Place Directors: factsheet

The role of Place Directors is to:

• understand, promote and support how public services work together and with communities
• improve wellbeing and outcomes on local and national priorities. 

They provide a bridge between local areas and the Scottish Government, providing two-way intelligence, constructive criticism and, where valuable, support for local capacity building. Their strategic role complements the more detailed responsibility of civil servants in relevant Scottish Government policy teams for testing and supporting how specific policies, services and reform programmes are taken forward in places across Scotland.

This is a list of current Place Directors and their contact details (correct as of June 2025):

• Aberdeen City, Richard McCallum, Director of Public Spending, (Richard.McCallum@gov.scot)
• Aberdeenshire, Anne Aitken, Deputy Director of Environmental Quality and Resilience (Anne.Aitken@gov.scot) and Kerry Morgan, Deputy Director of Redress, Relations and Response (Kerry.Morgan@gov.scot)
• Angus, Jonathan Brown, Deputy Director and Parliamentary Council (Jonathan.Brown3@gov.scot)
• Argyll and Bute, Rachael McGruer, Deputy Director of National Care Service Local (ddlocaladultsocialcare@gov.scot)
• Clackmannanshire, Derek Grieve, Deputy Director of Social Care Response (Derek.Grieve@gov.scot)
• Dumfries and Galloway, Claire Renton, Deputy Director of Employability (claire.renton@gov.scot)
• Dundee City, Sean Neill, Director for Housing (DirectorForHousing@gov.scot)
• East Ayrshire, Calum Elliot, Deputy Director of National Collaborative Procurement and Innovation (calum.elliot@gov.scot)
• East Dunbartonshire, Adam Reid, Deputy Director of Skills  (Adam.Reid@gov.scot)
• East Lothian, Bettina Sizeland, Director of Bus, Accessibility and Active Travel (Bettina.Sizeland@transport.gov.scot)
• East Renfrewshire, Mo Rooney, Deputy Director of Safer Communities (maureen.rooney@gov.scot)
• Edinburgh (City of), Will Tyler-Greig, Deputy Director, More Homes Division (Will.Tyler-Greig@gov.scot)
• Falkirk, Orlando Heijmer-Mason, Deputy Director of Workforce Infrastructure and Digital (Orlando.Heijmer-Mason@gov.scot)
• Fife, Alison Taylor, Deputy Director of Improvement Attainment and Wellbeing (Alison.Taylor@gov.scot)
• Glasgow City, Gary Gillespie, Chief Economist  (Gary.Gillespie@gov.scot) and Richard Rollison, Director of International Trade and Investment   (Richard.Rollison@gov.scot)
• Highland, Donna MacKinnon, Deputy Director of European Relations (Donna.MacKinnon@gov.scot)
• Inverclyde, Fiona Simpson, Director and Chief Planner  (Fiona.Simpson@gov.scot)
• Midlothian, Penny Curtis, Deputy Director of Defence, Security and Cyber Resilience (Penelope.Curtis@gov.scot)
• Moray, George Burgess, Director of Agriculture and the Rural Economy (DirectorARE@gov.scot)
• North Ayrshire, Brian Taylor, Deputy Director for Children’s Rights’ Protection and Justice (ddcrpj@gov.scot) 
• North Lanarkshire, Rebecca Hackett, Deputy Director of Corporate, Strategy, Marine (Rebecca.Hackett2@gov.scot)
• Orkney Islands, Ellen Leaver, Deputy Director of Local Government and Analytical Services (Ellen.Leaver@gov.scot)
• Perth and Kinross, Dougie McLaren, Deputy Chief Operating Officer: Performance and Delivery (Douglas.McLaren@gov.scot)
• Renfrewshire, Lewis Hedge, Deputy Director, Curriculum and Qualifications (Lewis.Hedge@gov.scot)
• Scottish Borders, Alison Irvine, Director and Interim Chief Executive of Transport Scotland (ceo@transport.gov.scot)
• Shetland Islands, Phil Raines, Deputy Director of Domestic Climate Change (Philip.Raines@gov.scot)
• South Ayrshire, Susan Gallacher, Deputy Director of General Practice Policy (Susan.Gallacher@gov.scot) and Lisa McGuinnes, Director of Strategy and Delivery (directorSDD@gov.scot)
• South Lanarkshire, Clare Hicks, Director of Educational Reform (clare.hicks@gov.scot)
• Stirling, Simon Mair, Deputy Director of Place Based Service and Reform (simon.mair@gov.scot)
• West Dunbartonshire, Brian Dornan, Deputy Director of Constitutional Futures (brian.dornan@gov.scot)
• West Lothian, Jim Baird, Deputy Director of Head of Workplace (jim.baird@gov.scot)
• Western Isles, Kirsty Walker, Deputy Director for Executive Team Strategic Governance Office (kirsty.walker2@gov.scot)