MEET THE BOARD

Robert is an employment lawyer by day with an international law firm and is qualified in both Scottish & English law. As well as being a member of the main board, Robert sits on the Routes to Work HR sub-committee to which he brings knowledge and experience of employment law and HR related issues.

Martin has extensive experience in senior management roles in Further Education having previously held the role of Principal in New College Lanarkshire, Cumbernauld, Adam Smith and Motherwell colleges. A Chartered Physicist, having initially lectured in electronic engineering, he is a strong advocate of skills enhancement and STEM participation.

Christopher is the Principal and Chief Executive of New College Lanarkshire, having previously served as Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor, Assistant Vice Principal and Professor at Universities in Scotland and England. A graduate of the Universities of Glasgow and Stirling, Christopher has a PhD in International Marketing and his research publications have examined business strategy, consumer behaviour and product development. Christopher has provided strategic consultancy to organisations within the banking, retailing and consumer goods sectors. Committed to the principles of social justice, his recent research work has considered issues relevant to sustainability and fair supply chains. Christopher is also a Trustee of Design Works Scotland, a charity dedicated to supporting women in the work.

Kenny Nicholson is Executive Lead for People, Wellbeing & Facilities with Alzheimer Scotland, Scotland’s leading dementia charity. He has over 30 years' experience in human resources management in various positions in local government, housing and private enterprise and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development. Kenny is extremely proud to have been Trustee of Routes to Work for the past 14 years, and is Chair of the HR Sub-Committee to which he brings his knowledge and experience of HR and employment, as well as his strong interest in wellbeing, equality and diversity related issues.

As the Chief Executive of Inspirent Ltd, a third sector organisation, I provide strategic direction for Inspirent’s activities. Our predominant activity is providing economic development support for Small to Medium Enterprises across Scotland. Specifically, our purpose is to support SMEs and their leaders to start up and grow their businesses, to provide high-quality, well-paid employment so that individuals and communities' flourish. A key channel of our purpose has been the delivery of a range of fund management services and digital transformation support on behalf of the Scottish Government, including the Digital Development Loan and a pilot digital support programme for successful digital transformation among SMEs. We also deliver a range business support for Business Gateway and Just Enterprise. Liz has over 20 years of experience gained at a strategic level, operating in economic development and as a director in the private sector.

Fiona Whittaker has over 20 years’ experience of functional and strategic leadership and the delivery of complex change in large organisations in the private and public sector. She has worked both nationally, and internationally in senior roles for GlaxoSmithKline, BP, FirstGroup, and is currently Chief Officer, People Resources for North Lanarkshire Council.

Fiona is a strong proponent of the strategic importance of vocational education and the wider employability, skills and labour market support systems which are so vital to driving economic growth and recovery. In addition to her role as a Board Director within Routes to Work she is currently a serving Non-Executive Director of South Lanarkshire College, and a member of the HR and Audit and Risk Sub-Committees.

Kenneth has served as a Councillor since 2017 and is the current Provost of North Lanarkshire, having previously served as Convener of Transformation and Digitalisation. He has sat on numerous committees and boards with a background in IT he has worked for NHS Scotland for 13 years.

Alan is Head of Education in the UK and Ireland by day with an international Salesforce Partner. He has worked with Lanarkshire Development Agency, Scottish Enterprise and the Scottish Funding Council as well as in the private sector. He has a passion for learning and social justice and has led and contributed to multiple major change initiatives, delivering measurable outputs, transferring know-how, and building client capacities. He is committed to solving problems through coaching and transformation.

Phil has worked in Public Procurement, Supply Chain Management and Policy as a Practitioner, Consultant and Trainer; supporting both public and private sector clients in the UK, the Americas, the Caribbean and the Middle & Far East for over 20 years. In his current role, he develops procurement knowledge and skills in Scottish local authorities and the wider public sector. Where required, Phil has supported Routes to Work’s procurements and bids for contracts or funding since 2016. As well as being on the Routes to Work board, he also co-chairs the Finance sub-committee.

Business Leader, Mentor, NED with experience working across Start ups, Charities and a number of major global Industrial corporations including Honeywell, Motorola and Howden. Across my career I have been involved in leading large organisations through major change which has required strategic thinking, collaboration and communications skills which I now hope to bring to my current non executive roles.