Board of Trustees

Bruce Jackson worked as an archivist and records manager in higher education and local government in both Scotland and England, finally retiring in 2014 after being County Archivist and then County Heritage Manager for Lancashire County Council for 20 years. He was previously Chief Archivist in Tyne and Wear from 1986 to 1993. He was chair of the Chief Archivists in Local Government Group (previously ACALG) from 2002 to 2012, and a member of the Self-Assessment Panel (2006-2011).

He previously chaired the Archive Services Accreditation Panel and also carries out consultancy mainly in the Scottish Borders. In 2018, Bruce was honoured by the (UK) All Party Parliamentary Group on Archives and History with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Phil Astley has been City Archivist for Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire Archives since 2008. With over twenty years’ experience in the archive and records management sector, he has worked in smaller repositories, such as the Orkney Archive and the North Highland Archive as well as larger organisations including the University of Aberdeen where he was records manager between 2004 and 2008.

Phil has a particular interest in the part that archives can play in developing ancestral tourism in Scotland as well as their use across the educational spectrum. He is currently the tutor for the University of Dundee’s Centre for Archive and Information Studies ‘Skills and Sources for Local and Family History in Scotland’ module.

Fiona Bourne is the Archive Manager for the Royal College of Nursing (a trade union and professional association) and has worked in the archive sector for over 25 years. She has a background and qualifications in archaeology and museum curatorship prior to moving into the archive sector.

Her role focusses on the operational management and development of business, personal paper and oral history audio collections; enabling and promoting appropriate access to records incorporating an online catalogue and digital archive; stakeholder engagement and the support of events and exhibitions. She enjoys helping new professionals develop their skills and then see them progress their careers.

Fiona has a Masters in Archive and Records Management from the University of Dundee, is a Registered Member of the Archive & Records Association, a member of the Information & Records Management Society and has been an accreditation peer reviewer since 2014.

Chris Cassells is the Head of Archives and Manuscript Collections at the National Library of Scotland, a position he has held since 2021. In this role he is responsible for a team of manuscript curators along with the development and promotion of the Library’s extensive archival collections. Prior to this he was the Business Archives Surveying Officer for Scotland, working with businesses and archive professionals across the country to preserve and promote business archives. Between 2012 and 2018 he worked in a number of roles in local authority archives and museums. He qualified as an archivist in 2011 and subsequently completed a PhD in Information Studies at the University of Glasgow. His ongoing research interests include the philosophy and politics of the archive and archival practice, particularly in the digital environment. He sits on the executive committee of the Business Archives Council of Scotland and has previously served on ARA’s Section for Business Records committee.

Lesley Ferguson is Head of Archives at Historic Environment Scotland and has over 30 years experience in the sector (previously with RCAHMS).  Throughout her career she has direct experience of improving standards of care for the archive and implementing digital preservation; developing the archive and improving access through major programmes of cataloguing, digitisation, engagement and research, as well as managing a range of online services. She has served on a number of boards and committees, most recently on the Advisory Council for National Records and Archives (2014-21) and the Forum for Historical Manuscripts and Academic Research. She contributed to the assessment panel for the UK Government Covid 19 Archives Fund and continues in that capacity on the Records at Risk Fund.

Kay Foubister is the Acquisition Curator at the National Library of Scotland’s Moving Image Archive. A history graduate with a Diploma in Archives and Records Management, Kay began her professional career as a student working at the Orkney Archives before moving to Glasgow to specialise as a film archivist. In 2004 she established the Glasgow Area Disaster Plan Network. Kay is a co-supervisor with Edinburgh Napier the University of Edinburgh for PhD research concerning film communities and networks within the Scottish film industry. She is also currently working with the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) to compile a handbook on amateur film.

Craig Gauld is a senior lecturer and head of discipline at the University of Dundee, with over 13 years of experience tutoring on the Centre for Archive and Information Studies (CAIS) programmes. As head of discipline for CAIS since 2016, Craig has led a world-leading suite of distance-learning educational courses in archives and records management, helping to develop graduates that are shaping and leading the recordkeeping profession in the United Kingdom and internationally.

Craig holds a Masters in Information Management and Preservation from the University of Glasgow and completed a PhD from the same institution in 2010. He has previously worked at the Ayrshire Archives, the University of Strathclyde Archives, and the Shetland Museum and Archives. 

