Alan joined the team in  November 2014 as Systems and Finance Manager having worked in the charity sector for nearly 20 years.

An Engineering with Management graduate from Napier University Alan has a wealth of experience in  developing and supporting IT infrastructure as well as providing bespoke management reporting systems, primarily for finance and HR.

He has an established background in software development with .Net (C#) and Java, building web based software as well as Android application development.

He is keen to promote autism awareness whenever he can and in his spare time he likes photography (landscapes and wildlife mainly), walking and watching football.

Meet Amelia Whitelaw, Interface’s Director. She joins the team with a wealth of experience, previously working as the Executive Director of the Wheeler Institute for Business and Development at London Business School (LBS).  The Wheeler Institute seeks to apply business expertise and research to social and economic challenges in developing countries.  Amelia brings to her leadership position success with leading academic institutions in developing, promoting and implementing multi-organisational and international collaborative programmes.

Amelia, in her roles at LBS, as the former Executive Director of Global Outreach and Director Global Experiences, leveraged the School’s work and networks to increase the profile of the School, to generate interest in degree programmes, and to create unique learning experiences.  In collaboration with faculty, senior alumni and business leaders, Amelia established the experiential learning programme that allowed students practical application in live settings, the contextualisation of business knowledge and experience, and increased exposure to developing countries and micro trends. Prior to joining LBS, she provided the vice chancellor and other senior executives of The Australian National University (ANU) with strategic, operational and policy support in developing its international programme.  Amelia was also representing the ANU on the east coast of the US and developed the management framework for the secretariat of the International Alliance of Research Universities.  This alliance has been highly productive in developing a portfolio of global summer programmes for students, strong research programmes and improving benchmarking across institutions.

Amelia graduated from The University of Edinburgh Business School with a MBA with distinction, and holds a Bachelor of Arts.

Prior to joining Interface, Carol-Ann worked in banking for 29 years and attained Chartered Banker status during her career. Latterly she worked in the Corporate Markets division, and has over 14 years’ experience in direct Relationship Manager roles.

Having embarked on a lifestyle change, Carol-Ann relocated to the Highlands in 2014, and worked for the Highlands and Islands Enterprise Inward Investment Team for just under a year. This gave her a fantastic breadth of knowledge of the region in a relatively short space of time. Joining the Interface team in early 2015, Carol-Ann’s role concentrates on promoting the Interface service to as many businesses as possible, encouraging them to enter into successful academic collaborations.

Outside of work, Carol-Ann loves nothing more than discovering the area, sampling the local delights as she goes, and exploring the beautiful beaches which she is now lucky enough to have right on her doorstep.

Where we’re located

Carol-Ann and the Interface H&I team are based at An Lochran, the fabulous Enterprise and Research Centre in Inverness where Highlands and Islands Enterprise is co-located with key research and education departments from the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) and research and consultancy divisions from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).

Elaine has joined the Interface Marketing Team as Marketing Executive with responsibility for promoting the work that Interface do via the website and social media, developing case studies, managing events and reinforcing the Interface brand.

Elaine comes to Interface with 25+ years (ahem started very young) experience gained in various marketing and communications roles across the private, public and third sectors including Phillips BCS, Scottish Enterprise, Quality Scotland and Beatson Cancer Charity.

Outside of work Elaine likes to spend time with friends and family, cooking and eating out, and doing yoga.  She also works on a part-time basis and volunteers, when possible, for the Beatson Cancer Charity.  It’s her way of giving back and helping others following her own cancer journey in 2018

Gillian is the Business Engagement Executive for Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire. Based in the region, Gillian is keen to support local businesses by matching them to the right academic expertise and specialist facilities across Scotland’s universities, colleges and research institutes to help them innovate. Following studies in Design for Industry and E-Business, Gillian has over nine years of business support experience, knowledge of funding streams and support agencies, making her well placed to assist businesses large and small to continue their development and growth aspirations.

Glen joined the Interface team as a Marketing Executive in August 2021. He brought with him an enthusiasm for digital marketing, an appetite for creative copy, and a desire to maximise Interface’s online potential.

In 2015 Glen graduated from the University of Leeds with a BA in Cinema and Photography. Since then he has worked with several companies to raise brand awareness and generate leads. Over this time, he has created social media strategies, developed and optimised websites, produced visual media and written content, as well as managed live events and webinars.

Glen enjoys baking and is a big fan of all things sweet; you can often find him in the kitchen trying out a new recipe. To balance this out, he’s also an avid cyclist and likes riding his bike up into the Pentlands.

Howell heads up the Sector Engagement team which supports innovation in the Food and Drink, Tourism and Creative Industries to develop opportunities for groups to work with academic expertise across Scotland. Working with a range of sector bodies, we have run a number of successful projects looking at innovative ways to address key industry challenges.

Prior to joining Interface, Howell graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Business Management with Food Marketing from Wye College, University of London and has spent most of his career working for Scottish food and drink companies as well as Highlands & Islands Enterprise.

Outside of work, he loves spending time with the family, attempting to keep a golf ball on the fairway and reminiscing about Welsh rugby

Heather joined Interface in 2014 as Marketing Executive University Assets which focused on the promotion of University Technology and Specialist Facilities. Having built up two years of expertise in supporting academic and business partnerships Heather was promoted to Marketing Manager in May 2016. After graduating from the University of Stirling in 2007 with a BA Honours degree in Marketing Heather held a global marketing position with IndigoVision, an Edinburgh established manufacturer of IP Video Security Solutions. Heather has a wealth of experience across the marketing mix including: product marketing, event management, brand management, PR and advertising, communications, social media and lead generation. Outside of work Heather enjoys running, socialising and visiting new places – especially those with warmer climates!

Jackie has just joined the team as Business Engagement Executive for West of Scotland. Jackie comes from an entrepreneurial background having previously created her own businesses within the food and drink industry. She has a wealth of experience with start-ups and has a unique insight into accelerators and incubators through her own experience and has helped and supported a range of many other entrepreneurial ventures throughout her career. Passionate about Scottish businesses, and in her own time, Jackie is a founding board member of the Glasgow Basket Brigade, a volunteer organisation providing food and essentials to those across Glasgow experiencing difficulties and hardships. A former client of Interface, she is excited to join the team and has experienced the rewards of successful collaborations between business and academia.