Robin Fulton (Company Secretary)

Robin has been a partner with solicitors, Turcan Connell, since 1999 having previously been a partner with Shepherd & Wedderburn since 1982. He specialises in succession planning and capital tax mitigation. Robin joined the Board in 2003 and has run the Snowball for the Charity since 2005. Robin’s interests include sport generally but particularly golf and skiing.

Alastair Mair

Currently a fund manager with AEGON Asset Management. He previously held roles as treasury manager with a number of organisations in a career that spans over 23 years, during which time he has worked in the private, public and charity sectors.

Whilst a very enthusiastic rugby player during his school days, he was prevented from taking this enthusiasm further due to extensive medical advice relating to a bad back injury. This forced him to re-assess his outlook on life and found him helping with various charities and youth group work whilst maintaining an interest in all things sporting.

Currently a committee member of Heriot’s rugby club, thanks to Kenny Milne’s hounding, he has been a very enthusiastic member for the last nine years. It was during this time that he also became a very interested supporter of the Sportsman’s charity.

He is happily married with two children, who are now beyond the university stage of life, and now believes that, at the age of 51, the Sportsman’s charity and all it brings could well be the elixir of life (well his anyway)!

Alan McLaren (Chairman)

After graduating from Glasgow University with a LLB and Dip LP, Alan began his career as a qualified solicitor in 1986 with Bird Semple. He later moved to Edinburgh and joined Alex Morison & Co. becoming a partner there in 1990. He joined Lindsays in 2002, as a partner within the commercial department.

Alan acts for a number of private limited companies and owner managed businesses from small businesses up to medium to large sized private limited companies grossing over several millions of pounds in each financial year.

Alan has experience in a wide spread of commercial property matters but in particular investment, development, retail, banking, insolvency and PFI project related work.

Away from work, Alan’s interests are scuba diving (he is a qualified instructor), racket sports and listening to music as well as playing guitar and bass guitar in a local (and very good, according to Alan) nu-jazz band. Having been a keen footballer he is now content with being a spectator.

Duncan Mennie

Born in Dundee on 3 May 1950. After spending the early part of his childhood in Sunderland, he went as a boarder to The Edinburgh Academy. On leaving there in 1968 he studied law at The University of Edinburgh, obtaining an LLB degree in 1971. There followed a career in law in private practice based largely in Edinburgh dealing with general work initially and from 1982 specialising in commercial property transactions and some contract work. During his career he became a partner in 1976 and a managing partner from 1987 to 1990. He was latterly with Lindsays WS until deciding in October 2008 that 37 years was long enough in the legal world. He is currently enjoying working part time as a grounds assistant for The University of Edinburgh at Peffermill Playing Fields, Edinburgh.

Interested in a wide range of sports, having been actively involved playing football, rugby, cricket and athletics at school, as well as squash and mixed hockey, he played rugby for Edinburgh Academicals FC and is currently a member of Luffness New Golf Club. Has a life long interest in following Sunderland AFC, unfortunately experiencing more downs than ups.

Kenny Milne

Kenny Milne (born 1 December 1961 in Edinburgh, Scotland) is a former Scotland rugby union player who was capped 39 times. He is the brother of Iain, and David Milne. Educated at George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh, he played hooker and was part of the Grand Slam winning side in 1990. He went on one British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand in 1993. After the end of his playing career Kenny maintained a close involvement with rugby and, in particular, Heriots FP RFC as a coach and latterly as Director of Rugby. He has served as a member of the Club Committee for a number of years.
Kenny is Sales Director of Barr Printers having been with the firm for over 20 years. He has been a supporter of The Sportsman’s Charity for many years, both in a personal and business capacity.
Married to Ellie they have a son and a daughter. Kenny is a keen angler and golfer but will try anything of a sporting nature.

Chris Paterson

Chris Paterson is Scottish Rugby’s all time record cap holder and points scorer. He became the first, and currently only, Scotsman to reach a century of caps when he played against Wales in February 2010. He has represented Scotland at 3 World Cups and hopes to add to that tally in the near future. He was Scotland’s “Player of the 2003 world Cup” and Scotland’s “Player of the year in the 2004/5 season”. He became the youngest Scotsman to amass 50 caps in November 2004. Chris captained Scotland in the 2004 and 2007 Six Nations Championships. He has played over 50 times in rugby’s European Cup, a national record. He remains more determined than ever to improve and achieve even more.