Natali Higgins is the Information Governance Manager (Corporate Records) within NHS Ayrshire & Arran.  She has over 16 years’ experience working across the NHS and has been in her current role for eight years.  Within this role she is responsible for embedding a high standard of records management into the day to day handling of corporate data / information / records to support the efficient delivery of services and compliance with legislation.  She is Chair of the NHS Scotland Records Management Forum and in this role provides leadership to the records management community across NHS Scotland, drives forward national workstreams and encourages the sharing of knowledge and adoption of best practice across the NHS Boards.  In addition she provides records management advice and support to the NHS Scotland M365 Implementation Programme.  From 2022-2024 she was seconded on a part-time basis to the Digital Health and Care division within Scottish Government to lead the review of Scotland’s Records Management Code of Practice for Health and Social Care.

Natali has undertaken a number of courses/training in records and information management including the Practitioner Certificate in Scottish Public Sector Records Management. In 2023 she was awarded IRMS (Information and Records Management Society) Professional of the Year and also received accreditation from the IRMS.

Heather Jack is an independent Information and Records Management consultant. She helps her predominantly Scottish public sector clients to improve working practice in all aspects of information and records management, ensuring that these support the organisation’s statutory obligations, strategic goals and daily operations, follow best practice and are realistic to achieve. Effective communication, inclusion and support are fundamental strands of her service delivery.

Heather is a firm believer in the power of collaboration across and beyond her own professional community. She has been IRMS Scotland Chair and UK Conference Director and is both an accredited member and Fellow of the Society. She was also a member of the NRS 2019 Stakeholder Forum which supported the PRSA Model Plan revision. Heather is dedicated to working with others to ensure that information is not just acknowledged as a key asset but actually managed as such for the benefit of all in society.

Kiara King is the Director and Archivist for the Ballast Trust a charity that provides a rescue, sorting and cataloguing service for business archives. She has been a qualified information professional since 2007 and has experience in both the records management and archive sectors.

Kiara is a member of the Business Archives Council of Scotland’s executive committee and previously  worked closely with the SCA during the development and implementation of a National Strategy for Business Archives in Scotland (2010-2016). Her role at the Ballast Trust involves advocating for business archive collections, particularly technical records within them. She is also a member of the Scottish Transport and Industrial Collections Knowledge (STICK) network and sits on the editorial board for Archives and Records the journal of the Archives and Records Association.

Paula is the trust archivist at the GovanHill Baths Archive. The archive is an independent community archive, with permanent exhibition space which was set up in 2014. It has a fascinating and truly unique collection which reflects the wide and varied activities which have taken place in the Baths for over 100 years.

Alison Mason has been Head Archivist at High Life Highland (which collects, conserves and makes accessible the records of The Highland Council) since 2014. She has over 20 years of local authority archive experience, having previously worked as an Archivist and Records Manager at Aberdeen City Council, and then as Records Manager for North Lanarkshire Council between 2007 and 2014.

Her current role involves the oversight and management of 4 archive centres situated across the Highlands, enabling access to records which reflect the history and diversity of the Scottish Highlands and its inhabitants. She has a particular interest in bringing archives to new audiences, using the stories found within the records to enhance a sense of place and local identity.

Alison has a Masters in Archives and Records Management from the University of Liverpool, and she is member of the Community Archives and Heritage Group (CAHG) Scotland Committee, which offers practical support to community archives, with a focus on keeping archive collections in the community.

Jan Merchant has worked in the local authority and university archive environments for nearly thirty years, currently in post as Senior Archivist with Archive Services at the University of Dundee. She holds a MA(Hons) in Modern History, a PhD and Diploma in Archives and Records Management.

Jan’s role within the Archive includes teaching the values and functions of archives to students across most disciplines. She has a particular interest in promoting understanding of archives and their roles within local communities using activity sessions, workshops and oral history.

Helen Taylor is the University Archivist at Heriot-Watt University and has over 25 years of experience working in archives and records management.  Her current role involves responsibility for University corporate archives and deposited collections with a focus on the textile industry and she is particularly interested in cross sectoral working and outreach.

She received an MA in History, Archives and Records Management from Western Washington University in 1995 and previously worked at Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, the National Records of Scotland and West Lothian Council.

Dr Irene O’Brien chaired the Scottish Council on Archives from the inception of the organisation until September 2019, when she was appointed Honorary President. Irene directed the organisation’s overall strategic objectives and corporate governance. Irene also represented the Council on a number of Scottish and UK-wide organisations, including the Archives Libraries and Museums Alliance (ALMA) UK & Ireland and VisitScotland’s Ancestral Tourism Steering Group. She is a Director of the Scottish Archive Network (SCAN) Ltd.

Dr O’Brien is also the City Archivist with responsibility for managing the archives and records of Glasgow City Council. She has worked in Glasgow City Archives (formerly Strathclyde Regional Archives) since 1982. Irene was formerly the Chair of the Society of Archivists, Scotland, and the Archivists of Scotland Local Authority Working Group, and also served on the UK Council of the Society of Archivists.