Alison MacLachlan
Alison MacLachlan
Ali is responsible for the strategic development of the UK team and oversees the development and delivery of our UK investment portfolio with a specific focus upon Developing Young People in Scotland. She leads the management team to ensure that our partners and investments align with the strategic objectives of the Foundation and our Trustees. Ali represents the foundation at a national level to deliver an investment strategy aligned to Scotland’s ambition for a successful and thriving workforce of the future.

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 Buchan
Alistair Buchan

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 Hughes
Georgea Hughes

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 Duffus
Gayle Duffus
Gayle is The Wood Foundation’s Education Director, responsible for ensuring the alignment of our curricular interventions with national priorities, drivers, and frameworks. She works directly with practitioners, leading our professional learning offering.

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.

Laura McCafferty
Laura McCafferty

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 Paul
Lizbeth Paul

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 Giuntoli
Lucia Giuntoli

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.

Danica Ollerova
Danica Ollerova

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 Reid
Alex Reid

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.

Nicola Henderson Michie
Nicola Henderson Michie

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 Alexander
Maciej Alexander

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.

Layla Edrich
Layla Edrich

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.

Angela Lyon
Angela Lyon

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 Work
Kelly Work

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 Clunas
Rosalyn Clunas

Rosalyn supports Angela Lyon, providing financial administration across our activities in the UK and Africa.

Rosalyn previously held roles in hospitality and administration.

Olivia Anderson
Olivia Anderson

Olivia supports Angela Lyon, providing financial administration across our activities in the UK and Africa. She is also responsible for processing the YPI grants to our recipient charities.

Olivia previously held an administration role at The Wood Foundation.

Carolyn Bowron
Carolyn Bowron

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 McDonald
Molly McDonald

Molly supports the administration team, assisting in a number of tasks for our UK team.

Rebecca Cheyne
Rebecca Cheyne

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.

Heather Bowie
Heather Bowie
Heather covers operations for the East of Scotland region (Fife, Dundee, Perth & Kinross, Stirling, Clackmannashire) for our YPI programme. She has a background in early years education, and previously worked with educators and volunteering on a STEM learning programme.
Laura Gordon
Laura Gordon
Laura covers operations for the South-east Scotland region (Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian, Scottish Borders) for our YPI programme. Laura’s background is in education and public engagement with a focus on STEM and opportunities for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.
Paul McGinty
Paul McGinty

Paul covers operations for the West of Scotland region (Glasgow City, East Dunbartonshire, West Dunbartonshire, Inverclyde, and Argyll and Bute) for our YPI programme. With a background in teaching, Paul has dedicated much of his career to enhancing educational experiences through technology. He has extensive experience managing digital rollouts across multiple schools, working to integrate innovative tools that support both students and educators.

Lynn Raynal
Lynn Raynal
Lynn covers operations for Central Scotland region (Falkirk, West Lothian, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire) for our YPI programme. Lynn has more than 20 years’ experience of working in the third sector, including 12 years with YPI.
Mark Chambers
Mark Chambers
Mark covers the South-west Scotland region (Renfrewshire, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, South Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway) for our YPI programme. Mark has a background in educational outreach programmes related to STEM.
Steven Dougan
Steven Dougan
Steve covers the Highland region for our YPI programme. Steve was previously a Head Teacher and an authority’s Strategic Lead. He has worked with YPI for a number of years.