APEXSCOTLAND - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the APEX BOARD
Born and brought up in Edinburgh, Ann graduated with an MA (Hons) in History from the University of Edinburgh followed by a PG Cert in Youth & Community Work from Aberdeen College of Education.
Ann worked as a community education worker and lived in Aberdeenshire for more than 30 years becoming a head of service for Culture and Learning at Aberdeen City Council. During this period, Ann also graduated with an M.Ed from the University of Aberdeen and a Diploma in Change Management from the Robert Gordon University.
At the end of 2011, Ann moved from the statutory sector to the voluntary sector and started work with Crisis, the national charity for homeless people. As director of Crisis Skylight Edinburgh for 7 years Ann established and developed the charity's outreach services delivering education, training and one-to-one support to homeless people in Edinburgh.
Ann is Vice Chair of the Board of Edinburgh College, a trustee of the Edinburgh Development Trust and the Secretary of Southside Community Choir.
Ann has three adult sons, two of whom live in Edinburgh. The eldest lives with his family in Kuala Lumpur.
Job Titles:
- Vocational Activity Officer
- Vocational Activity Training Officer
Callum is responsible for the implementation of the workforce development programme and the content on Apex's STACC training portal for clients and staff.
Claire is a licensed insolvency practitioner and chartered accountant, working with individuals, company directors, partnerships on formal insolvency appointments, solvent restructuring and risk reviews.
Recognised within her peer group, Claire has been asked to speak at industry conferences on various matters within insolvency as well as being consulted on a regular basis by members of the professional community, primarily within the central belt of Scotland but also across the UK. Claire has in-depth knowledge of the licensed trade, payroll agencies, agriculture, construction, legal firms, and the leisure industry. She is a member of R3, the trade body for insolvency professionals.
Claire joined the Apex Board in January 2022.
Elaine manages the HR function for the organisation, including all personnel matters and developing, advising on and implementing policies for an effective workforce.
Emma joined Apex in 2008 as a frontline practitioner working in a consortium, Turnaround, in West Dunbartonshire, supporting males experiencing the justice system with the first point of contact being in the Court cells. The Turnaround project offered holistic support to contribute to the reduction in the cyclical offending pattern.
Emma's whole career journey has been with Apex, who accomplished her MSc in Applied Social Research (Criminology) also in 2008, graduating around the same time as her start date with Apex. This was achieved at University of Stirling and prior to that Emma had achieved a BSc (Hons) Criminology and Sociology. Emma's early career passion was to support individuals experiencing the justice system and is interested in particular, in the social context of crime, the environment and life experiences that perpetuate it.
In 2010 Emma moved into the role of Business Development Officer covering the North of Scotland, supporting operational managers to develop services and to comprise funding applications. In 2012 Emma moved into an operational management role as Service Development Manager covering Forth Valley, Fife and Tayside. Emma managed an array of services and teams within her remit including justice social work partnerships, DWP interventions and young people's services.
Emma joined the Apex Corporate Management team in 2018 as Depute Director of Operations, working alongside the then Director of Operations to oversee all of Apex's operational services. In early 2022 Emma was appointed into the Director of Operations role as part of a strategic refocus on areas of work.
Emma oversees the organisation's practice and is committed to high practice standards desiring to use a highly reflective approach with teams to ensure the most impactful experience for both staff and for people who use the services. Emma is also the lead for Apex's implementation of trauma policy and the application of trauma informed practice into organisational systems and processes. Emma is particularly interested in developing strategic relationships and joining up the dots with service provision in local areas.
Emma is also interested in early intervention and facilitating the voices of people to be heard, and hopes to have an impact in this area as Chair of her son's Parent Council. In her spare time Emma enjoys long, brisk walks and hill gazing, being fortunate enough to live under a view of the Ochils and finds this is one of the best ways to de-stress and gain perspective.
Job Titles:
- Service Development Manager
Gareth is the implementation lead for trauma policy and the Partners in Change project.
Job Titles:
- Head of Operations
- Director of Development and Skills
- Member of Fife Children 's Panel
- Service Manager With Responsibility
Gerard has been with Apex Scotland since 1997 when he joined the CueTen project as a Councillor/Trainer. This project, for 14-16 year old persistent offenders, was based in Fife and was widely acclaimed for its innovative approach to the issue of youth offending.
In 1999, Gerard moved to Stirling to manage Apex services in Forth Valley. These services included an employment and guidance service, prison based services in HMP YOI Polmont, HMP YOI Cornton Vale and HMP Glenochil and several contracts with Forth Valley Enterprise and Triage. He was also responsible for the first mentoring project within the organisation, matching volunteer mentors with clients who required additional support.
In 2001, Gerard was appointed Service Manager with responsibility for the organisation's strategy for youth services, staff development and volunteering. In 2002, he took responsibility for child protection and sex offenders strategy.
In 2012, Gerard was appointed as Head of Operations with responsibility for all of Apex services and operations including health and safety and workforce development and planning. In 2022 this wide ranging role was split and Gerard took on the role of Director of Development and Skills, working closely with the new Director of Operations. Gerard leads the organisation's ABC Skills Academy model. As a member of the Corporate Management Team he contributes to the governance and strategic direction of the organisation.
Outwith Apex, Gerard has been a member of Fife Children's Panel since 1993, Chair of Fife Children's Panel 2001-2010 and national Children's Panel Chair 2007-2010.
His hobbies and interests include following East Fife FC and travel.
