Neil Cowie – Principal and Chief Executive

Neil was born and brought up in ‘Little Scotland’ (Corby, Northants) but moved to Buckie, Moray in his early teens. 8 years after this relocation Neil graduated with an honours degree in Sociology from the University of Aberdeen. His first ‘proper job’ was as a seasonal sales assistant in a Union Street record shop. Shortly afterwards he was promoted to Assistant Manager, working in the company’s Aberdeen and Dundee stores. Long-standing public service ambitions eventually led him to a 9 year career in social housing. In that time he worked for several social housing providers in various roles ranging from temporary Rent Arrears Assistant to Area Housing Manager. During his housing career Neil gained a Postgraduate Diploma in Housing Studies from Sheffield Hallam University as well as Corporate Membership of Chartered Institute of Housing (CIOH). He was also a member of the Branch Committee of the CIOH in Scotland.

Passionate about education and keen to try teaching, Neil applied for a vacancy at Banff and Buchan College and in December 1999 began working there as a Lecturer in Sociology. Over the following 13 years Neil held several posts within the College namely Schools Liaison Officer, Curriculum Leader (Social Sciences, ESOL and Core Skills), Sector Manager (Social Studies and Creative Arts) and Assistant Principal (Curriculum and Quality). At its inception Neil joined North East Scotland College (NESCol) as Vice Principal and was, over time, to hold senior management responsibility for most of the College’s support-related operational areas. Neil has also held senior management responsibility for all the College’s curriculum, Business and Community Development and quality-related activities. Neil retains an active interest in quality improvement and has been a long-standing Associate Assessor with Education Scotland. In December 2019, Neil became NESCol’s Principal and Chief Executive, 20 years after he first started his College career. He remains a strong advocate for further education and continues to champion its ability to transform and improve the life chances of many.

Portrait photograph of regional board member

Susan Elston – Regional Chair

Susan, an MBA graduate, was born in Middlesbrough and moved to Aberdeen in 1999. She joined Sodexo in 2011 following a career in oil and gas operations, and recently retired from the position of Senior Vice President responsible for Offshore Operations in the North Sea and is the Global HSE Lead for Offshore and Marine.

In addition to being a Member of the Regional Board of NESCol, Susan is also the Chair of the Board of Aberdeen Foyer, a former Board Member of Oil & Gas UK, and Trustee of Hardship Committee of Oil & Gas UK Chaplaincy.

Susan is a recipient of the Institute of Directors Scottish Female Director of the Year Award and Grampian Director of the Year, and has received numerous awards for safety, including the British Safety Council Sword of Honour and seven consecutive RoSPA Sector Awards.

She is a member of the Sodexo Women’s International Forum for talent (SWIFt) and co–sponsor of the Women’s Leadership Development Programme.

Leona McDermid – Vice Regional Chair

Leona McDermid has been Chief Executive of Aberdeen Foyer since 2018, having joined the charity 10 years earlier. Foyer’s aims of reducing the cause and effects of poverty on youth homelessness across the region have great synergies with the College’s aims and there has been a productive partnership between the organisations for many years. Leona is also the current chair of Firstport, Scotland’s agency for start-up social entrepreneurs and social enterprise, and is a Committee Member of the Third Sector Employability Forum.

Dave Anderson – Co-opted Member

David was born in Stirling and has been based in Peterhead since 2001. He is a Director of Score Diagnostics Limited and is responsible for promoting the company’s unique and exclusive valve condition and performance monitoring products and services worldwide. With 40 years of experience of working directly in the valve industry, he is a Fellow of the Institute of Directors, a Chartered Quality Professional, a Member of the Chartered Quality Institute and a Member of the Institute of Asset Management. He is a time served Mechanical Engineering Technician and has an array of Engineering and Business qualifications. David has worked directly in valve manufacturing, supply and servicing, specialised research and testing, surface treatments and condition monitoring and diagnostics. With a passion for creating opportunities and helping others realise their full potential, a major part of his career was spent designing, developing and delivering vocational training courses and unique electronic training and competency assessment systems. With the backing and support of the Score Group of companies, he set up the Score Training and Multimedia Productions Limited organisation and served as Managing Director of that organisation for almost 8 years. Score Group Limited have a multi–award winning Apprenticeship Scheme operating worldwide. David is a Board Member and former Managing Director of Peterhead Engineers Development Limited and is the current serving Chair of Peterhead & District Group Training Limited, a registered charity, engaged in the provision of training resources and promotion and facilitation of training and education services for the local community. A fitness enthusiast, his hobbies also include running, football and music and he manages to combine these in a unique way.

David Blackhall – Teaching Staff Representative

David joins the Regional Board as the Teaching Staff Board member.

David is a lifelong “Brocher” having been born and educated in Fraserburgh and is an advocate of the ‘Doric language’. David also attended Buchan Technical College in Fraserburgh as a day release apprentice studying engineering.

Next David’s career led him to complete an adult apprenticeship in Electrical Engineering, with Banff and Buchan College – which he attended for 6 years.

David has gained a wealth of experience in the oil industry, working both offshore and onshore with Electrical, Electro-Mechanical, Electro Hydraulic installations and ROV’s.

