TPS Board Members

Vinay Ruparelia - Chair of the Board
Vinay was born in Kampala, Uganda and moved to London to study pharmacy at university. 

Vinay is married and has two grown up children.  He is a joint Managing Director of a pharmacist and is also the founder member of Alec which is an education programme for healthy living for primary school children.  As well as being a founder member of Boyndie Trust which supports people with special needs in the Banff area, Vinay cycled to Peru to fundraise for Whizz Kidz and organised a cycle challenge in India for the Boyndie Trust.

Vinay was appointed Chair of the Board at the AGM on 16th September 2009.

Gill Ottley - Vice Chair of the Board

Gill is a registered social worker.  She started her career as a probation officer in England, moving to Scotland in 1980 to lecture in social work.  In 1985 she joined The Scottish Office as a social work adviser.  From 1995-97 she was Head of the Social Work Training Council (CCETSW) in Scotland.

Gill rejoined The Scottish Office as an Assistant Chief Inspector responsible for community care in the Social Work Services Inspectorate in 1998.  Between 2000 and 2002 she led teams developing the national care standards and setting up the Scottish Commission for the Regulation of Care.  Latterly as Depute Chief Inspector she was responsible for reforming social work education and training and setting up the new honours degree in social work.

Gill is now Depute Chief Inspector for children and families in the Social Work Inspection Agency.  She has recently completed inspection reports into the Care and Protection of Children in Eilean Siar, and "Extraordinary Lives."  A review of services for looked after children in Scotland, as well as a number of local authority performance inspection reports.

Colin Rae

Colin began his career as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor developing through Project Management and latterly into Development Management.   During his 25 years in the Scottish Construction industry Colin has worked for and with various firms including Gibson & Simpson surveyors, Millar Brown Associates, Woolwich Homes Ltd, The EDI Group and most recently Places for People.

Places for People is an organisation that creates and sustains mixed tenure neighbourhoods and Colin's current responsibilities include managing the Group's development and construction team in Scotland and to provide development and construction services to the member organisations, including Castle Rock Edinvar Housing Association, Emblem Homes and Blueroom Properties.

Colin's spare time is filled by supporting his children in their sporting endeavors and his own occasional round of golf.

  

Raymond Edwards

Since completing his apprenticeship as a heating engineer over 30 years ago, Ray has stayed within the industry with a range of roles from engineer through sales through management.  He has a wide range of skills and experience gained within the commercial sector, particularly in income maximisation, health and safety, working with staff and customers from incredibly diverse backgrounds. 

As well as doing his day job, Ray has always been involved in voluntary action within his local community in Dundee - improving opportunities for young people in the area though his involvement with the Dundee YMCA and the Boys Brigade, and also around cancer and carers issues following the death of his wife Betsy a few years ago.  Other previous roles have included Deacon of the Hammerman Incorporation (one of the ancient Nine Trades of Dundee) and President of the Dundee Junior Chamber Speakers Club.

With two grown up children, Ray is a doting granddad, making sure that they have as much fun as they can as often as they can.

Callum Allan

Callum began his career in the Civil Service in 1960 and departments include United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, Forestry Commission, National Girobank and National Savings in 1970.   Callum's last job in National Savings was Fraud Prevention Manager and Money Laundering Reporting Officer, before being granted early retirement in March 2000.

During Callum's career in the Civil Service he became actively involved at branch level with, as it was then, The Post Office and Civil Service Sanatorium Society.  The Society was renamed The Beneden Healthcare Society in 1990.  Callum spent several years on The National Savings branch committee before being nominated to serve on the National Committee of Management in 1989.  In 1995, Callum was elected Vice Chairman and in 1997 elected Chairman. 

Callum currently is Chair of the Trustees of the Staff Pension Fund and The Strategic Business Planning Committee as well as being a member of the Committee of Management and a Director of Cash Plan subsidiary Best Health.

Callum is married with two sons.  He enjoys fishing and plays traditional fiddle music in a folk group called The Clutha. 

Keith Howell

After over 20 years of a corporate management career with large UK and International quoted public companies, in 2000 Keith chose an alternate path building a portfolio of involvements with developing businesses and organisations.

He is now a non-executive Chairman or Director of a number of commercial and voluntary organisations, including a leading UK Building Services design consultancy, an Edinburgh based  manufacturer of robotics using ink jet printheads to make biological microarrays, a leading provider of performance-enhancing management, leadership and HR resources delivered over the internet, and the Parent Council of the largest High School in the Scottish Borders.

Keith was previously on the Board of TPS from 2000 to 2006, including a spell as Chair. He continues to assist as a Trustee of Turning Point's pension scheme and also helps to facilitate TPS's Service User Council. Keith is a co-opted board member.

Outside of his work and voluntary commitments, Keith is kept busy by a very active family life and a growing menagerie of animals.

