Since 2007, Colin has been Vice President of the GCU Foundation and Director of Development at Glasgow Caledonian University, building a new programme in development and alumni relations as part of a wider change programme at the University. Initiating new relationships and activities, across the UK and overseas in South America, the Middle East and South East Asia, have featured prominently in the success of the advancement programme to date at GCU.

Prior to joining GG+A, Colin served as Director, Marketing and Development, at the National Museums of Scotland (NMS), and was responsible for corporate marketing, public relations, events management, publications, membership, and fundraising. Under his leadership, NMS surpassed its five-year fundraising target in under three years. Colin worked with a Scottish development advisory board, while he also established a new fundraising structure in the United States. He was closely involved in the planning and delivery of a significant change management programme, bringing a wide range of new procedures and management systems to help the organisation to deliver improved services and respond to Scottish Executive priorities.

From 1988 to 1998, Colin worked as Director, External Affairs and Development, at the University of Strathclyde. In this role, he was responsible for management of the University’s fundraising and communications department. With a staff of 22, he managed all aspects of capital fundraising and the Annual Fund, alumni relations, press and public relations, internal communications, corporate hospitality, corporate image, special events, and publications. The University’s successful Campaign 2000 capital campaign incorporated face-to-face fundraising, telephone fundraising and direct mail, as well as a legacy programme, special events, and securing commercial sponsorship for various activities within the University. Under Colin’s direction, the campaign developed a strong network of volunteers and also won Gold in the 1993 UK Professional Fundraising Awards, for the best educational campaign.

From 1987 to 1988, Colin served as the Centenary Appeal co-ordinator at St Hilda’s College, Oxford, wherein he established a development office and launched the College’s Centenary Appeal, which had an initial target of £3 million and was later extended to £5 million. The campaign was launched to former students of the College in the first instance and raised £100,000 in the first month, using an innovative direct mail approach. Prior to this, Colin served as alumni relations officer at University of Edinburgh from 1985 to 1987. From 1982 to 1985, he worked within the marketing unit of Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Kluwer Academic Publishers Group in The Hague and Dordrecht, The Netherlands.Prior to this post he spent a year teaching English as a foreign language with the Berlitz School of Languages in The Hague, and a year as a graduate trainee with the Standard Life Assurance Company in Edinburgh.

Colin attended University of Edinburgh, where he received his bachelor’s degree in English and business studies in 1979 and his master’s degree in business administration in 1980. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and a Director of Scottish Opera. Colin is a full member of the Institute of Fundraising and is past Honorary Secretary and Chair of the Membership and Marketing Committee of the Institute of Fundraising Scotland.