Ali’s professional career has been committed to forging, developing and managing opportunities for young people to grow, be challenged and realise their potential, passionately believing in achieving these through partnerships and collaboration.
Alistair oversees all financial and commercial activities in both the UK and East Africa for The Wood Foundation group, including all joint-venture subsidiaries. Although based in Aberdeen, Alistair travels regularly to East Africa and the majority of his work relates directly to our ‘Transforming Livelihoods through Venture Philanthropy in Africa’ portfolio. A large proportion of his time is spent on financial due diligence, long-term financial planning, and commercial and legal negotiation for new projects.
Alistair qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 2000 and was Director of Finance for the largest independent accounting firm in Scotland before joining The Wood Foundation.
Georgea is responsible for the strategic development and operational management of Excelerate and Global Learning Partnerships (GLP), committed to identifying opportunities for collaboration and empowering transformational pedagogical approaches in Scotland’s schools.
Georgea was one of The Wood Foundation’s first team members, joining in 2008.
She is accredited by the Association of Facilitators as a Level 2 Facilitator.
Gayle was previously National Education Officer for the RAiSE programme. Her background is in secondary education, initially as a biology teacher and then as Curriculum Lead for Science in her setting, and lead teacher for biology for City of Edinburgh Council. Gayle has been a member of the Qualification Design and Verification teams within SQA.
Employed by The Wood Foundation and based within Education Scotland, Laura is the strategic lead and programme coordinator for Raising Aspirations in Science Education (RAiSE).
Laura anchors the network of Primary Science Development Officers, works closely with local authority partners to develop the ambitions of their primary STEM strategies, leads on the cultivation of relationships with interested local authorities and creates resources, learning materials and professional learning opportunities.
Her background is in primary education. Laura was previously PSDO in Falkirk and has held a number of pastoral and STEM positions in her settings.
Lizbeth is responsible for coaching senior leaders engaged in the Excelerate investment, mentoring them as they drive their school’s vision for change. She leads upon network collaboration with Excelerate partner schools.
Drawing on her own experiences, and supported by peers within the Excelerate demonstration hub, she will be developing professional learning aimed at senior leaders embarking upon programmes of change.
Lizbeth was Head Teacher of an Excelerate pioneer school. She was a teacher for almost 30 years, including nine years as a Head Teacher.
She is committed to promoting opportunities for all to succeed.
Lucia leads on partnerships related to our YPI programme. She works alongside our network of likeminded funding partners to ensure maximum benefit is being derived from the investment for the organisations and the young people involved in the programme. She is also the dedicated point of contact between YPI and third sector organisations. Alongside this partnership focus, Lucia is involved in the operational delivery and development of YPI.
Lucia’s career has focussed on connecting businesses and education in order to support experiences and engagements which create mutual benefits.
Dani is responsible for The Wood Foundation’s communications strategy, overseeing all media and content delivery in line with the organisation’s operational plans and strategic aims.
She began her career as a journalist, working at the Evening Express and The Press & Journal for almost six years. Prior to joining the foundation, Dani held a marketing and communications manager role in the education sector.
Alex is responsible for the operational delivery of YPI and the coordination of the regional facilitation team across Scotland. Her role also includes providing implementation support to rural schools; providing one-to-one support sessions and developing YPI resources.
Alex previously held a variety of positions within private and third sector organisations which focused on the development of young people.
As YPI Development Lead, Nicola manages the YPI Scotland quality improvement and assurance strategy and framework to optimise the programme for all young people across Scotland. She works closely with the wider team to ensure the continuous development of YPI, including leading and delivering a programme of professional learning. With over 15 years’ experience of working with young people and five years’ management experience, Nicola’s background is in primary education. She is passionate about empowering learners to think differently, be creative, and develop skills and confidence.
Maciej specialises in impact measurement and research across various sectors. He develops robust frameworks that support evidence-based decision-making and drives initiatives that align with core values. With experience in strategic planning and stakeholder engagement, Maciej ensures impactful outcomes through collaborative efforts. Passionate about ethical practices, he leverages his skills to create positive social change, delivering measurable benefits to communities. Maciej’s expertise reflects a commitment to enhancing organisational impact and fostering sustainable growth.
Angela is responsible for all management and statutory reporting for The Wood Foundation, including a number of group entities. She also works closely with the finance team in Africa on third party funder reporting.
Angela qualified as an accountant in 2002 and worked in the profession for 23 years before joining The Wood Foundation.
Kelly is responsible for the organisation and administration of The Wood Foundation’s financial processes and systems, providing comprehensive support to TWF Accountant Angela Lyon.
Kelly has worked at The Wood Foundation for more than five years, playing a key role in administration and processing across the organisation.
Rosalyn supports Angela Lyon, providing financial administration across our activities in the UK and Africa.
Rosalyn previously held roles in hospitality and administration.
Olivia supports the administration team, completing a number of key tasks in relation to our UK office, programme, and investment activities. With a focus on our YPI programme, Olivia is responsible for processing grants to our recipient charities.
Olivia previously held an administration role.
Carolyn manages the administration across The Wood Foundation’s portfolio of activities. She oversees and develops our systems and processess. Carolyn works closely with the management team providing support and reporting, as well as overseeing contract management and compliance. Carolyn leads on our IT provision and oversees HR administration.
Carolyn has previously held public and third sector administration roles.
Molly supports the administration team, assisting in a number of tasks for our UK team.
Layla is responsible for coordinating operational activities and professional learning, as well as supporting the delivery of the Excelerate investment. She is the dedicated point of contact for Excelerate schools and works closely with the management team, as well as supporting the ever-growing team of Business and Community Support Officers.
Layla has held a number of senior administration roles, including previously working with our YPI programme.
Rebecca leads the delivery of YPI with our North-east cohort, as well as supporting wider programme administration, development, and logisitcs.
Rebecca has previously held roles in the third and private sectors, focussing on fundraising and HR.
