been involved in private client investment management but helped set up the Brewin Portfolio Service which allows smaller clients to invest and evolve with us. He also chairs the Managed Portfolio Service Investment Committee and serves on the Asset Allocation Committee. He is a Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Securities & Investment.
Born in Paisley in 1985, he was first elected to the Scottish Parliament for the seat of Renfrewshire South at the 2016 election, holding the seat in 2021. He joined the Scottish Government as Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth in May 2021.
Mr Arthur was raised in Barrhead, East Renfrewshire, where he was educated at Cross Arthurlie Primary and Barrhead High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music then later Master of Music from the University of Glasgow. Before entering politics, he worked as a company director, freelance piano teacher and keyboardist. He was appointed as for Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance in March 2023.
Vicky Gorman is the COO of FinTech Scotland, an independent cluster organisation with a mission of enabling economic, societal and environmental benefits of FinTech innovation in Scotland. Delivery of this mission takes the form of initiating, convening, and driving collaborative innovation by leveraging contributions and support from industry, entrepreneurs, academia, regulators, and the public sector.
Vicky joined FinTech Scotland in May 2024. Prior to joining, she spent 19 years in financial services specialising in investment management and investor relations with a focus on private markets. Most recently, Vicky was head of investor relations at Dalmore Capital, a UK infrastructure fund with over £5 billion AUM. Prior to this, she was a member of infrastructure multi-manager investment teams at Capital Dynamics and UBS Global Asset Management in London and Zurich. Vicky started her career in corporate finance and assurance at PwC in Edinburgh and was seconded to the World Economic Forum as Project Manager of the Infrastructure Initiative.
Vicky holds an Honours degree in Pharmacology from the University of Bristol and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accounts of Scotland.
