SALVESEN MINDROOM CENTRE - Key Persons
Adrian has over 20 years' experience in technology and commercial roles, ranging from Plc's to early-stage startups, and 14 years' experience in the Private Equity sector. He has worked on and been responsible for advising clients (on technology matters) on over 300 Private Equity and M&A deals across multiple sectors and geographies. As one of the first employees and former Chief Commercial Officer of Intuitus Advisory, Adrian played a key role in the merger with Endava Plc in late 2019 and went on to become Managing Director of Endava's Private Equity Group. He is a graduate of the University of Dundee and Strathclyde Graduate Business School.
Job Titles:
- Business Development Manager
Aileen brings over 25 years' experience of working in training, learning and development. She has a genuine passion for lifelong learning and experience of developing a wide range of educational, workforce development and employability initiatives for the third, public and private sectors. With lived experience of neurodivergence, her ambition is to capture the very best new ideas emerging from the neurodiversity movement and embed these into innovative, high quality training programmes. In her spare time Aileen enjoys scuba diving, marine biology and is currently completing a MEd in Community Development & Adult Education. Aileen joined us as Training Manager in April 2021.
Alan leads Mindroom, working closely with the Chair and Board of Trustees and the Senior Management Team to set the organisational direction, lead the team to deliver excellence and ensure the charity is both sustainable and fulfilling its obligations.
He has over 20 years of senior level experience having joined Mindroom from HRH The Prince of Wales' Responsible Business Network, Business in the Community. He operates across the public, private and voluntary sectors to raise awareness of neurodiversity, supporting organisations to develop, embed and share good practice.
He is an Honorary Professor at Glasgow Caledonian University's School for Business & Society, a past Vice Chairman of Career Ready in Scotland, a former member of the Scottish Government's National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group and former lead author of Scotland's Fair Work Action Plan.
Alastair Salvesen CBE is a leading figure in the UK seafood industry and has been for over 35 years, receiving an honorary degree for his outstanding contribution to business and society from Cranfield University. Alastair Salvesen is also a Director of the Edinburgh New Town Cookery School Ltd, Dovecot Studios Ltd (one of the world's leading contemporary tapestry studios), Archangel Investments Ltd and New Ingliston Ltd.
Job Titles:
- Children & Young People Outreach Specialist - Transitions
Andrea qualified as an Art Therapist in 2005 and since then has worked in various roles within voluntary sector organisations supporting children, young people and adults with a range of needs including learning difficulties and disabilities. She has experience supporting parents and carers of children and young people who have disabilities and learning difficulties. Andrea joined us in November 2020 as a Family Advice Specialist within the Direct Help and Support team.
Andrew worked for 15 years as a classroom teacher with management responsibilities that included the school-wide development of Personal & Social Education and Behaviour Management. In the third sector, he has worked directly with teenagers and young adults as a Children & Families Worker and more recently within human resources, administration and hospitality. Andrew joined us in September 2018 to lead our project on supporting neurodivergent young people with the transition from school to employment through bespoke supported work experience placements.
Job Titles:
- Family Outreach Specialist
Known as the Anti-Anxiety Jeweller, Charlotte is a British designer and maker, creating therapeutic contemporary (and very popular) jewellery pieces and object d'art.
Her functional works are rooted in her first hand experience of anxiety and disordered coping mechanisms.
She studied jewellery design at Central St Martins, and completed a 2-year residency at Sarabande:The Lee Alexander McQueen Foundation where she developed her unique contemporary designs while exploring the kinetic uses of wearable and handheld jewellery.
Job Titles:
- Digital Infrastructure Manager
Chris joined Salvesen Mindroom Centre in October 2016 after time overseas where he developed his administrative skills in the private sector. Following some inspired career guidance, Chris made the move into the third sector where he has enjoyed the different challenges facing the charity and is proactive in providing the team with the platforms necessary to strengthen our systems and deliver the best service possible.
Job Titles:
- Family Outreach Specialist
Claire joined the team in September 2022 after more than 17 years in Social Care managing complex, challenging behaviour services for adults and young people. Prior to that Claire was a Virology Supervisor working in various laboratory settings across Scotland. In her own time Claire also works as a Family Mediator with Relationship Scotland and volunteers as a Scout leader and fosterer for Cats Whiskers.
Job Titles:
- Solicitor
- Director of Development & External Affairs
- Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh
Dinah is an experienced solicitor (non-practising) in the private, public and voluntary sectors. Her experience includes family law and children's hearings, advising on additional support for learning and accessibility, and social research. Dinah joined us in September 2016 and leads our Direct Help and Support team to deliver key services as well as providing capacity-building support, leading our research-related work and project management more broadly.
