Board of Governors

The Board consists of thirteen elected Governors plus two nominated Governors, one of whom is nominated jointly by the Senates of Glasgow and Strathclyde Universities, and one of whom is nominated by The Glasgow Academical Club (usually the Club President). The Board has the power to co-opt three further Governors, giving a maximum total of eighteen Governors. Ultimate responsibility for governance of the school is vested in the Board which normally meets seven times each year.

The Governors are both charitable trustees and directors of The Glasgow Academicals’ War Memorial Trust, the company limited by guarantee and registered charity which runs The Glasgow Academy. The Trust was set up in 1920 to honour the former pupils who died in the First World War, and for this reason the Articles of Association of the Trust prescribe that nine of the thirteen elected Governors shall be former pupils.

It is important that The Board of Governors attracts appropriately skilled individuals able to make a positive contribution to the running of the school, and that those individuals are drawn, as far as possible, from backgrounds which reflect the diversity of our school community. A Nominations Sub-Committee of the Board invites nominations for elected Governors each year from members of the Board and other interested parties, including members of staff and parents, on the basis of the Board’s specifications concerning eligibility, personal competence, specialist skills and local availability. Nominations are submitted to the Annual General Meeting each year for election.

Governors are inducted into the workings of The Glasgow Academicals’ War Memorial Trust, including Board policies and procedures, at an induction event conducted by the Chairman, the Secretary and General Manager. Governors also receive training on the various aspects of their role through regular briefings at Governors’ meetings and periodic refresher training on roles and responsibilities delivered during an annual weekend. Governors are also encouraged to attend relevant external courses.

Governors are normally elected to serve a maximum of two three-year terms.

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Mr Duncan Mackison (Chairman of Governors)
Duncan was elected to the Board in 2015. He was a pupil at The Academy from 1982 until 1985 and currently has two children at the school: on their mother’s side, they are the fourth consecutive generation to attend. Following nine years as a Royal Marines Officer, Duncan developed a career in facilities services and strategic property management. He is currently the Group CEO of David Macbrayne Limited.

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Mrs Christine Abercrombie B.Acc., C.A.
Christine was a pupil at Westbourne School for Girls 1970-1982. Her daughter has attended The Academy since 2006. She served as Treasurer on the Committee of the Westbourne "Old Girls' Club" for several years prior to the amalgamation with the Academical Club. More recently she has been involved in the committee organising the Westbourne Reunions. She qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1985 and has, along with her husband, run her own practice in Bearsden for the past 23 years.

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Mr Paul Frame LLB (Hons), Chartered FSCI.
Paul is the Managing Director and Head of the Tilney Financial Planning and Investment Management business in Scotland. He also leads the UK Charities team and both advises and governs various external charitable bodies. He has been a member of the GAWMT Investment Committee for over 10 years. Paul attended The Academy from 1981-1989, and has 2 children who are current pupils.

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Mr David G Girdwood, DL, BSc (St And), MEd (Stirling), SQH
David retired as Rector of St Columba’s School in 2017 after 15 years in post. He previously taught at Stewart’s Melville College initially as Head of Chemistry and Science and then as Head of Upper School. He has also served as an Associate Assessor with Her Majesty’s Inspectors of Schools. David is married to Lisa who is a family law partner with Brodies LLP and they have two daughters. For many years, he has been a member of the Erskine Stewart’s Melville Governing Council and he has just concluded a three year spell as a governor of Lomond School. David has been a Deputy Lieutenant of Renfrewshire since 2009.

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Mr Jeremy Glen, LL.B, Dip.L.P., N.P.
Jeremy was elected to the Board in 2012. He was a pupil at The Academy from 1975 – 1983. He currently has one child at The Academy, and one child who recently left to go on to university. He is a partner in BTO Solicitors in Glasgow and is a member of our Operational Committee.

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Mrs Jane Gotts, M.A. Hons
Jane was a pupil at Westbourne School for Girls from 1981 to 1993 and was in the first Sixth Form following the merger with The Glasgow Academy in 1994. Jane has a degree in Politics from the University of Glasgow. She has significant experience in business and economic consultancy, growing commercial revenue streams, strategic business planning and international business development. She is the founding partner of GenAnalytics Ltd - a specialist data and analytics consultancy focused on diversity and equality in the workplace.

