Culture Perth and Kinross Limited – Directors

All our Board Members work with us on a voluntary basis and do not receive payment for their role with Culture Perth and Kinross.

Culture Perth and Kinross is a Company Limited by guarantee and a registered Scottish Charity. It also operates a trading subsidiary which delivers café, retail and venue hire services across its venues. There is a Board of Directors, co-chaired by Sandie Dawe and James Findlay, and comprised of 11 highly experienced individuals bringing expert knowledge and support to the organisation including in business, finance, law, public sector, marketing and sales as well as the Arts.

The Board meet quarterly in full and on a regular basis through a number of smaller sub-committees and working groups designed to ensure robust scrutiny and governance of the organisation is in place. To contact a member of the Board please email [email protected]

Having spent 30 years in the tourism industry promoting Britain internationally Sandie is an active Trustee and non-executive director in a number of culture, heritage and business organisations.

As CEO of VisitBritain, the national tourism agency, she led the strategy to maximise the tourism benefits of the London 2012 Olympics, played a leading role in the UK Government’s GREAT campaign, and saw visitor numbers reach record levels.

In the New Year Honours of 2015 she was awarded a CBE for services to tourism. 

James Findlay KC has stayed in Perthshire for over 16 years, having previously lived in London and originally comes from South Ayrshire.  He is currently practising as both an advocate in Scotland and as a barrister in England and Wales, specialising in local government, planning, environmental and licensing matters.

He was Head of Chambers in his London chambers until 2014 and is currently chair of the Scottish Planning, Local Government and Environmental Law Bar Group.

He is also chair of the Findo Gask Community Association.  He has three children and his wife is a supply primary school teacher.

Chris Ahern was born in London and lived in the south of England before joining the Royal Air Force. He served in the UK and Germany and saw detachments in the Falklands, Cyprus and Sardinia. On leaving the RAF he worked with British Aerospace to help establish a new Reconnaissance Squadron in the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Chris has now lived in Scotland for 25 years and worked briefly as a Prison Officer in Perth Prison and later as the Practice Manager for Condies Solicitors where he worked for 13 years.

Chris is also a Director of the Perth and Kinross ADHD+ Group helping families of those that have ADHD and associated disorders.

Stewart Donaldson was appointed to the Board in June 2022. He is one of the Perth and Kinross Council nominated trustees/directors. As a councillor he has represented Strathearn, covering Crieff, Comrie, St Fillans and Gilmerton, since 2017.

Apart from his Council roles, he is also a trustee of Perth and Kinross Heritage Trust, and a Governor of Innerpeffray Library.

During his working life he was an investment analyst and investment manager at several financial institutions, mainly in Glasgow and St Andrews.

Asif Khan is currently the Director of the Scottish Poetry Library, having joined the organisation in June 2016. With a professional background in business development, marketing and engagement, he has worked across many cultural platforms including public libraries, performing arts venues and art galleries.

Asif Khan is an associate of the Cultural Leadership Programme, and was previously the Engagement Manager for Bristol Libraries, with a particular interest in widening participation and social inclusion.

Born in Perth,  after graduating from Edinburgh University  Stewart began a 34 year career in local government with the former Tayside Regional Council before joining Perth & Kinross Council at its inception in 1996. A qualified accountant, he has held a number of strategic leadership roles  within the Council and was latterly the Council’s chief financial officer from 2017 until his retirement in 2024.

Alastair Muirhead is a director and company secretary of a national distribution business and runs one of Perthshire’s oldest country stores. Also, he is a partner of a family farming business in the Carse of Gowrie.

Alastair has in the past been a community councillor and has for 20 years helped raise funds for the Perthshire Abandoned Dog Society.

For several years, he has campaigned to find an alternative use for the former Perth City Hall. As a result, he is delighted to be involved with its museum redevelopment.

Born in London, he graduated from Aberdeen University before starting a career in the British Army.

As an officer in the Royal Corps of Transport and later the Royal Logistic Crops he spent much of his career abroad, serving with the Brigade of Gurkhas in Hong Kong, the British Army of the Rhine and the Belize Garrison. He saw operational service in Northern Ireland and the Gulf. In his final appointment in the Army, he headed up the movements planning team within the armed forces staff responsible for global movements and logistics. Since leaving the army after 36 years of service, Andrew has become actively involved with local politics, having joined the SNP just prior to the 2011 Scottish Election. He was first elected to Perth and Kinross Council as a Perth City Centre Ward councillor at a by-election in May 2015 and was re-elected in May 2017His other interests include military history and railway history.

Lauren is Commercial Operations Manager at National Galleries of Scotland, leading on the commercial strategy for events and hospitality. She has previously held management roles at the National Trust, Hampshire County Council and Historic Royal Palaces, among others. 

Lauren studied Law LLB with History at the University of Edinburgh, and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in International Heritage Management from the Ironbridge Institute at the University of Birmingham. She is passionate about inclusive access to culture, supporting early career professionals, and building long-term financial sustainability within the cultural sector.

Lauren has been a trustee of the Old Operating Theatre and Herb Garret Museum since 2017 and is also a mentor with MCR Pathways.

Olivia grew up in Angus, went to school in Perthshire, and graduated from the University of Glasgow with a Master of Arts in History of Art.

She is an award-winning communications specialist with over 20 years’ experience working in the museum sector, with a professional focus on strategic communications, public engagement and supporting organisations through periods of change. Her first museum role after graduating was at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, followed by the Fleming Collection of Scottish Art in London. Later she held senior roles as Head of Press and Communications at the British Museum and then the V&A in South Kensington.

Now working as an independent consultant based in the South East of England, Olivia supports cultural organisations across the UK connect meaningfully with audiences and communities. She led the media campaign for the opening of Perth Museum in 2024, helping to introduce it as a welcoming new civic and cultural space for the city, as well as a significant historic destination to audiences around the world.

Kathryn Thomson has been Chief Executive of National Museums Northern Ireland since March 2016.  Prior to that, she was Chief Operating Officer at Tourism NI for 11 years.

Kathryn has a background in public sector finance and holds a public appointment as a Director of the Strategic Investment Board Ltd.  She also sits on the Boards of both Tourism Ireland and Visit Belfast.

Biography to follow