Tony Cameron

Tony Cameron, C.B. joined the TPS Board after retiring from the Scottish Prison Service, where he had been Chief Executive and Chairman of the Prisons Board for nearly eight years. Prior to that he was Head of the Scottish Executive Agriculture and Fisheries Department. Tony's career involved working in various parts of the then Scottish Office,including time dealing with Education, Social Work, Transport, Local Authorities, Finance, Industry and Housing policy. He served for 10 years as an Assessor with  the Civil Service Commissioners Appointments Board.
He worked in Ministerial Private Offices in Edinburgh and London and in Brussels as a member of the UK negotiating team on European Union issues.
He was a board member of the UK Intervention Board for eight years and Chairman of its Audit Committee. He served on the board of a national charity, Quality Scotland, for eight years, serving on its audit committee.
He accompanied HRH the Duke of Edinburgh on a Commonwealth Study Tour of Australia in 1986 and accompanied HRH at the Commonwealth Study Conference in the UK in 1992, of which he was also Chairman of the Scottish Committee.
Tony was made a Companion of the Bath (C.B.) by HM the Queen in 2007.

Morgane Artacho   

Morgane Artacho originally has a background in language teaching, and has remained in the education sector ever since in various roles. After graduating in European Studies, she moved to Scotland in 2006 and has been involved in higher education policy with a European focus through working on an EU-funded project at the University of Edinburgh, and later working at NUS Scotland to develop their internationalisation agenda. Morgane now works as Development Advisor at SPARQS (Student Participation in Quality Scotland) and also serves as a Bologna Expert.

Eilidh Whiteford

Following postgraduate studies in Scotland and Canada, Eilidh worked in Adult Education for a number of years at Glasgow University and Newbattle Abbey College, developing access routes into higher education and teaching English and Scottish literature. 

In 2001 she moved into the voluntary sector as Coordinator of the Scottish Carers' Alliance, a network of national carers, disability, and children's organisations working together to promote the interests of unpaid carers looking after relatives or friends, and ensure that the voices of service users and carers inform policy making and service provision across the health and community care sector.

Since 2003 Eilidh has worked for a major international humanitarian aid and development agency, first in policy and public affairs, and since 2005 as Campaigns and Communications Manager.  Through her work in international development Eilidh was actively involved in the Make Poverty History campaign, and in the establishment of the Scottish Fair Trade Forum.

Eilidh has recently returned to live in Macduff, Banffshire where she grew up, and in her spare time enjoys music of all sorts, especially traditional music and early music.  She is also an avid reader. 

Elizabeth Gray                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Elizabeth heads up the Business Development Team at the University of Glasgow's Research and Enterprise Office supporting researchers in the development and delivery of research and knowledge transfer activities.  She encourages the development of a sustainable research base by working with academic staff to realise faculty research strategies and deliver industry funded research contracts and externally funded knowledge transfer activities.  She has considerable experience in the successful development of high value research projects supported by government, research councils, charities and industry and of sustainability planning. 

Elizabeth holds a number of advisory and steering group positions and has a strong involvement in Economic Development, particularly with local enterprise companies and through the European Structural Funds.  She has  a keen interest in developing the University's links with small businesses and alumni, and raising the University's research capability. 

Elizabeth has over 20 years' experience of the higher education sector including postgraduate studies at both Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities, previously working in the Principal's Office, Training Services and the Department of Accounting and Finance. 

A Maryhill girl at heart, most of Elizabeth's spare time is spent running after her two daughters and socialising when she can. 

Ewan McIntyre  

Ewan McIntyre is a Partner and the Head of the Litigation Division of Morton Fraser solicitors, one of the leading legal firms in Scotland. He sits on the firm's Management Board.

Clients include corporate clients, major insurers and government departments. He advises on commercial litigation, aviation and shipping incidents, clients operating in the energy sector (especially oil & gas and nuclear) and environmental liabilities. He is a member of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers (FOIL) and the International Nuclear Lawyers Association. In addition, Ewan advises clients in contentious and non-contentious technology and intellectual property issues including trade marks, design rights, copyright and patents.

Ewan is listed in the Legal Experts Directory as an expert in commercial dispute resolution. He is accredited by the Law Society of Scotland as a specialist in personal injury law and has been short-listed for "Partner of the Year" in The Scottish Legal Awards.

Ewan is based in Edinburgh but also works from his firm's Glasgow and London offices. His interests include cycling and skiing.

Margaret Nash  

Margaret Nash is a Partner/Solicitor with Grant Smith Law Practice, an Aberdeen based multi-discipline practice with rural offices in Turriff, Macduff, Banff and Buckie.  Margaret is the resident partner in the Banff office.  The marjority of her work revolves around family law to include both civil and criminal court work. 

Through the support provided to many of her clients with substance misuse issues, Margaret became aware of TPS and was interested in contributing to the work carried out by the organisation.                                                                                                                           

In her free time Margaret enjoys skiing, horse riding and walking.

Sheila Low 

Following a Law Degree at University of Aberdeen, Sheila pursued a career in investment management and was employed by The Alliance Trust and Scottish Widows. A switch to venture capital led to 5 non-executive director positions and the establishment of her own business. This childrens nursery was built up and sold to another operator.  There followed a career with Baker Tilly in corporate finance for many years. After a family break she has returned to Baker Tilly in January 2008 as Business Development Director.  Sheila is also Loretto Governor from 1995-2007 and from 2008 to present and Chairman of The Lorettonian Society 2008 - to present.