Chris turned professional in 1999 after 3 seasons playing for hometown club, Gala, during which he helped them to win the League, Scottish Cup and Melrose Sevens in 1999.

Before turning professional he was studying to become a P.E. Teacher at Moray House Institute of Education. After completing 3 years he accepted the offer to become professional and put his studies on the back burner, to be completed at a later date?!

Chris enjoys playing golf and watching all sports although he admits he is a strict “fair weather” golfer.

Chris is also involved with the Winning Scotland Foundation. He is a mentor for young Scottish rugby players and is part of the Champions in Schools programme. This requires him to visit allocated schools a number of times during throughout the year and present on key topics with the aim of developing future sporting champions.

He lives in Edinburgh with his wife Claire.

Harry Richmond (Finance Director)

Harry has been involved with The Sportsman’s Charity since 1990 and is the Charity’s Finance Director. Originally a Glaswegian (born in 1953) he went to Glasgow Academy. This was followed by The University of Glasgow where he graduated as a Bachelor of Accountancy subsequently qualifying as a Chartered Accountant. After a number of years working in Glasgow Harry moved to Edinburgh in 1980 when he joined Edinburgh Council as Financial Controller for The Recreation Department, staying for 6 years. This was followed by 16 years managing various legal firms (aka herding cats!) before becoming a full time executive director of The Sportsman’s Charity at the beginning of 2003.

Married (happily he is told) to Amanda his interests are shooting, fishing and travel. Rugby remains an abiding interest. Although his playing days are becoming mere distant memories the friendships remain as strong as ever.

James Thomson

James Thomson OBE is probably Scotland’s best-known hotelier-restaurateur! Born and educated in Edinburgh at James Heriot’s School.

James Thomson established the Witchery by the Castle in a near-derelict Old Town basement in Edinburgh’s historic Castlehill in 1979. Widely recognised as Scotland’s best-known restaurant, the Witchery celebrated its 30th anniversary on Halloween 2009. As Scotland’s youngest licensee, when James established the Witchery it was with a staff of just three, now a team of over 200 work with him in his collection of venues and his first year’s turnover is now achieved each day!

James’ unique collection has grown over recent years to include his famous Witchery suites; Scotland’s first and finest rooftop restaurant, the Tower; his decadently opulent destination restaurant Rhubarb, and his much talked-about latest acquisition Prestonfield – Edinburgh’s most indulgent retreat and Scotland’s latest five-star hotel. James’ acquisition of Prestonfield in 2003 was a long-held dream, he had been captivated by its charms when working here as a waiter whilst studying at college. His bold and lavish restoration saw decades of decline quickly reversed and a revitalized Prestonfield soon gained coveted five-star status, a swathe of accolades and became one of Britain’s most talked-about hotels.

With a growing collection of successful businesses in Scotland James is an enthusiastic ambassador for Scotland and the tourism and hospitality industries. He is actively involved in a range of quality improvements and a number of charitable initiatives. His passion and drive for quality and innovation saw his become the first independent restaurants in Scotland to be accredited as Investors in People as well as becoming Company of the Year in addition to a growing raft of other awards. In 2005 he received an OBE for services to hospitality and the Scottish tourism industry.

Suzanne Valente (Director)

Having been borne and raised in Yorkshire, Suzanne came to Edinburgh in 1990 to complete her PhD in Cancer Research. It was at this stage that she met and married her husband Phil (another Edinburgh Lawyer !) and subsequently had three children Dino, Gabriella and Marcella. She combined motherhood with pursuing a career as a Project Manager in the pharmaceutical industry to Director level. She has been involved with The Sportsman’s Charity for a number of years, having run the ever popular Ceilidh. She is enthusiastic about fundraising in general helping out another Scottish charity, Scottish Love in Action. Suzanne is very much a believer that what goes around comes around and so is always happy to help with other worthy causes. Her interests are travel, golf and learning Italian though in any of these interests she is not making much progress. Ce la vita!

Don Young

Don Young is a current parent at GWC and was co-opted to the Governing Council by the Merchant Company Education Board. He is a Trustee of the Merchant Company’s Widow’s Fund and a member of its Property Committee. Don chairs the School Property Committee, and seeks to ensure the strategic aims of GWC are supported and challenged on both sound economic and property terms. Don is a Senior Director of BNP Paribas Real Estate, Europe’s leading firm of commercial real estate advisors, where he serves on a number of their national executive committees.