Event Speakers
Councillor Alex Nicoll is the Co-Leader of Aberdeen City Council and Chair of Community Planning Aberdeen; the City’s strategic partnership of public, private, third sector organisations and community groups. Councillor Nicoll leads the Partnership in the development and delivery of the Aberdeen City Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP), which sets out a vision of Aberdeen as a place where all people can prosper, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Louisa is the Director of Business in the Community (BITC) Scotland, working across the public, private and third sectors to support inclusive economic growth and widespread adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Louisa works with companies in the UK and internationally who are committed to improving their impact on society.
Vivian is a Relationship Manager at Business in the Community. She is also the Project Lead for the Small Business Proposition. She joined BITC in 2013 and successfully managed multiple programmes and projects: food education and sustainability national schools programme, in work poverty awareness roadshows, carbon footprint and sustainability events and finally access the buyer events, where SMEs were able to collaborate with large companies.
Michelle Crombie
Michelle Crombie is the Community Planning Manager for Aberdeen City Council and is leading change across the City through partnership working with the public, private, third sector and communities. Michelle is passionate about reducing inequalities in opportunity for people by listening to communities and changing systems. Michelle is also Chair of Aberdeen’s Community Empowerment Group.
Derek McGowan
Derek McGowan is Chief Officer, Early Intervention and Community Empowerment at Aberdeen City Council. Derek is the chair of Community Planning Aberdeen’s Anti-Poverty Group, leading the delivery of LOIP projects to support our people through the cost-of-living crisis. He also chairs the Community Justice Group.
Martin Barry
Martin Barry is an Engagement Partner within the Place Team of Scottish Enterprise – co-ordinating their activity with key partners and stakeholders including the Local Authorities, Community Planning Partnerships, Business Groups, Politicians and Academia across north east Scotland. He is a member of the Aberdeen Prospers group of Community Planning Aberdeen and currently leads the project to increase uptake of the Real Living Wage in the city. A graduate in Politics & International Relations from the University of Aberdeen, Martin’s professional interests lie in partnership working to create opportunities for all across the region.
Rachel Morrison-McCormick
Rachel is the Living Wage Projects Co-ordinator at Living Wage Scotland. She leads on the development of the Living Wage Place’s and Living Hours schemes in Scotland. She has worked with Living Wage Scotland for 4 years and has extensive experience supporting businesses and groups to further their commitment to the real Living Wage
Rhonda Miller
Rhonda Miller has worked in the field of social performance at Total Energies from 2009, initially working on projects but since 2019 covering Social Performance issues for the whole of TEPUK. Prior to this she worked predominantly in the NHS and the Third Sector.
Suzanne Stevenson
Suzanne is an experienced Social Impact Advisor, with over 20 years’ experience working across building projects in Scotland. She has developed and implemented community benefit plans for GRAHAM across a wide range of projects. While working for GRAHAM, she has forged strong relationships with key stakeholders, educational institutes and local communities. Suzanne has a passion for working with Priority Groups to help move them closer to the labour market, developing educational programmes and assisting supply chain partners to upskill their existing workforce.
Charlotte Saunders
Charlotte is the Improvement Programme Officer within the Community Planning Team at Aberdeen City Council and project manager for the Aberdeen Responsible Business initiative. Charlotte has enjoyed working in collaboration with responsible businesses during her role within community benefits and appreciates the huge role that businesses play in supporting our city. Charlotte is a strong believer that through collaborative working, the opportunities are endless.
Angela Taylor
Angela Taylor is a Team Lead at Aberdeen City Council leading on the delivery of employability support to residents of Aberdeen through ABZ Works. Angela leads on a range of employability programmes for those aged between 16 and 67, supporting people from all walks of life and at all stages of their working life. ABZ works welcome and encourage collaboration with businesses to support and upskill Aberdeen residents into employment.