Gordon was a police officer with 30 years' experience managing a wide range of responsibilities, including setting direction and overseeing delivery of child protection/MAPPA/ and domestic abuse. He was a senior investigating officer for 15 years and was head of Crime Management Training nationally. Gordon has delivered strategic management training nationally and internationally. He has extensive experience in working with multi agency partners across a wide range of issues. Gordon chaired and sat on national working groups influencing direction of travel including crime management and the management of substance abuse in communities. He has a passion for early intervention informed by his work within the criminal justice system.
He has also, most recently, worked within the higher education environment where he helped drive enhanced university approaches to mental health first response and in particular to supporting strategy and practice around gender based violence and enhanced 24 hour first response support for students generally. He was chair of the national security association within Scotland and sat on the UK board. He has travelled abroad reviewing university security and protest management arrangements in Hong Kong.
He lives in Alloa with his family and labrador. He loves football and follows Falkirk Football Club.
Job Titles:
- Service Development Manager
Job Titles:
- Administrator - ITA Courses
Karen graduated from the University of Stirling in 2006 with a BA joint (Hons) in Criminology and Sociology. After working in the private sector she moved into the third sector where a passion for all things prevention and early intervention were realised through innovative service delivery, service design and partnership working.
Karen began her employment with Apex Scotland as a frontline practitioner, gaining invaluable experience and developing a bespoke skillset through the partnership with Venture Trust and delivering services for criminal justice, SPS, DWP and local authority contracts before developing into leadership roles. Her greatest privilege and professional achievement to date is the development of the RE:SET - revising youth mindset service (formerly Apex Inclusion), which she grew from one school to a national service; creating a bespoke curricula to improve outcomes for children and young people at risk of exclusion. Karen also worked in the evenings as a youth worker in Fife for 10 years, serving intermediates and seniors in Kennoway, Leven and Methil.
After a rewarding 12 years at Apex Scotland, Karen stepped into the public sector as one of Education Scotland's Attainment Advisors. Karen plays a strong role in linking the work of Education Scotland, Scottish Government and Local Authorities to improve educational attainment and to reduce the attainment gap between children and young people from the least and most socially disadvantaged backgrounds.
Karen lives in Fife with her husband, children and their pet dog. In her spare time she enjoys catching up with friends and family, going for walks, listening to music, being part of her church assembly and reading.
Kathrine graduated from the University of Edinburgh BA LLB. She was admitted as a Solicitor in 1978 and practised principally in the field of civil litigation. She was accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in Medical Negligence. From 1994 until 1997 she served as the first female President of the Society of Solicitors in the Supreme Courts of Scotland, and was appointed as a Sheriff in 2000, sitting principally in Edinburgh.
Kathrine was a member of the former National Group to Address Violence against Women, and chaired a multi-agency group responsible for establishing and monitoring a pilot Domestic Abuse Court in Edinburgh and thereafter, in 2015, a Domestic Abuse Court. She was one of six Sheriffs designated to sit in the All Scotland Personal Injury Court, was Chair of the Edinburgh Sheriff Court Personal Injury Users Group, a member of the Scottish Civil Justice Council Personal Injury Committee and the Court of Session PI Users Group.
Kathrine retired from the judiciary in April 2018 but still holds a commission to sit as required. She is an advisor to the Board of Community Justice Scotland, a member of the Independent Prison Monitors Advisory Group, a member of the RRT Advisory Group and Chair of the Applecross Community Forum.
Kathrine is married with one adult daughter and a black Labrador. In her spare time she acts as a Judicial Officer in rugby and other sporting disciplinary bodies.
Job Titles:
- Central Support Manager
- Senior Administrator of Apex
Lynn is senior administrator of Apex, managing a team which provides a full range of administrative services for the organisation and Board, including resources and events.
Job Titles:
- Service Development Manager
Mhairi is head of Apex's finance team which is responsible for the management of Apex's budgets and finance administration for the organisation. She works with the Director of Finance to provide financial advice and guidance to the Board of Directors.
Peter joined the Board of Apex Scotland in September 2020. He also serves on the Board of Apex Scotland's social enterprise, All Cleaned Up Scotland.
Living in north east Scotland, Peter works for Aberdeenshire Health and Social Care Partnership as an Employability Officer. He previously worked in social care; the civil service, and in social enterprise development.
Peter has wide-ranging experience of voluntary sector governance, having served on the Boards of around 13 various sized organisations over the past 25 years. He enjoys learning how to do governance better; having as much to learn as to offer in that respect.
Peter is qualified in Business and Management; Social Care; Housing; and People Management and is a member of the Institute of Employability Professionals; an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development; a member of the Chartered Management Institute; a Professional member of the Vocational Rehabilitation Association UK; a member of the Case Management Society UK; and is registered with the International Disability Management Standards Council (UK and Ireland)
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance and Corporate Development
Philip has worked with Apex Scotland since 1997. A qualified accountant for more than 21 years, he has extensive experience in the public and private sector as well as within the Third Sector. A member of the Scottish Charity Finance Group and an Associate member of the Association of Chief Officers of Scottish Voluntary Organisations, Philip has also represented Apex on a number of forums over the years bringing financial, political and strategic knowledge to the fore.
He has an in depth understanding of all aspects of Third Sector and Social Enterprise financing and has contributed to the development of social investment thinking and approaches in Scotland.
Job Titles:
- Team Leader
- Team Leader - Aberdeen and Tayside
Job Titles:
- Best Practice Manager
- Contract Compliance Officer
Silvana provides operational support to the Director of Operations and oversees compliance of national contracts.
Job Titles:
- SET and Schools Development Manager
Zoe manages Apex's school services, engaging with local authority education departments, developing and promoting the Apex RE:SET services as well as managing RE:SET staff.