Board Members Profiles

David Andrew Bennett – Convenor

David Bennett is a Consultant in the Corporate Department of Gillespie MacAndrew. His core work area is Company Law, Partnership & Insolvency.  He is an Accredited Insolvency Law Specialist with over 40 years experience.

David was previously a visiting Professor of Company Law at the University of Edinburgh.  He was also the Scottish editor for Palmers Company Law, Gore-Browne on Companies and Hunter on Receivers and Administrators.  He has also been the author of several law publications. 

Mr Bennett gained an MA in 1959, LLB 1961, and NP/Solicitor/WS 1962.

Mike Gilbert – Treasurer

Mike J Gilbert trained as a Chartered Accountant qualifying in 1967, and becoming a partner in 1973 in what was to become the largest independent C.A. firm in Scotland – Scott Oswald C.A.

Mike retired from full time practice in 2007 specialising over the years in corporate work, business services and litigation support with particular interests in charities having chaired our Institutes Working Party on Charities and having given evidence to Holyrood.  Mike was also a member of the Institutes Working Party on Pensions and its Audit Regulation Committee and a lay member of the Law Society Scotland’s Company Law Committee, this latter appointment continues.

Appointed a Governor of George Heriot’s in 1968 and becoming Chairman of the Governors in 1996 again a continuing position.  Became a Trustee on its foundation of the Leukaemia research Trust for Scotland and actively involved in the highly successful fund raising Carreras Concert in 2000 which raised several hundreds thousands of pounds for Leukaemia Research.

Mike acted as treasurer for many years for both the Scottish Basketball Assoc and its British counterpart.

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Paul Drury – Bethany Christian Trust

Paul joined Bethany Christian Trust in 2006 and is employed as director of Operations, North within the organisations, and as such is a member of Bethany’s Executive Management Team and also an Executive Member of Bethany’s Unitary Board. Within Bethany, Paul has operational responsibility for Bethany’s Edinburgh Visiting Support Service, its 20 social furniture projects, and also for Bethany’s operations in the North of Scotland. Paul is also Project Director for Bethany’s Gateway consortia which provide commissioned services to the City of Edinburgh Council, in partnership with 4 other voluntary sector organsiations.

Paul has a wide experience of working in the field of homelessness, and prior to joining Bethany was employed for a number of years by Blue Triangle (Glasgow) Housing Association, latterly as an Area Manager. Whilst at Blue Triangle Paul had responsibility in a wide area of its homelessness services, with a particular interest in young people who were leaving local authority care.

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Joan Fraser – The Yard

Joan is Chair of Scotland Yard Adventure Centre, which provides adventure play and activities for children and young people with additional support needs. She also Chairs the Edinburgh Network of Voluntary Organisations for Children, Young People and Families and represents the Network on a number of partnership groupings including the Children’s Partnership. She is a non-executive board member of NHS Health Scotland, a member of the Visiting Committee for Polmont Young Offenders Institution and a Trustee of the Energy People Trust.

Joan has a background in health, education and social policy development in the public sector and a particular interest in support for disadvantaged young people. She also served for two years as interim Chief Executive of YouthLink Scotland.

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David Griffiths – ECAS

David Griffiths is Chief Executive of ECAS, an Edinburgh charity working with people with a physical disability providing classes and activities, grants, befriending, research and campaigning. He also has professional and voluntary experience at local and national levels with the Sea Cadets, is a member of SCVO’s Policy Committee and a former Trustee of Edinburgh Young Carers Project. David is keen to ensure that the voluntary sector not only provides quality service to those who need its support, but that it is also respected and understood in its role of social conscience.

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Anne Jackson – TOR Christian Nursing Home

Anne Jackson is currently the CEO of TOR Christian Nursing Home.  TOR is a 50-bedded Care Home offering residential care including nursing care in the west of Edinburgh for older people.

Previously Anne was Director of Central Services in Bethany Christian Trust, a national Edinburgh-based charity with a mission to relieve the suffering and meet the long-term needs of homeless and vulnerable people throughout Scotland. In that role Anne had strategic-level responsibility for the corporate infrastructure of the business including HR which is Anne’s particular background. Anne is a Chartered Fellow of CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.)

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Peter McColl – WRVS

Peter McColl has worked in the voluntary sector for ten years. His experience includes spells with the Edinburgh University Students’ Association, the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations and WRVS, where he is currently the Public Affairs Manager for Scotland. He is also a board member of PEDAL (Portobello Transition Town.) He is a member of the Editorial Board of the Scottish Left Review and is the Chair of the Court at the University of Edinburgh.

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