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Mrs Margaret Khnichich B.Acc., C.A., C.T.A.
Margaret was elected to the Board in 2017 and is a member of the Finance Committee and Investment Committee. Her daughter attended The Academy for 13 years. Margaret was a partner in Ernst & Young for over 25 years, during which she advised many educational and charitable institutions. She is a member of the Audit and Risk Committee of the University of Stirling

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Professor Andrew Marshall
Andrew joined the University of Strathclyde in 1991 after a spell in industry with KPMG. His research is focused on risk management, derivatives, corporate and international finance. He has published over fifty papers in international journals, including recently Journal of Empirical Finance, European Financial Management, Journal of Corporate Finance and Journal of Business Finance and Accounting. He was Head of Department for six years from 2007 to 2013. He has taught accounting and finance courses in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Bahrain, Oman, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Tanzania, China, Australia, France and Spain.

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Mr John Mason B.Acc., C.A.
John has a longstanding connection The Academy and the Academical Club having attended school from 1975 to 1987 and playing rugby for Glasgow Accies between 1987 to 1998. More recently, John was President of the Academical Club from 2016 to 2018. He works with Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent firm of Chartered Accountants, and has built a strong reputation for advising entrepreneurs and SME’s in the owner managed business sector. John also works with a number of charities including the Scott Foundation and the National Theatre of Scotland.

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Dr Kristeen Percival M.B., Ch.B, M.R.C.G.P
Kristeen was elected to the Board in 2015 and currently has two sons at The Academy. She is a General Practitioner in the East End of Glasgow where she been a partner since 1991.

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Mrs Anita Salwan LLB (Hons), Dip LP, CeMAP.
Anita attended Westbourne School for Girls from 1983 until 1989. She has three children who all attended The Glasgow Academy, two are still pupils at the school and one is in her honours year at university. After graduating Anita was a solicitor for 10 years specialising in charity law and latterly in transport projects. She then entered the world of banking as a risk professional. Having previously spent time with RBS and Virgin Money in Edinburgh. Anita is currently Head of Regulatory Policy and Conduct at Clydesdale Bank PLC, where has been for the last four years.

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Mr Andrew Sime B.A. (Hon)
Andrew was a pupil at The Academy from 1979 to 1985. He is married with two daughters. He works for IBM UK and is the Director responsible for the IBM Enterprise Business in Scotland. Andrew joined IBM in 1996 and has enjoyed being a part of the exciting transformation that has been so important to IBM, starting his career in hardware sales and today being part of the Global Cognitive and Cloud Platform company that is IBM. During his career with IBM, he has held a variety of sales and management positions across a number of sectors including Public Sector, Insurance, Banking and Energy. Andrew has also served as a member of the CBI Scotland Council and is currently a Council Director of the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce.

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Mr Richard I.C.Smith, LLB, DipLP, NP
Richard was a pupil at The Academy from 1976 until 1987. He is married and currently has two daughters in the Senior School. He is a partner in the law firm Brodies LLP specialising in real estate development and investment having worked in London after his traineeship and is qualified to practice law in Scotland, England and Wales. He regularly represents developers and funding institutions in leisure retail, investment and development work.

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Mr Andrew Waddell, M.A., C.A., A.S.I.P.
Andrew is an Investment Director at Speirs & Jeffrey, an investment management firm within Rathbones. He has a broad client base, ranging across individuals, families, trusts and charities. An honours graduate in political studies from Aberdeen University, Andrew is a Chartered Accountant, having trained with Chiene & Tait in Edinburgh. After qualifying as a CA, he joined Edinburgh Fund Managers (now part of Aberdeen Asset Management), working as a fund manager within the group's UK small companies team and then its enlarged department. Andrew joined Speirs & Jeffrey in 1999 and is a Member of the Chartered Financial Analysts Society of the UK, and acts as trustee or sits on the committees of a number of external organisations.

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Mr Tommy Gemmill LL.B., N.P.
Mr Tommy Gemmill was a pupil at The Academy 1964-1976 and is Secretary to the Board of Governors. He is the senior partner in a legal firm in Glasgow. He has had two children educated at The Academy.