John is Chair of Skills Development Scotland and Chair of Hub South West Limited. He is former Chair of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council and the Renfrewshire Enterprise Company. In 2006, John completed a review of public sector procurement in Scotland on behalf of the Scottish Executive. He is former Vice President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

In 1994 John was awarded a CBE for his services to industry and education.

Agnes Valentine has worked in Executive and C-level roles within the IT sector in Scotland for more than 35 years. During this time, her work has been primarily focussed on Financial Services and the Public Sector, including the Health sector and a range of Government agencies.

A key focus throughout her career has been to drive business transformation and innovation through IT enablement. Being passionate about young people’s career aspirations has led Agnes to be actively involved in the Scottish Financial Services IT forum and with the promotion of Modern Apprenticeships in the IT sector.

In August 2017, Agnes was appointed Director, WBL Scotland.

*Appointed by SDS as a co-opted member of the Board for a term of one year and re-appointed until the end of September 2018.

Her previous roles have been with AstraZeneca, Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Student Loans Company and recently The James Hutton Institute.  She has substantial experience of Strategic Planning, Finance, Governance, Risk and Change management. 

Beth also has experience as a Non-Executive Director. She is currently a Board Member of Glasgow Prestwick Airport where she chairs the Audit and Risk Committee and sits on the Capital Investment Committee.  Beth is also a Member of the Investigation Committee at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants.

She worked at a strategic level in AstraZeneca, Kellogg’s, PepsiCo, Reckitt Benckiser, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, a national start up and currently Bield Housing and Care. She has been a member of several boards and government advisory groups and supported the development of regulations, policies and procedures around education and workforce development nationally.

She has been involved in provision and management of learning and development and talent management throughout her career including being Global Clinical learning and Development Director at AZ where she had responsibility for the talent development of 6000 people worldwide. As a member of global executive teams she had  been responsible for audit and ensuring the highest standards of corporate governance.

She was a Member of Sir Ian Wood’s Commission for Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) and is currently a Member of the Programme Board for DYW and a Member of the Scottish Advisory Board for Outward Board.

In 2012 Christine was awarded a CBE for services to education and in 2013 was awarded a Fellowship to SQA.

Christine was a member of the Early Years Commission established by Children in Scotland which reported to the Scottish Government and made recommendations on the further expansion of provision.

She was previously a Co-Opted Board Member for Skills Development Scotland.

With a turnover of £220 million and over 1200 staff operating in 110 locations throughout Scotland; central to SDS’s role and purpose is the contribution it makes to the creation of a strong, vibrant and diverse economy. With SDS leading on skills planning and development, Damien is committed to forging strong relationships between providers of education and training, and businesses and industry ensuring support for both employers to get the skills they need and individuals to get jobs and progress in the workplace.

Damien has overseen an extensive modernisation programme spanning a network of 400 school careers staff and 47 local branches to enhance the scope and reach of Careers Information, Advice and Guidance services in Scotland. Passionate about supporting young people and recognising the relevance of high quality digital support for young people in career decision making, he was instrumental in driving forward development of a now award winning digital service, My World of Work. Achieving on average over 235,000 unique users a month, My World of Work is now recognised by Education Scotland for its valuable contribution to careers services.  

Damien has also strengthened and developed the crucial links between employer demand for, and the supply of, skilled individuals into employment through strategic initiatives. This includes working in partnership locally and regionally to develop Skills Investment Plans for each of Scotland’s key growth and economic sectors and regional skills assessments throughout the length and breadth of Scotland.  Currently delivering 25,000 new Modern Apprenticeships annually, recognising the value to employers, individuals and the economy he is committed to increasing this to 30,000 by 2020.

Damien’s extensive international knowledge of, and advocacy for, work based learning has driven the creation of new opportunities for young people to sustain and achieve success in the labour market; such as the introduction of foundation apprenticeships for senior school pupils. Passionate about skills development and its contribution to a prospering Scottish economy; Damien’s future ambitions for SDS include improving industry engagement in workforce development through foundation and graduate level apprenticeships, supporting inclusion and diversity in fair and productive workplaces and providing greater support to school pupils earlier to help them on the path to sustainable and rewarding careers.

Donald works with many large and medium sized Scottish businesses and has an extensive knowledge of owner managed businesses.  He also advises international companies in respect of their Scottish operations. 

Campbell Dallas was one of the first accounting firms in Scotland to create a Modern Apprenticeship scheme, providing access for school leavers directly into the workplace and offering them an opportunity to become a Chartered Accountant directly from school. 

Donald has a particular interest in engineering businesses in Scotland, as well as heading up the Technology Media and Communications section within Campbell Dallas.

He is a graduate of Strathclyde University where he obtained an Honours Degree in Economics and Industrial Relations. 

He serves on a number of skills and economic development boards at Scottish and UK level and has contributed extensively to the development of skills and employment policy, including as a member of the Commission on Developing Scotland's Young Workforce. 

He also led the creation of Scottish Union Learning and serves as a member of its Board.

Helen is an External Relations professional with over 15 years’ experience at C suite level and in that time held the position of Partnership Policy and External Relations with Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce.

Previous to Edinburgh Chamber, Helen also worked with the independent Think Tank Reform Scotland where she supported the organisation with their External Relations, prior to Reform Scotland she headed the Public Relations and Public Affairs for Dunfermline Building Society.

Helen was also Chief Executive at Fife Chamber of Commerce.
Helen Robertson is an energetic, positive communicator and networker who approaches life and work with passion and commitment.

*Appointed by SDS as a co-opted member of the Board for a term of 2 years.

A dedicated advocate of civic responsibility and volunteering, Nazim continues to volunteer with local community groups and agencies to promote equality, diversity, community empowerment and supports initiatives which seek to strengthen transparency in public service provisions.

In her professional capacity she brings to this role her knowledge on organisational development and information management legislation.

Nazim has been appointed by SDS as a member of the Board for 4 years.

She spent her working life in education, training as a primary teacher and working in the classroom, as a Teacher, Head Teacher, Education Adviser, Quality Improvement Manager and latterly as Director of Education and Children's Services for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar. 

Through her work in senior management, she has acquired a set of skills and a strategic objectivity that she believes equips her for the challenges facing the SDS Board. 

Whilst involved in various roles in the Education Sector, she was fully aware of the valuable work of Skills Development Scotland and the key role it plays in bridging the crucial gap between school and work and she is keen to play her part in helping the organisation to deliver its identified outcomes and goals. 

She is from the Isle of Harris and is a native Gaelic speaker.

From 2001 to 2012 Willie was responsible for Clydesdale Bank's Corporate, Agricultural and Private Banking business across Ayrshire and Arran.  In January 2013, he established Willie Mackie Consulting Limited providing business consultancy services to a wide range of clients predominantly based in Ayrshire. 

Willie holds a number of positions within the Ayrshire community including; Member of the Ayrshire Economic Partnership; Chair, Taste Ayrshire; Board member, East Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership.  In 2016 he was appointed to the Board of Scottish Enterprise where he is also Chair of the Audit Committee.

Willie has also been involved in the College sector for many years including roles as Member of the Board of Ayr College (Chair from 1 January 2013); Ayrshire Partnership Board Member; and Ayrshire College Regional Lead and then Regional Chair from 4 March 2014.  In March 2014 Willie was also appointed to the boards of Colleges Scotland and College Development Network where he is also Chair of the Audit Committee.