.png)
Catering for the future!
CEO
Will Bain he/him
I’m Will, I’m the CEO of Scran, aka the Scrandad.
I came to Scran after a long career in food in Edinburgh, working in shops, restaurants and cafes, doing a bit...
.png)
Head of Youth enterprise
David McVey he/him
I have over 20 years of hospitality management and catering experience with a background in community food research within Edinburgh and the Western Isles...
.png)
Head of Youth Programmes
Louise Ufer-Nolte she/her
I joined Scran Academy in 2025, bringing with me a strong background in coaching, mentoring, and community engagement. I previously worked within the prison service...
.png)
CAtering operations manager
Jamie Anderson he/him
Before joining Scran, I worked in hospitality, managing kitchens and businesses. This included diverse roles, such as working on cruise ships along Britain's West Coast and on superyachts in America..
COMMUNICATIONS AND ENGAGEMENT OFFICER
Jane Strutt she/her
I joined Scran at the start of 2024 as their Communications and Engagement Officer. Before joining Scran Academy I worked as a development support officer for Inspiring Scotland through the...
.png)
academy programme lead
Shona Johnston she/her
I joined Scran in July 2024 as Academy Programme Lead. I have over 20 years’ experience in championing young people in a variety of settings. Before joining Scran Academy I was Scotland...
Scransitions Programme Lead
Beth Sutherland she/her
Prior to working with Scran, I worked as an Advocacy Worker supporting Young Carers. I also have a background in addiction support, criminal justice rehabilitation...
.png)
Kitchen Manager -RHCYP
Hannah Graves she/her
I have over 20 years hospitality experience in cafes, restaurants, catering for weddings, community food projects and running my own small food businesses. I joined Scran Academy in July as the Kitchen Manager at the RHCYP.
.png)
Front of House Lead-RHCYP
Paulina Janiec she/her
I have over 20 years of experience in hospitality. I have worked in cafés, bars, and restaurants, as well as in customer service for KLM and Air France...
SCRAN CAFE Manager - Comely Bank Centre
Erin Hutton she/her
Before becoming part of the Scran team I went to Scran Academy. I was there for a short period before working in a café for just over a year then returning to the academy. So I’ve been part...
Cafe Assistant - Comely Bank centre
Brandon Jacovelli he/him
Before joining scran I was doing a lot of volunteering as school really wasnt for me. I was trying to find something I clicked with. That led me to Scransitions where I really enjoyed working in the cafe...
Youth Development worker
Roisin Caulfield she/her
Hi, I’m Roisin, I’m 24 and I joined Scran Academy in 2025 as a Youth Development Worker. Before Scran, I spent time volunteering in youth center’s and clubs across the city, including music groups where I still teach singing. I originally graduated in Musical Theatre...
Youth Development food worker
Giuliano Buoninconti he/him
Before joining Scran Academy, I spent several years working as a professional chef, developing my culinary skills in busy, fast-paced kitchens. Alongside my career in hospitality, I studied music composition and audio production, nurturing...
.png)
Youth Development worker
Brodie Williamson he/him
Hi, I'm Brodie and I'm joining Scran Academy as a Youth Development Worker.
I will be joining the Scran academy team with experience...
ADMINistrative ASSISTANT
Aleksandra Alabahji she/her
I joined Scran Academy in January 2024 as Administrative Assistant, providing support for the whole team. I act as the first point of contact for the organisation and ensure that the office and its systems...
.png)
Youth Programme Support Volunteer and Front of house Assistant - RHCYP
Jules Caiden Woroniecki he/they
My educational background is in Psychology, with postgraduate degree in addiction therapy. I have spent some of my career in the third sector, volunteering...
.png)
Front of house ASSISTANT - RHCYP
Ciara-Leigh she/her
This is my first job and my first experience working, before I did a lot of volunteering working with horses. As I dropped out of school early but found I needed some stability, so I went to Barnardo’s...
.png)
Front of house ASSISTANT - RHCYP
Tonii she/her
Before Scran, I didn’t go to school because I didn’t get on with the teachers and I felt like they didn’t help me. I also never went to college because it felt massive, with too many people, and I was scared of doing things wrong...
.png)
Front of house ASSISTANT - RHCYP
Eilidh she/her
Before I worked in the café, I knew Scran because I had been on their programmes. I did the Clan, then Scransitions, and did a work placement in the Comely Bank Café and in the NHS Western General Hospital, which is where I decided I wanted to be a nurse...
_edited.jpg)
kitchen ASSISTANT - RHCYP
Demi they/them
Before I got the job at Scran, I had experience from working in a restaurant and I studied Culinary Food and Beverage Service at college which I just graduated from. Before that...
john loughton bem, founder & chair
John is one of the UK’s most sought after and experienced motivational speakers and trainers. He is a social entrepreneur, equality rights campaigner and leadership coach. John ran his first campaign aged 11 despite facing a challenging childhood and went on to speak to over one million people, worked across 55 countries and helped raise over £5.5million for good causes. He is CEO of global leadership company Dare2Lead, which has trained over 60,000 people across 120 clients. He is also the Founder of Scran Academy.
