After more than thirty years of working with various companies; from learning my trade as an auditor with a Chartered Accountants practice in Glasgow, to eventually working as the CFO for the government of Ras al Khaimah (RAKEZ) in the United Arab Emirates, I have come full circle and returned to sunny Scotland.
I always had a passion for travel, spending time in Belgium and Hungary with a previous employer and so when the opportunity arose to move to Dubai in 2001 I grabbed it. Who could resist sun, sea and lots of sand!
During my time with SSAT (a UK education Trust operating in the Middle East), I identified with the need to balance both the requirements of running a successful organisation whilst still contributing to the local community. This commitment moved with me to RAKEZ where our Corporate & Social Responsibility efforts supported feeding programs, community recreation facilities and shoe box campaigns for migrant workers.
After reaching the pinnacle of my career, my motivation now is to use my skills to help support charitable organisations to grow and flourish and to have the satisfaction of working with and training the next generation. Being ‘hands on’ and involved on a day to day basis is important to me.
Living in the Middle East certainly focussed my attention on the needs of others and individual responsibility in helping people to reach their potential. Along with my wife we also rescued animals, something that I had never previously considered, and brought our cat Vesper back with us.
My return to the UK was driven by the desire to spend more time with my elderly parents and especially my father who had a heart attack. Also my wife’s mother is elderly and blind and so we wanted to be here to offer support. In addition re-connecting with my wider circle of family and friends and involving myself in the Strathaven community, especially during the Covid lock-down period delivering food and checking on neighbours has been very rewarding.
As I mentioned above, I love to travel (plane, boat, train!) and along the way I enjoy eating and drinking local cuisine. To relax I read spy novels, play Scrabble (badly) and tennis – weather permitting!