David joined Banff and Buchan College as a lecturer in 2006, and with the exception of a short break he spent back in industry, has worked in both the Fraserburgh and Altens Campuses as a lecturer in Electrical Engineering. David is a strong advocate of further education and is keen to help develop all Nescol students.

David’s interests outside of work are firstly his wife and two kids; wider family and friends and, being a former coach of his son’s team, football remains a passion, along with watching and participating in motor sports and 80s music.

Duncan Cockburn – Regional Board Member

Dr Duncan Cockburn is currently Vice Principal for Strategy and Planning at Robert Gordon University. Duncan has many years of experience in higher education, having spent the majority of his career working in the sector in a variety of roles. He is a graduate of the University of Aberdeen, holding a MA honours degree and a PhD both in History. He is a former President of the University of Aberdeen’s Student Association.

Duncan took up his first role in the higher education sector in 2004 as Head of sparqs (Student Participation in Quality Scotland) before joining RGU in 2008 as the Principal’s Policy Advisor. He was appointed as the Director of Planning and Policy in 2013 and then to his current role as Vice Principal for Strategy & Planning at the University in 2022. As Vice Principal, Duncan is the executive lead for several departments, including Marketing & Communications; Student Recruitment, Access & Admissions; the Gatehouse Design and Print department as well as Planning & Insight.

Outwith work, Duncan is active in the cultural sector, he was appointed to the Board of Creative Scotland in 2019. He is also a Board member of both Aberdeen Performing Arts and Sound. He is a former Chair of the Look Again visual arts and design festival and a former Chair of Culture Aberdeen.

Cindy Dempster – Support Staff Representative

Cindy has been a NESCol support staff member for over ten years.

She currently has two roles at NESCol, within the Business and Community Development team which allows her to work closely with employers and various department across the College to facility commercial and FWDF activity. And, Cindy fulfils her other role within the Library at City Campus where she has direct contact with students and staff.

When not working Cindy enjoys spending time with her family and her beloved dog.

Mark Fotheringham – Regional Board Member

Mark is local to the North East of Scotland, and attended NESCol (Aberdeen Technical College at the time) for several years during his drawing office apprenticeship. He lives in Aberdeen, and has two sons, one here, and another in Edinburgh. His personal interests including swimming, yoga, cycling, golf and walking.

Mark has extensive engineering and project management experience in the UK and overseas and has volunteered and mentored for many years in competency and professional development. He is currently the Technical Director of an energy engineering consultancy, and is a Chartered Engineer and Chartered Project Professional, Fellow of the Association for Project Management, and holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Engineering.

Jim Gifford – Regional Board Member

Jim has been a Councillor on Aberdeenshire Council since May 2007 and served as leader for more than six years and has vast experience in local government. He served as Chair of the Community Planning Partnership Board amongst a number of other senior duties.

For 18 years, Jim owned and operated a sign making business Signs Express (Aberdeen) having previously had a career onshore and offshore in Oil & Gas specialising in underwater survey and inspection work.

Jim brings experience and expertise in oil and gas as well as in the wider business and enterprise sphere to the Board.

Bryan Hutcheson – Regional Board Member

Bryan has lived in Fraserburgh from a very young age and after leaving Fraserburgh Academy he achieved a B.Eng Honours degree in Electrical and Electronic engineering from RGIT. Bryan has continued his engineering career over the last 30 years in the energy industry to this day where he is currently Engineering Director with Petrofac.

Bryan is a Chartered Engineer, a Fellow of the IET and takes an active role in developing graduates within the industry and mentoring engineers through the Chartership process.

Bryan is a lifelong learner and mid-career had a strong desire to expanded his knowledge and learning outside of engineering successfully completing an MBA with the Open University Business School.

Bryan lives in Fraserburgh with his wife and three children and enjoys cycling and photography in his spare time.

Caroline Laurenson – Regional Board Member

Caroline Laurenson is an award-winning entrepreneur and the founder and Managing Director of TL Tech Smart Home Solutions. TL Tech are an innovative tech start-up championing the use of accessible technology in the home. Accolades include being named a Top 100 Female Entrepreneur to Watch in Scotland 2023, a Top 200 Women in Conversational AI 2023, winner of the Health category at the AccelerateHer Awards 2023 and winner of the STV Growth Fund at the Elevator Awards 2022.

Caroline grew up in a rural village in Argyll and studied Chemical Engineering at Strathclyde University before moving to Aberdeen in 2003. This is where she first experienced college life, signing up to a Computer Aided Design course to complement her work as a Graduate Process Engineer. Her 20-year career in the energy industry spans the full asset lifecycle from conceptual, front-end design, detailed design, operations and decommissioning. She is a Fellow of the IChemE and a qualified project manager with a proven track record of delivering complex projects and portfolios with values in excess of £1m. Her previous experience working for an engineering consultancy firm has provided her with key skills such as sales, communications, networking and stakeholder management.
Caroline now works as an independent consultant part-time with the remainder of her time dedicated to running her business. Caroline believes passionately in the power of education and knowledge sharing and volunteers as a STEM Ambassador, inspiring others to excel in engineering and technology. When not busy working or volunteering, you’ll find Caroline singing and crafting.