Dinah is an Honorary Fellow of the University of Edinburgh in the College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine.
Job Titles:
- Professor of Special Education, Director of Giorcelli Educational Consultancy Services, Sydney, Australia. Visiting Professor to San Francisco State University
"The Salvesen Mindroom Centre charity is a remarkable force for change and growth, especially for individuals with vulnerabilities and their families. The work and dedication of Sophie Dow and her team has already brought enormous change to the way people think, the way services are delivered and the way inclusive practices can be extended to each and every member of society. The Salvesen Mindroom Centre exemplifies the best that international networks, strong local advocacy and individual vision can achieve."
Job Titles:
- Children & Young People Outreach Specialist
Emma holds a bachelor's degree in Textile Design and a MSc in Transformative Learning and Teaching. A qualified teacher, Emma has worked in nurseries all the way through to Secondary level classrooms, including specialist provision s. Emma enjoys using her creative background to engage with children and families and has also worked in playschemes, after-school clubs, family homes (as a au-pair), a Canadian canoe-tripping camp, and an outdoor arts venue. Most recently, Emma has worked in the third sector to support neurodivergent people and provide training through the lens of lived-experience. In her spare time Emma enjoys running, Munro-bagging, and is currently studying towards a COSCA Certificate in Counselling Skills.
Job Titles:
- Director of Finance and Operations
After gaining an honours degree in Business and Finance, Geoff spent most of his career providing accounting, business and management support to a diverse and inspiring range of organisations within the charity sector. These have included award-winning conservation projects, purpose-built arts venues and a workers' cooperative dedicated to cross-cultural conflict resolution. Whatever the setting, Geoff's approach to financial management is always to keep things compliant, transparent, straightforward and on track. Geoff joined Salvesen Mindroom Centre in August 2020.
Harry has worked in government, for museums and cultural organisations, for charities and in the arts. After education at Falmouth College of Arts and University College London, Harry joined the British Army, serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was wounded in action and is now a double lower-limb amputee. He has written two books Anatomy of a Soldier (2016), and Hybrid Humans: Dispatches from the Frontiers of Man and Machine (2022), which explores ideas of disability and technology. Harry is currently the Deputy Director of the Royal Drawing School and lives in London. He loves to sea kayak in his spare time.
Jill spent several years working in the banking industry supporting a number of different areas and latterly providing direct support to the Deputy Head of Private Banking. She has spent the last 5 years working as a PA within the third sector, working for a charity providing all through life support to those with learning disabilities. Jill joined us in September 2020 and provides PA/Admin support to the CEO and her team.
As a graduate of the University of Edinburgh, Judy began her career as a Chartered Accountant and worked in commerce before co-founding FWB (now FWB Park Brown), an international executive search business with offices in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Houston, Texas. She is an Associate of the University of Edinburgh Business School and Joint Programme Director for the University's Executive Women's Leadership Programme and for the Non-Executive Director Programme.
Job Titles:
- Direct Help and Support Manager
Kirsten worked in a neighbourhood Children and Families Team and was employed for 10 years within local authority social work and education services. She is a qualified social worker and her experience includes working with children and young people with additional support needs and providing advice and support to education professionals. Kirsten has also been a registered Specialist Disability Foster Carer since 2011. Kirsten joined us in August 2018 to provide advocacy and support to children and young people with learning difficulties up to age 25. In 2020, she took up the position of Team Leader within the Direct Help and Support team and continues to work with children and young people directly as well as overseeing the delivery of this service.
Kirsty is responsible for cultivating a high-performance culture at Seccl, and holds executive accountability for executive performance, people, communications and proposition. Kirsty's human centric yet first principles approach has been shaped over twenty years, during which she has adopted non-traditional methods to delivering people strategies that enable inclusive, engaged and performing workplaces.
Job Titles:
- Children & Young People Outreach Specialist
Job Titles:
- Communications and Brand Specialist
Lesley is a communications and brand specialist who has led communications strategy in a number of major organisations, including Royal London, The Co-operative Bank, the City of Edinburgh Council, AEGON UK and the Association of British Insurers. Lesley is passionate about driving the positive impact of business in the community and has championed several corporate strategic charity partnerships. A Trustee of the National Library of Scotland for over 5 years, Lesley joined the board of SMC in September 2022.
Job Titles:
- Family Outreach Specialist
Lynne originally came from a background in Finance where she worked within accounts for over 20 years. After leaving the Finance Sector, just under 10 years ago, Lynne retrained in social care and worked in an Education and Residential Care organisation. Lynne initially worked in the classroom setting, supporting the children and young people to overcome their challenges and difficulties, in a therapeutic and nurturing manner. Lynne's last role was that of a Child and Family Worker, offering practical help and emotional support to the children and young people as their key worker. Additionally, Lynne supported parents and carers to explore and implement strategies to help them overcome their concerns and obstacles . Lynne joined us in February 2022 and works directly with parents and carers.
