The members of the Lobbying Register Working Group have each provided a short biography.
Jenny Bloomfield - Third Sector - Membership Body
Colin Borland - Business/Enterprise - Membership Organisation
Michelle Cullis - Business/Enterprise - Medium or Large Enterprise
Will Dinan - Transparency Promoter
Gary Dunion - Third Sector - Small Organisation
Susan Lowes - Third Sector - Medium or Large Organisation
Phil Morgan - Public Affairs - Membership Organisation
Kirsty Peebles - Business/Enterprise - Small Enterprise
Matthew Revett - Public Affairs - Medium or Large Company
Mandy Rhodes - Journalism
Brian Simpson - Legal Sector
Margaret Smith - Public Affairs - Small Company
Jenny Bloomfield
Jenny is a Policy Officer at the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, leading on SCVO’s work with the Lobbying (Scotland) Act. She also leads SCVO’s engagement with policymakers and decision-makers in the areas of procurement, third sector finance, and alternative economic approaches. She has six years of experience in policy and public affairs, and has volunteered well over ten to charity campaigns. She was awarded a Clear Distinction from the Chartered Institute of Public Relations for her Public Affairs Diploma, and is on the Committee of industry body the Association for Scottish Public Affairs. Jenny started her career in mathematics before switching to public affairs. Before joining SCVO she was Policy and Public Affairs Adviser at the University of Strathclyde, and undertook government relations for Rethink Mental Illness in London.
Colin Borland
Colin joined the Federation of Small Businesses in 2008 to head up the Scottish public affairs team. He was promoted to Head of External Affairs in 2011, in which capacity he led the FSB’s policy, public affairs and field staff teams across Scotland. In 2015 he became Senior Head of External Affairs, adding responsibility for Wales and Northern Ireland to his remit, before joining the FSB UK senior management team as Head of Devolved Nations. Colin graduated from the University of Glasgow with an honours degree in Scots Law and, before joining the FSB, worked as a researcher and parliamentary assistant in the Scottish Parliament. He lives with his wife and two young sons in Barrhead, where he is a keen gardener – a subject on which he has never once bored colleagues.
Michelle Cullis
Michelle joined Scottish Power as Government Affairs Manager in 2014 having previously worked as a public affairs manager at Pinsent Masons and McGrigors law firms. Prior to this Michelle was the deputy director at political monitoring agency, newsdirect.
Will Dinan
Will Dinan is an academic at the University of Stirling, specialising in political communication and public affairs. His PhD thesis examined lobbying, political communication and Scottish devolution. Will is a founder and steering committee member of ALTER EU, a co-founder of Public Interest Investigations and has been involved in researching and campaigning on lobbying transparency for over a decade.
Gary Dunion
Gary Dunion has been Parliamentary Officer for Friends of the Earth Scotland, an independent Scottish charity that campaigns for environmental justice and a sustainable society, since November 2016. Gary has previously worked in public affairs, communications and campaign management roles for independent and Green Members of the Scottish Parliament, the single parents’ charity Gingerbread, the anti-poverty campaign Global Justice Now, the environmental charity WWF Scotland and the Green Party of England and Wales. He worked on Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign as a field co-ordinator in the swing state of North Carolina. Prior to his career in politics and campaigning, Gary worked as an outdoor education instructor in Dorset and Norfolk. He was born in Dundee and grew up in Fife and in Edinburgh, where he now lives.
Susan Lowes
Susan is the Policy and Public Affairs Manager for Marie Curie in Scotland, where she works to shape, develop and influence palliative and end of life care policy and services across Scotland. Originally from the North-East of England, Susan moved to Edinburgh in 2004. Since then she has a worked in a number of public and third sector roles in Scotland and brings a wide range of health, social care and policy experience. She is a former member of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) Policy Committee and holds postgraduate qualifications in Public Health and Rural Development. Outside of work she enjoys spending time with her family and is devoted to her cat, Wesley. She is currently an injured runner and to make up for it, both cycles and swims. When she has time, she is also an avid reader and aspiring novelist.
Phil Morgan
Phil Morgan has been Deputy Chief Executive at the Chartered Institute of Public Relations since 2013 and prior to that was appointed Director of Policy and Communications in 2011. His previous roles include Head of External and Public Affairs for the Civil Engineering Contractors Association and Executive Director of The Enterprise Forum. He has a post graduate diploma and a master’s degree in public relations, is a Chartered Public Relations Practitioner and a Chartered Manager.
Kirsty Peebles
Kirsty Peebles has worked in the small business sector for 25 years, running companies that provide B2B services across news information, political monitoring and book production. In 2000, she founded and remains managing director of Newsdirect (UK) Ltd, now one of the UK’s leading providers of political monitoring services. In the late 90s she was part of the steering group that established the Association for Scottish Public Affairs, helping draft a first voluntary code of conduct for Scotland’s public affairs sector. As a trainer and public speaker, she now works with organisations to help build confidence in how they engage with politicians and political institutions. She is member of the Federation of Small Businesses and the National Union of Journalists and has campaigned on a variety of issues including business connectivity, fair work, paid internships and diversity in public life.
Matthew Revett
Matthew joined Grayling in early 2004, and works on a number of clients across the public affairs part of the business. Following over five years at Grayling’s London headquarters, Matthew relocated to Grayling’s Scotland office in 2009 where he is responsible for running Grayling’s devolved public affairs teams in Edinburgh and Cardiff and a number of UK-wide Grayling accounts. An expert in public policy and regulation, Matthew has focused on highly regulated sectors, including food & drink, infrastructure, energy and transport. He is an expert in public policy engagement, taking complex regulatory issues and translating them into engaging campaigns and issues for Grayling’s clients. He is the Secretary of the Association of Professional Political Consultants Scotland committee.
Mandy Rhodes
Mandy Rhodes is Managing Director of Holyrood Communications and is also editor of the flagship title Holyrood magazine and responsible for the editorial content of all other associated titles and products. Mandy graduated from Stirling University in the early 1980s with a joint Honours degree in Scottish History and Sociology. She trained on a local newspaper in Wester Hailes and completed her journalism training at Napier University. She has worked for more than 30 years in journalism in Scotland in newsprint, television and radio broadcasting and was part of the launch team of Scotland on Sunday. She has won numerous awards over the years including PPA Magazine Editor of the Year, Feature Writer of the Year and Columnist of the Year. She was social affairs correspondent at Scotland on Sunday where she broke a number of major child abuse stories and regularly lectured at Liverpool and Aberdeen universities on child protection issues and has also taken part in a number of documentaries on the subject. Mandy brings a wealth of media experience to Holyrood Communications and an unparalleled contacts book. She has become a frequently quoted commentator on Scottish politics and her Editor's Note has become required reading for anyone interested in politics.
Brian Simpson
Dual Qualified Solicitor with 16 years’ experience of working across the legal sector, in private practise and in-house positions. For the past 7 years Brian has worked for the Law Society of Scotland as a Policy and Law Reform Executive and has recently been seconded to work alongside Society colleagues in responding to the Scottish Governments review of legal services.
Margaret Smith
Margaret Smith is a director of Caledonia Public Affairs Ltd. She currently represents clients in the healthcare, food & drink and transport sectors. Prior to joining Caledonia Margaret was Liberal Democrat MSP for Edinburgh West from 1999 until 2011. She was Convener of the Health and Community Care Committee for the first four years of the Parliament. During her time as an MSP she was a Government Business Manager and party spokesperson and member of Holyrood Committees covering education, justice, transport, local government and equal opportunities. Prior to entering Parliament she was a councillor on Edinburgh City Council for four years.