Board of Directors

Keith is the new Chair of The Welcoming Association. He is an HR Consultant with over 25 years experience in employment law, training, HR policy, employee relations, diversity & inclusion, and coaching. Among his many accomplishments, Keith has LL.M, Chartered FCIPD, FCMI, FLPI, FITOL, Member of SHRM, Master Member EMCC, Member Employment Tribunal (Scotland) and Reinstatement Committee (Reserve Forces). Equality Act Assessor in the Sheriff Courts Accredited to use Magerison - McCann Team Management Profile and TMSDI Leadership Behaviours Profile.

Keith's specialities are employment law, employee relations, resourcing, reward, policy, coaching, mentoring, change management, inclusion, and training.

Graeme is a Chartered Accountant and member of the Association of Corporate Treasurers. He is currently the Finance Director for Edinburgh Airport with particular interest in strategic planning, financial control, treasury and risk. Graeme is also a Trustee for Scouts Scotland and National Museums Scotland.

Since joining The Welcoming in July 2019, Graeme has been busy ensuring the charity is well placed to respond to changing circumstances and continue to support service users. Outside of work Graeme loves to travel, read, swim in the sea, walk his three dogs and explore Scotland’s hills and lochs.

Chrissie Hirst currently manages Corra Foundation’s international work and grantmaking. She has worked in the field of international development for a range of British and international third sector organisations, the UN and OSCE, with over 15 years based overseas, primarily in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Georgia. Her experience includes grassroots community programmes as well as policy work to strengthen national institutions, and has covered peacebuilding and post-conflict development, human and minority rights, democratic governance, and migration. A Cambridge University graduate, she has an MSC in International Relations from LSE and an MA in Conflict & Reconciliation Studies from Coventry University’s Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations.

Chrissie grew up in the Middle East, attended high school in Edinburgh, and following work abroad moved back with her family around two years ago. She also volunteers with Refugee Sponsorship Edinburgh.

Sam arrived in Scotland in 1984 as a young man fleeing religious persecution in Iran. Now proudly identifying as a New Scot, he put himself through university and built a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry as a Market Access Manager, working to secure access to rare disease medicines.

Olufunmilade Adetogun is a Chartered Accountant and Fellow of the Association of
Chartered Certified Accountants (FCCA), and a member of the Chartered Institute for
Securities & Investment (CISI). She currently works as an Investment Trust Accountant at
Baillie Gifford providing accounting and company secretarial services to Investment Trust
clients.

She brings over 12 years of experience across FTSE 100 Financial services and other sectors
with her areas of expertise include strategic financial planning & reporting, governance,
investment analysis, portfolio valuation and regulatory compliance. Olufunmilade holds dual
MSc degrees in Financial Technology and Professional Accountancy and is passionate about
using her skills to support mission-driven organisations.

Joining the board of The Welcoming Association reflects both her professional purpose and
personal journey. As a migrant herself, she understands the challenges and opportunities
that come with starting over in a new country. Her goal is to use her financial knowledge to
strengthen the charity’s sustainability while helping to create an environment where
migrants and refugees feel supported, seen, and able to thrive. She hopes her story can be a
source of comfort and inspiration to others - showing that with the right support and
community, success in Scotland is possible.

Outside of work, Olufunmilade volunteers with ACCA Global, Black Professionals UK, and
leads the ACCA Women’s Network Nigeria steering committee. She also teaches in her local
children’s church and is passionate about creating space for others to grow and lead.

Sabir is a development practitioner by profession and an educationist by heart. He has a master’s degree in Governance and Development (from University of Sussex, UK) and specialises in public sector reforms and institutional development – focusing on service delivery and capacity development. He has worked with various organisations such as UNICEF, the World Bank, USAID, Democracy International, and The Asia Foundation amongst others, during his 15 years of professional career. He has passion for progressive education, community-led change, sustainable development, and charity sector.

Sabir initially joined The Welcoming Association as a member of the Advisory board in March 2024. A year later, he joined the Welcoming Association Board of Directors team. Sabir understands first-hand the difficulty and emotional trauma that comes with displacement, migration, and asylum. He joined The Welcoming with an aim to contribute to the mission of the charity and all it does to help the charity’s service users (New Scots) manage challenges they face and eventually help them thrive in their new home (Scotland), integrate successfully and contribute to their local communities.

Ruth currently works for the Open University in Access, Participation and Success. She has worked in education for over 15 years and has lived and worked in more than 20 countries including New Zealand, Poland, Spain, Thailand and Rwanda. Ruth has an MA Education, an MA Online and Distance Education, a Diploma Inclusive Education, a Cambridge DELTA and a BA Applied Graphics Technology.

She has submitted her doctoral thesis for examination and is hoping to defend her thesis very soon. In her free time, she enjoys going to the theatre, crocheting, baking and learning new things.

Jan is a highly experienced leader in social care, with an expertise in working with organisations who help people facing multiple and complex challenges. Jan is qualified in health and social care leadership, holds a Masters in Human Resources Management and is a member of the CIPD.

In 2021, Jan moved into self-employment and now offers consultancy support to social care organisations including leadership development, coaching, strategic and operational HR projects, and employee and user participation initiatives. Committed to social justice, equality and embracing diversity and inclusion, Jan focuses on working with organisations whose missions are to make a positive difference for people and whose values align with her own.

Gordon is a nurse and serves as the Lead for International in the Department of Nursing, Community and Public Health at Glasgow Caledonian University, where he is also the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing and Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation.

A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Gordon brings a wealth of experience in healthcare and higher education, with over 15 years of working collaboratively with international partners in the university sector.

He has a career in research beginning in the 1990s with his first role as a clinical research nurse. Since then, he has held positions at the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility in Edinburgh and at Edinburgh Napier University. In 2005, he founded the Scottish Research Nurse and Co-ordinators Network (SRNCN), a community he continues to support as a recognised expert in the field.

Gordon is actively involved in advancing nursing research. He serves on the Royal College of Nursing Research Society Steering Committee, sits on the editorial board of the Journal of Research in Nursing, and enjoys sharing knowledge as a passionate podcaster.

Outside of work, Gordon enjoys spending time with his family, going on long walks with his dog, and watching rugby and football.

You can follow Gordon on Bluesky or LinkedIn.