As well as working for clients including Google, PriceWaterhouse Cooper and the UK Government, John has advised and supported on a range of diversity issues including co-chairing the Commonwealth Gender Equality Network, training LGBTQI activists ‘Rainbow Responders’ during lockdown and working with the UN Geneva office on the Sustainable Development Goals. As a speaker John has addressed The Whitehouse, UN General Assembly, TED Talk events and the European Commission. He was appointed by the Prime Minister to serve as a Commissioner on the Calman Commission and member of the National Literacy Commission. He has a strong voluntary sector background having worked in policy for leading youth charities in London and Edinburgh, as well as a number of trusteeships. He was also elected Prime Minister of the Youth Diplomatic Service at the G8 and G20 Summits in Washington DC.
paul barrow,
treasurer
Paul is the Head of Business Design at Aegon UK and has worked in financial services for more than 20 years. His day job is about helping make sense of complex problems and turning good ideas into practical changes that work for the business. He leads teams who spend their time listening, asking the right questions and helping the company improve how it delivers for its customers.
Paul cares deeply about helping organisations that have a positive social impact. Since 2019, he has supported social enterprises through programmes such as Big Issue Invest, helping them think clearly about their plans, their finances and how they can grow sustainably.
Paul became a trustee of Scran because he is inspired by the difference it makes to young people. Scran creates real opportunities, builds confidence and opens doors in a way that genuinely supports young people. He is very proud to support Scran’s mission.
stanley yau
Stan serves Scran Academy as a Trustee, having first been involved with Scran from its launch in 2017. Stan works for an IT Consultancy based in Aberdeenshire in his dual role as the company’s Director and Technical Consultant – specialising in delivering Microsoft technologies to both small businesses and large corporates.
He is also engaged with a small number of voluntary organisations. For his sin of serving as Treasurer and Board Member for the Aberdeenshire Conservative & Unionists Association, Stan also spent 20 years as a member of JCI Aberdeen, representing both his home town and Scotland on the international stage of a global leadership organisation – culminating in serving as a Vice President for Europe in 2016. He now brings his technology, financial and leadership experience to Scran.
A keen debater (and former world champion), don’t let Stan corner you in the pub lest he bore you to tears with his personal passions of Pokémon, Japan, Xbox and his lifelong love affair of Microsoft!
Katherine hart,
secretary
Katherine is a civil servant and lives in north Edinburgh. Prior to becoming a Trustee, she was a volunteer, working alongside the staff team and with the young people who attended.
Shaun Cumming
Shaun has over 16 years’ experience in senior marketing leadership roles across organisations including BlackRock, BNY Mellon, and Standard Life, leading growth, communications, social media, brand, and audience engagement. More recently, as a consultant, fractional CMO, and Marketing Director, he has advised organisations on growth strategy, positioning, audience development, and revenue generation.
He is also an active social media creator and adviser, with more than 10 million views across his own channels in 2026. His understanding of digital trends, social platforms, audience behaviour, and AI brings valuable insight to Scran Academy as it continues to grow its reach and influence.
Shaun is passionate about Scran Academy’s purpose and has a personal understanding of the communities it serves. He is proud to combine this lived experience with his professional expertise to support Scran Academy’s continued growth and impact as a Trustee.
Samantha Paterson
Samantha is a Civil Servant of over 20 years in a variety of positions in Government. She have successfully delivered a number of high profile projects and supported senior levels of Scottish and UK Government including working closely with Government Ministers.
She has been a member of JCI Edinburgh 2016 - 2020, was President in 2019, leading and chairing a board to grow the organisation in Scotland and speaking at local and international events for JCI. During that time with JCI she helped to organise many training events, gala events and conferences and has helped make connections across Edinburgh which she hopes that experience to Scran. Being part of JCI brought her to Scran and be involved in the early days including volunteering during COVID.
Since 2021 I have been a volunteer phone friend for the Edinburgh Charity Positive Help. I call a user of services weekly to check in, listen to his week, concerns and stories. It has been a huge learning experience which has taught me a lot about supporting people. Samantha is also a trustee observer on the board of Befriending Networks since 2025.
Helen Mullin
Helen is an independent consultant, non-executive director, trustee, and chartered accountant. She specialises in governance, risk management, and board effectiveness. She works with organisations of all sizes and in all sectors, but has a particular focus on the Third Sector.
Helen specialised in the investment management sector for over 20 years, firstly as an auditor with PricewaterhouseCoopers and more recently as Head of Regulatory & Operational Risk at Aegon Asset Management UK plc.
She is also a non-executive member of the Appointment Committee of the Financial Reporting Council, a member of the ICAEW Scottish Network Board and was formerly a trustee of Empty Kitchens Full Hearts SCIO.
She believes that all young people have the right to a strong start in life and considers the support provided by Scran Academy to be fantastic. Helen hopes to use her expertise to strengthen governance and risk management at Scran Academy and support future growth plans.
Laura Bain
Laura is a communications and marketing professional with over a decade of experience in helping organisations to engage stakeholders, build trust and deliver meaningful outcomes.
Laura has worked for charities and non-profit organisations and held senior leadership roles in public bodies supporting food supply chains. As a function lead, she has overseen the delivery of integrated communications, marketing and digital strategies to achieve organisational goals. She’s a strong team leader who specialised in strategic planning and evaluation and is well versed in dealing with change management and reputation issues, as well as overseeing complex digital channel development channel projects.
Laura is passionate about using communications for good, and particularly interested in supporting organisations which deliver a positive social impact. Outside of work she enjoys hill walking and volunteering in her local community garden.