Gordon Bell, Executive Director of Stirling Enterprise Park (STEP)  

A trained accountant and hailing originally from Northern Ireland, Gordon has spent much of his career working for well known names such as Rolls-Royce(Aerospace), Bowater, BAT and more recently, Norbord in Cowie.

Before joining STEP, Gordon worked for the Scottish Manufacturing Advisory Service (SMAS), giving Gordon a range and depth of experience which will be invaluable to the Executive Group of the Panel.

STEP was established in 1984. As well as supporting countless new business start-ups, STEP currently provides business premises for 120 businesses, employing around 400 people.

Garry Bowman, Sales Manager  Guardian Systems (Scotland) Ltd
Based at Springkerse Trade Park, Stirling, Guardian Systems was formed in 1994. the Group consists of three companies; Guardian Systems, Guardian Soft Furnishings and Guardian Interiors & Design.  

Guardian Systems design,  fabricate and install a range of windows, doors and conservatories in a range of materials. Further diversification has led to Roofline products, solar water heating systems and authentic slate tiles.
Guardian Soft Furnishing specialise in the manufacture fo all aspects of soft furnishings, including upholstery for trade and domestic clients, including services for the hotel and leisure sectors.
Guardian Interiors & Design have a team of qualified and experienced design consultants to help with domestic or commercial projects.

A native of Bridge of Allan, Garry served his time as a joiner in the early seventies. He left the construction industry and for a time worked in IT with the Civil Service and British Gas (Transco), before joining Guardian Systems.

Catriona Cripps, Proprietor, Wildcat Solutions

Catriona, 'Cat' was born and raised in Glasgow before  gaining an Honours degree in Psychology at the University of St Andrews.After graduation, she moved to Surrey to take up employment as a Trainee Programmer for a pharmaceutical company, but spent most of her time there in ‘business’ rather than IT. A move to Scotia Pharmaceuticals in 1994 brought the opportunity to relocate to Stirling, and from there she moved to Royal Bank of Scotland as a contract Business Analyst.

Starting her own business in 2002 with the help of Stirling Enterprise, Cat launched Wildcat Solutions in 2008. Wildcat provides small to medium sized companies and organisations with consultancy, training and advice on the software and systems they need to run their businesses efficiently. With a good understanding of both small and large business needs, Wildcat take the time to understand the business and provide systems to meet both current and future needs.

Catriona spends her free time in her garden, which she is gradually taming, or hill-walking which she enjoys combining with photography, and she is an active member of the John Muir Trust.

Wil Fleeson, Director, Rainbow Rooms International Stirling
Wil is a 5 times Scottish Hairdresser of the Year nominee at the prestigious British Hairdressing Awards.

He has over 20 years hairdressing experience, which has taken him worldwide as an Educator for Rainbow Rooms International and has been directing the Stirling Team since 2000.

Dr Wendy Livingstone, Associate Principal, Business and Innovation, Forth Valley College
Wendy has been an associate Principal with Forth Valley College since 2000. the College has developed a national and international reputation as a provider of training and education for the science and technology industry clusters.

Wendy developed and led the implementation of the colleges Science and Technology Strategy and employer engagement. The college currently delivers Science and Engineering programmes to over 1500 learners with in excess of 700 individuals from industry participating in specialist Health and Safety training (IOSH, NEBOSH and COMPEX). Moreover, FVC provides training for 700 modern apprentices directly employed to work as scientists or engineers.

Steve Tolson, Director Ogilvie Group Developments Ltd
Steven Tolson is a Chartered Surveyor and Director of Ogilvie Group Developments. He has wide experience of property and regeneration matters from working on a variety of projects throughout Scotland and other parts of the UK.

In addition to his development work he is a visiting lecturer at Edinburgh College of Art and frequently represents the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in Scotland on a range of design and regeneration initiatives.

Robert Graham Snr, Chairman, Graham’s the family dairy
Graham’s is a family farming and dairy business, which has operated from Bridge of Allan since 1939. The family business covers 720 acres between Bridge of Allan and Kippen where 300 Jersey cows are milked for the family business.

