Our leadership team
Our leadership team is responsible for the day to day running of the business. Working with teams across the organisation, delivery partners and our Board, the team ensures we are on track to deliver success for Scotland.
Adrian Gillespie, Chief Executive
As Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise, Scotland’s national economic development agency, Adrian is responsible for leading a global workforce to create a more productive, resilient and competitive economy for Scotland. To achieve this, Scottish Enterprise helps drive business innovation, build international competitiveness and encourages more investment in companies and infrastructure.
Previously, Adrian was The University of Strathclyde’s first Chief Commercial Officer and member of its Executive Team. He oversaw growth of the University’s extensive industry facing activities, centres and relationships as well as the development of innovative, place-based economic development projects including the National Manufacturing Institute Scotland and the Glasgow City Innovation District.
Before joining Strathclyde, Adrian spent sixteen years at Scottish Enterprise, where he was a member of the Executive Leadership team and Managing Director of Operations.
He led Scottish Enterprise’s business support through account management of high growth companies, entrepreneurship development and high growth start-up support, R&D and innovation support, and the business infrastructure division.
He also held various roles in areas such as the creative industries, digital media and enabling technologies, and energy and low carbon technologies.
During the 1990s, he held various commercial and financial management positions within Marks and Spencer plc.
Adrian has a Bachelor of Accountancy degree from the University of Glasgow, and an MBA with Distinction from the University of Strathclyde.
He is a former trustee of Glasgow Science Centre, the Glasgow Science Centre Endowment Fund, and a former Board member of Opportunity North East (ONE).
Jane Martin, Managing Director of Innovation and Investment
As Managing Director of Innovation and Investment, Jane leads Scottish Enterprise’s work to support entrepreneurs, industries and communities across Scotland to innovate and to grow.
With a focus on harnessing the opportunities presented by Scotland’s competitive strengths and assets regionally and nationally, her division builds collaborative working and strong, effective partnerships to execute on major opportunities and ensure all parts of Scotland benefit from the increased investment, jobs and growth they create.
The Innovation and Investment Division covers Scottish Enterprise's investment and early-stage company activities, as well as regional development and industry and academic partnerships. A core role is developing and delivering economic development programmes nationally and regionally to exploit transformational economic opportunities, such as the strengths of Scotland’s research excellence and industrial base and the transition to net zero, advances in health and wellbeing, manufacturing and technology and data.
Jane has been a member of Scottish Enterprise’s Executive Leadership Team since 2015 and took up her most recent post in April 2022. Former roles have included leadership of Scottish Enterprise’s business engagement and support services, grant funding operations, digital transformation, service design, marketing, and communications both in Scotland and internationally.
Jane has a BA (Hons) from the University of Glasgow. She is a member of the Board of Trustees at Pitlochry Festival Theatre and a voluntary panel member at DSL Business Finance Ltd, a not-for-profit business lending organisation.
Gill McNeill, Chief People Officer
Gill is responsible for the delivery of a number of corporate functions, which ensure Scottish Enterprise’s internal services can support its business plan. These functions include ensuring effective corporate governance and that Scottish Enterprise has the ability to attract, retain and motivate talent.
Her responsibilities include Human Resources, Legal, Audit, Procurement, Facilities Management, Office Services, Health and Safety, Business Continuity, Environmental Management, Employee Communications, and Corporate Affairs and Marketing.
Before joining Scottish Enterprise, Gill was Head of People Services at Virgin Money, where she was responsible for leading multi-site colleague services and operations to support Virgin Money employees. She is an experienced HR leader who has held a variety of senior roles across multiple organisations including BAE Systems, Leidos and Lloyds Banking Group.
Rhona Allison, Managing Director, Business Growth
Rhona leads Scottish Enterprise's services that support business growth across Scotland, including our grant funding operations.
Her remit is to set and drive our focus and engagement with businesses of all sizes in Scotland. She works in close collaboration and partnership with other business support delivery organisations to enable further economic growth and development in Scotland.
She also leads the Business Support Partnership Programme, a commitment from Scotland’s enterprise and skills agencies, Business Gateway, Local Government and the Scottish Government. The programme works to co-develop and implement a partnership-first approach to delivering solutions and services to businesses, and to develop a streamlined business support system.
Neil Francis, Managing Director, Digital and Major Projects, Scottish Enterprise
Neil recently took up post as Managing Director, Digital and Major Projects at Scottish Enterprise to help accelerate the delivery of work already underway across the key parts of the organisation that play a critical role in making sure we deliver effectively across operations.
Prior to this, Neil led the organisation's international economic development activities as Interim Managing Director of Scottish Development International from November 2020 to October 2022 with a focus on trade and investment to support Scotland’s global ambitions. Neil is passionate about helping to build an outward looking Scotland, increasing its international reputation and competitiveness through supporting companies to capitalise on international opportunities, and attracting inward investment.
In a career spanning more than 20 years with Scottish Enterprise, Neil was also Director of Global Trade supporting Scotland’s international competitiveness by stimulating and supporting the international trade ambition of companies across Scotland.
Neil graduated with a BSc (Hons) from Loughborough University of Science and Technology in 1986 and obtained an MBA with Distinction at the Strathclyde Graduate Business School in 1997.
Douglas Colquhoun, Chief Financial Officer
Douglas Colquhoun was appointed Scottish Enterprise’s Chief Financial Officer in April 2020. Prior to this he was the Director of Finance from 2010.
Douglas leads the Finance, Risk, and Strategy Networks & Insights teams within Scottish Enterprise to ensure that these services are delivered to support the business plan. This includes effective financial management, including the utilisation of external funding, the development of Scottish Enterprise’s risk management policies and processes, and the development of Scottish Enterprise’s corporate strategy. He is responsible for the production of Scottish Enterprise’s Annual Report and Accounts and the development of the budget that supports the corporate business plan.
Douglas is a qualified accountant and is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He has been with Scottish Enterprise and its predecessor organisation since 1987.
Reuben Aitken, Managing Director, International Operations
Reuben joined Scottish Enterprise's Executive Leadership team in October 2022 to drive forward its international agenda. He focuses on the development of trade, the attraction of foreign direct investment and talent into Scotland, and the creation of investment opportunities to attract international capital across all of Scotland.
Reuben leads a team of 300 across 34 locations to support Scottish businesses to compete on the global stage and to unlock international investment into Scotland. He is committed to growing and delivering on Scotland's global economic ambitions. He's always delighted to hear from those with a trade and investment agenda so do get in touch as he, and the team, stand ready to help.
Reuben is a former diplomat with experience from Brussels to Brazil. He worked on economic, energy and infrastructure policy and regulation in Whitehall before joining the Scottish Government where he led on trade policy. During the pandemic, he led on Scotland’s multi-billion-pound business support package.
Reuben is a Cambridge scholar and speaks four languages.
