Our Board
Meet our Board of Charity Trustees – a passionate, influential, committed and knowledgeable team who volunteer their time to make sure we’re always working as effectively as possible.
As a registered Scottish Charity with the Scottish Charity Register (OSCR) we are governed by our Board of Charity Trustees, all of whom are appointed and co-opted by their fellow Board members. We advertise for Trustees as and when vacancies arise.
Fiona MacLeod, Chair
Originally from a farming background Fiona subsequently had a career in the international energy sector leading large scale multi-country teams.
She has broad business experience including HSE, marketing, branding and risk based change leadership. She chaired the Women’s Fund for Scotland and has held a number of board directorships including Virgin Money and Denholms.
Fiona adores all animals.
Carolyn McLeod, Trustee
A qualified solicitor, Carolyn has a breadth of experience in public sector leadership positions, the third sector, stakeholder engagement, performance management and governance.
She also has volunteering roles and has broad experience of committee work.
A lifelong animal lover, Carolyn has 2 dogs, Jack and Pepa.
Niall Connell, Trustee
Niall is a veterinary surgeon who qualified from Glasgow in 1982. Niall was in mixed practice in Fife for 2 years, then worked for PDSA in 25 years in London and Glasgow. He suffers from Multiple Sclerosis and retired from clinical practice in 2009.
Today, he now does assessments and occasional teaching at Glasgow Vet School. He was on the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Council for 10 years and is a past president and treasurer and is still involved in some RCVS committee work.
He is married to Colette and they have three grown children, three grandchildren, a Border Terrier and a cat.
Steven Naismith, Trustee
Steven is a highly commercial finance professional with more than a decade of experience. He’s currently part of the leadership team at Edinburgh Airport, Scotland’s busiest airport.
It is a privilege to be joining the Board of the Scottish SPCA. Championing animal welfare is more important today than it’s ever been, and he’s thrilled to play a part in making Scotland the best place in the world for animals.
Caroline Trotter, Trustee
Caroline has worked in the investment industry for over 35 years. In her most recent role at Aberdeen Standard Investments (now known as abrdn), Caroline was responsible for driving excellence in the management of key strategic client relationships and partnerships.
She is motivated in designing and delivering client-centric strategies while supporting the sustainable and profitable growth of an organisation.
Ed Alford, Trustee
Ed is highly impactful Global CIO with extensive Digital Transformation experience gained across a number of industry sectors including retail, oil & gas and consulting. He spent the lasty two years at the high street fashion retailer New Look transforming their technology landscape and prior to that was part of BP’s top 100 leadership team acting in CIO and Senior VP positions between 2012 and 2020.
In 2022, he was recognised by Computer Weekly as the 4th most influential UK tech leader in the private sector.
Ben Cook, Trustee
Ben is the Managing Director of The Formery, an agency he co-founded, and his expertise spans brand development, digital strategy, income diversification and organisational growth. He is also currently a Non-Executive Director at ESPC, where he supports digital transformation and fundraising partnerships.
Ben’s professional experience is underpinned by strong personal values. He has played an active role in his local community in Culross, serving on the community council, leading fundraising for the community centre, and supporting local events. His long-standing commitment to sustainability is also reflected in a personal reforestation project he co-founded in the Brazilian Amazon, where over 16,000 native trees have been planted on previously deforested land.
Ben’s passion for animal welfare is deeply rooted in personal experience, having witnessed how the love, empathy, and connection of a family dog played a vital role in supporting his child through a serious health challenge. He currently has a dog, Cub.
Peter Hastie, Trustee
Peter is an animal scientist, Professor of Veterinary Biosciences and Head of Global Engagement at SRUC.
For the majority of Peter’s career he has worked in the veterinary and animal science sphere as an academic, firstly at the University of Glasgow’s Vet School and latterly at SRUC’s new Vet School, and has extensive experience from a young age of large animals, predominately farm animals and horses. He has a lot of senior management and committee experience and has a particular interest in the ethics of animal use for education and research.
Peter is a lifelong animal lover, and is married with 2 grown children, 4 dogs, 3 cats, 7 horses and a Shetland pony at home.
Mark Ritchie, Trustee
Mark is an experienced and confident CFO who is Associate Chartered Management Accountant (ACMA) qualified. Mark has over 20 years of experience, ten of which have been spent in Board level roles with PE/VC backed businesses. Having worked in a range of organisations, Mark has developed a comprehensive understanding of business strategy, how to lead and manage strong teams, in addition to delivering high levels of performance, quality assurance, finance and corporate governance.
Extensive experience in the Energy and construction/facilities management sectors, along with managing and delivering a successful exit on behalf of PE shareholders.
Mark is currently Chief Financial Officer at the Nuvik Group of companies, and is a Board member of Energy charity SCARF.