Also on the farm there is a herd of 100 pure bred French Limousin cattle which are used for selling pedigree bulls and semen throughout the world.

The dairy business supplies milk throughout most of Scotland to corner shops, hotels and restaurants and employ 300 people.

Rachel Nunn, Programme Manager Going Carbon Neutral Stirling
Rachel Nunn is founder and manager of Going Carbon Neutral Stirling: a programme of Keep Scotland beautiful, exemplar project of the Scottish Government and award winner of Big Lottery in Scotland.

Rachel has a strong interest in consumer behaviour change and 'excellent business experience'. For most of her career she has worked in seniour positions within the commercial world, focusing on business development. Concern about the impacts of peak resources has led to a shift towards behaviour change modeling on carbon reduction and resource depletion. The successful GCNS engagement model seeks to interconnect housholders, communities, businesses, public bodies and politicians to drive 'mitigation' and 'resilience' solutions. The success of the Stirling model has led to further work with the Scottish, Welsh and UK governments.

Paul Stephen BSc(Arch) BArch(Hons) RIBA FRIAS Partner : Chartered Architect James F Stephens Architects
Paul is a Chartered Architect Partner with JFS Architects LLP. Paul is the partner in charge of the Stirling Office. Until recently, he was president of the Stirling society of Architects, a Vice-President of RIAS and was recently invited and elected as a “Fellow” of RIAS.

Paul’s extensive experience within the architectural business community has facilitated opportunities in becoming a visiting lecturer in Profession Studies & Management for the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Dundee, Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and also as a guest speaker at the Stirling Society of Architects AGM.

Lynn Blaikie, Operations & Business Development Manager, Stirling University Innovation Park Ltd
Lynn has been associated with the Innovation Park for almost 3 years. Originally working as a consultant, helping the Park with marketing and PR, she was then appointed as Operations and Business Development Manager, reporting to the Board.

The Park was first conceived in 1986 in partnership with Stirling University, Stirling Council and Scottish Enterprise Forth Valley. The Park has a distinctive position in the enterprise landscape, with a property portfolio of 11,000m2 in five buildings, situated on 13 acres of parkland on the Stirling University campus. The core purpose of the Park is to facilitate the conception and growth of businesses with a high knowledge capital by providing high-quality space, services and support. The Park’s distinctive role within Scottish economic development is to focus on growing innovative businesses in specialised market sectors through a collaborative approach.

Kevin Ferguson, Ancora-Imparo
Born in Stirlingshire, Kevin moved with his parents to Stirling at the age of six when his father (Neil Ferguson) opened his motor factor’s business at Back O’Hill.

Kevin spent a year with IBM at Greenock, while studying for a degree in marketing. From there he joined the regional headquarters of Dutton Forshaw, then part of the Lonrho group, at Newcastle, seconded to the Regional Director.

The strategic management experience that Kevin gained at these companies, led to him being recruited by a management consultancy in the North East of England. The experience gained there was the catalyst for Kevin completing a post graduate diploma in Business IT at the University of Northumbria.

Returning to Scotland, Kevin spent the next 10 years working for companies involved with IT Health & Safety and IT training and Customer Relationship Management Tools. It was after this that he decided to go it alone and form his own company.

Within a month of starting the business in 2004, Kevin joined the Federation of Small Businesses and was appointed vice chairman of Forth Valley branch in 2005.

In 2009 Kevin was named UK and Ireland partner of the year by ‘Mamut Business Software’.

John Epps
Of Scots ancestry, and retiring from a career as a professional engineer John moved to Aberfoyle in 1996 to set up a hospitality business with his wife Ann, herself a native of Luss, Loch Lomondside.

A founder member of the Aberfoyle Traders Association, John has been involved in many initiatives to promote business in the rural West of Stirling Council area, not least as chairman of Trossachs Area Network, where road improvements and floodwater control featured heavily.
He is also involved with Destination Trossachs, an equal partnership for businesses and agencies including Stirling Council.

In his leisure time, John also mentors local firms, through the T.E.R.M.S. initiative.