Gerry Lawrie – Regional Board Member

Following a brief period in the construction industry, Gerry moved to the North East of Scotland over 30 years ago to work for NHS Grampian. She has held a variety of senior roles around workforce planning, development, analytics, utilisation and redesign.

She is chair of the National Workforce Planners Group for health and social care and the regional representative for the 6 north Health Boards on national workforce matters.

Her current role is Head of Workforce where she has gained a sound understanding of the benefits offered and enduring challenges faced in a public sector organisation. In her work around employability she recognises the impact of education on health and wellbeing.

Gerry has been a Fellow of the Chartered Institute for Personnel and Development for over 20 years and is also a coach. She was fortunate to benefit in her early career from a college education and recognises the opportunity it offered her.

She is also an active member of the Developing the Young Workforce North East Board. She spends a significant proportion of her spare time outdoors, with her dog or trying to grow vegetables.

Emma MacIsaac – Student Member

Emma is a recent graduate in HND Administration and Information Technology. Emma previously studied at the University of Aberdeen and gained a MA in Business Management and History.

Emma is passionate about advocating the student voice with particular interests in supporting student wellbeing and ensuring that every student has a safe place to live.

Viktorija Nikitina Students' Association President

Viktorija Nikitina – Student Member

Viktorija was born in Latvia and moved to Scotland in June 2009. Viktorija recently completed the Introduction to Beauty Therapy course and taken a year out from her studies to start her role as Regional President for NESCol’s Students’ Association!

Ewan Rattray – Regional Board Member

Ewan is the Harbour Master and Director of Port Operations for Peterhead Port Authority. Despite transitioning to a shore-based role in 2017, he would still call himself a Mariner, having previously spent over 15 years navigating the globe on merchant vessels. Ewan qualified as a Master Mariner and has earned an MSc in Shipping Operations. In recognition of his contributions to the maritime pilotage industry, he was awarded the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service in 2023.

Ewan is also an active Liveryman of the Honourable Company of Master Mariners (HCMM) and a Freeman of the City of London. He contributes to the HCMM’s Education and Technical Committee, demonstrating his commitment to advancing the profession. In his local community, Ewan serves as the Transport and Infrastructure Ambassador for the Aberdeen and Grampian branch of the Institute of Directors.

Beyond his professional life, Ewan enjoys quality time with his family and going to the gym.

Sheena Ross – Regional Board Member

Sheena Ross: Sheena has lived in North East Scotland her whole life. She gained an Honours degree in Business Studies from Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen before undertaking her Chartered Accountancy exams, where she qualified as a CA in 1995 while working for James Milne & Co, a chartered accountancy practise in Aberdeen.

After working in industry as a Financial Accountant, Sheena moved to Johnston Carmichael in Fraserburgh as a Business Advisory Director. Sheena has recently joined Leiper and Summers, Chartered Accountants in Fraserburgh as a Client Manager where she continues to help owner managed businesses in the North East of Scotland, specialising in rural and agricultural businesses. In 2018/19 Sheena took part in Scottish Enterprise’s Rural Leadership Programme which included visiting the parliaments in Brussels, London and Edinburgh.

Sheena has, over the past number of years been involved at Nescol’s Fraserburgh Campus as a guest lecturer for HNC and HND Accountancy where she helped enhance students’ knowledge and understanding of the accountancy work.

Sheena lives on the family farm with her husband and two children, all of whom help her busy out with work. She also enjoys yoga, being part of her local village choir, attending music concerts and socialising with friends.

Iain Watt – Regional Board Member

Iain brings with him many years of experience in the oil and gas sector involved in Project Management, and is currently Engineering Director with Amplus Energy Services Ltd, in Aberdeen, a pivotal partner in creating specialised and viable asset development strategies, developing new and more agile ways to discover and deliver smarter methods of global field development, using a range of floating solutions.

Iain, when not working is a keen golfer and is a member at Inverallochy Golf Club, and is also closely involved in his local community including the annual Cairnbulg Walk. He is a previous Chairman of both the Parent Council of the local primary school and also the Community Council. Iain is very much looking forward to working with NESCol’s regional board.

Ellie Zemani – Regional Board Member

Ellie attended NESCol’s Aberdeen campus over 20 years ago and is excited to have the opportunity to contribute to NESCOL’s success as a Board member. Ellie is actively facilitating the energy transition as Project Director for dCarbonX, where she leads a multidisciplinary, multinational team tasked with delivering a gas storage development to address energy security and transition. Prior to this, Ellie held the position of Asset Manager, with overall accountability for the safety, P&L, and strategy of operated energy assets. She also worked as a project manager, leading multidisciplinary teams to successfully deliver growth, complex modifications, and decommissioning projects.

Ellie is a chartered project professional (APM) and ECITB mentor with MSc-level training in engineering, law, and economics. She is a member of the Future Industry Leaders Programme (FILP) Committee and ECITB’s PMSG Competency Group.

Ellie lives in Aberdeen with her family, enjoys hiking and welcomes new connections via LinkedIn.

Members of the Regional Board