Job Titles:
- Family Outreach Specialist
Marie-Clare qualified and worked as a solicitor in a private practice after gaining an Honours degree in Scots Law with Spanish, a post-graduate degree Diploma in Legal Practice and a traineeship. She developed experience in the third sector as the Legal Adviser for a group of Citizens Advice Bureaux, advising on issues including disability discrimination, housing and employment law. She also provided representation at sheriff courts and tribunals and assisted with negotiations and mediation. Marie-Clare joined us in October 2019 and works directly with parents and carers.
Nell qualified as a nurse in 2007 and practised for several years in Edinburgh Hospitals before moving to the third sector. Whilst working with adult patients, Nell developed an interest in learning difficulties and worked as an administrator for a charity supporting children with ASD after leaving the NHS. In September 2016, she joined the Salvesen Mindroom Centre as a member of the Direct Help and Support team and works directly with parents and carers.
Nelly has worked within the Education sector for the past 8 years in varied roles and settings specializing in the field of Additional Support Needs. Initially working as a Secondary English and Social Science Teacher in London, where she then began her ongoing training in Special Educational Needs. Working in leadership roles to advise on and facilitate additional support for learning plans for students. Nelly has also provided support to children, young persons, and adults with additional learning needs through Equine Assisted Learning.
Job Titles:
- Children & Young People Outreach Specialist
Rebecca studied Psychology and Sociology and has worked at various youth groups and play schemes for children with additional support needs. After graduation, Rebecca worked as a Pupil Support Assistant in a mainstream high school and became passionate about helping pupils with additional support needs to access the curriculum. In her spare time, she supports young people on the autistic spectrum at Lothian Autistic Society. Rebecca joined us in March 2019 as a Family Advice Specialist supporting parents and carers. In August 2020, she transitioned to the role of Children and Young People Outreach Specialist providing support and advocacy for children and young people up to age 25.
Widely regarded as Britain's top satirical impressionist with a TV career of over 30 years, Rory has won numerous awards including 3 BAFTAs for his long-running Channel 4 series Bremner Bird & Fortune, featuring Rory and the two Johns. In his spare time, he translates operas and plays from French and German. Rory is a Patron of wildlife charity Tusk and the ADHD Foundation - he was diagnosed with the condition in 2016, and in 2017 completed a BBC Horizon Documentary about it (ADHD and Me).
In his professional capacity, Sandy is Chair and Head of Client Services at Johnston Carmichael, Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers. He is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh and joined Johnston Carmichael in 1991 where he was CEO from 2007 until 2019. Sandy is also a past President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland.
Job Titles:
- Occupational Therapist
- Team Leader
Sarah is a qualified Occupational Therapist and has practiced in diverse areas within the NHS. This included paediatrics which involved assessment and intervention within mainstream and specialist school settings. Sarah joined us in March 2017 and utilises her professional qualification along with her undergraduate psychology knowledge to directly support children and young people.
Job Titles:
- Service Access Point Administrator
Robin is married to Sophie Dow, the founder of Salvesen Mindroom Centre. He has an extensive business background in marketing and general management. He is currently the chairman of a company specialising in infrastructure maintenance and MD of a property development company. As a Trustee, he has specific responsibility for Finance and Governance.
Sophie is our founder and the visionary behind our work which was inspired by her daughter, Annie, who has learning difficulties. A journalist and writer by profession, with 30 years of experience in the field, Sophie acts as Salvesen Mindroom Centre's ambassador, constantly spreading the word about the charity and raising awareness of learning difficulties. She also undertakes special projects on Salvesen Mindroom Centre's behalf. She is proud of her Swedish heritage and has managed to hang onto her accent despite having lived in the UK since 1982.
Job Titles:
- Post Diagnostic Support Specialist
Sophie has a BSc (Hons) in Psychology and is currently studying her MSc in Autism. Sophie has worked in the third sector as a support worker for adults with learning disabilities and mental health conditions, and as a research assistant in Autism research. Previously, she has worked as a classroom assistant in both primary and secondary schools. Sophie volunteered with Edinburgh Council's Family and Household Support service, where she supported adults in an emotional and social capacity, supporting them to seek out opportunities to get involved in in their community. Sophie has completed foundation training in Talking Mats and is a trained mental health first aider. Sophie joined us in 2023 and utilities her skills from her experience and studies in her role as Post-Diagnostic Support Specialist, funded by Inspiring Scotland.