Annie was born and raised in Springburn in the North East of Glasgow. To this day still lives in her family home with her son. Coming from a working-class Labour family, daughter of a railway man and a cleaner, she was encouraged by her mum and Dad to work hard and achieve her goals in life.
Prior to her political career, Annie worked as a Retail Manager for Marks and Spencer, she started her political journey during the independence campaign in 2014, joining the local Scottish Conservative Association hoping to assist with the 2015 General Election. Little did she realise she would end up becoming the candidate in Glasgow North East for the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Annie didn’t win her first election but did increase the vote. She did not have long to wait until campaigning started again, this time it was the Scotland Parliamentary Elections – to her surprise, she was ranked second on the Glasgow List and won the Regional Seat in 2016 (the first time the Conservatives have held 2 Glasgow seats).
Annie went on to be the Welfare and Equalities spokesperson for the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party from 2016 to 2018. In 2018 she became a Party Spokesperson for Public Health, Mental Health and Equalities and in February 2020 she was honoured to become the Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party and the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government and COP26. Annie has always been a strong advocate of equal opportunities no matter what background you are from.
Graham Simpson is an MSP for Central Scotland for the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party and is the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity.
He served as a councillor in South Lanarkshire between 2007 and 2017, while working as a sub editor for the Scottish Sun in Glasgow. Then he was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2016 and gave up his career in journalism – which was something he had been in since leaving school in Carlisle. Graham now lives in East Kilbride with his wife and they have two daughters. He enjoys cycling, walking, jazz and watching football.
Graham feels strongly about the fact that everybody should be recognised and listened to regardless of any groups especially as everybody should be working together.
Liz Smith was first elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2007 and was re-elected in both 2011 and 2016. She is one of four Conservative Regional Members for Mid Scotland and Fife. Following her long-serving role as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, she was promoted to Chief Whip in February 2020 and is now Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform. She also chairs two cross party committees: those on Colleges and Universities, and Sport.
Liz lives at Madderty in South Perthshire. She was educated at George Watson’s College and holds an Honours Degree in Economics and Politics and a Diploma in Education from the University of Edinburgh. She returned to George Watson’s College in 1983 to teach Economics and Modern Studies and in 1992 became a Fellow Commoner at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge whilst she undertook some academic research in politics. In 1998 she left teaching to work as Political Advisor to Sir Malcolm Rifkind and between autumn 2001 and autumn 2003 she was Head of the Chairman’s Office in Scottish Conservative Central Office.
Outside politics, Liz is a keen sportswoman with particular interest in cricket and hill-walking. She won seven caps with the Scottish Ladies’ Cricket XI, is a former President of the Scottish Women’s Cricket Association, and is an official Munroist on account of her completing all of the 282 peaks in Scotland over 3,000ft. Liz’s other interests include mountaineering expeditions, photography and writing (joint author of “Outdoor Adventures” published in October 2003 and the history of George Watson’s Ladies’ College published in autumn 2006). As one of the first women in the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party joining the Scottish Parliament Liz fully understands the need to not only attract but also support the BAME community in Scotland.
Rachael is a Scottish Conservative MSP for Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire constituency, and is the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People, including Equalities. She was formerly a list MSP for South of Scotland after her initial election in 2016 but won a by-election in June 2017 with a majority of 9,338. She was Deputy Chief Whip from October 2018 to March 2020, and served as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Tourism until August 2020. Rachael was born in Brecon, Wales and attended St. David’s Ursuline Convent and Hereford Technical College. She studied agriculture at Harper Adams University and began a career as a BASIS qualified agronomist working for Schering and Dalgety. In 2008, she became a Director of the family hospitality business based in the Scottish Borders. Rachael has been involved in politics since 2002, standing as a candidate in 2013 in the local by-election for Lauderdale & Melrose topping the ballot on first preference votes with 27% of the vote and making significant gains. Rachael was Campaign Manager for John Lamont MP in his successful election for Scottish Parliament in 2007.
She played a co-ordinating role in the Better Together campaign in the South of Scotland in 2014. Rachael was Co-Chair of Jackson Carlaw’s leadership campaign alongside Liam Kerr MSP. Alongside Rab Forman, Rachael is Chairwoman of the Scottish Conservative party and plays an active role in Women2Win Scotland. Rachael is Deputy Chair of the Social Enterprise Cross Party Group and believes in contributing to all economic and social areas that affect the people and businesses of Scotland including BAME communities.
Miles Briggs, Scottish Conservative & Unionist MSP for Lothian, was born in 1983 and elected to the Scottish Parliament as a Member for Lothian Region in May 2016.
Miles is the Scottish Conservative Chief Whip and a Member of the Parliament’s Health & Sport Committee. He was previously the Shadow Minister for Mental & Public Health.
Miles is Co-Convenor of the Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Cancer and Convenor of the Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Scottish Horseracing & Bloodstock Industries. He is actively involved in numerous other Cross-Party Groups.
Educated at Auchtergaven Primary School and Perth Grammar School, Miles then attended Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen where he studied Management & Politics. Following graduation Miles worked for The Executive Council of the Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada. He then spent 10 years working as a Political Adviser to MSPs Dr Nanette Milne and Liz Smith.
Outside of politics Miles is a keen hill walker, having completed 83 Munros to dates, and is also interested in rugby, countryside issues, photography, Scottish history & music.
Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP for North East Scotland was born in 1975 and elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2016.
Educated at George Watson’s College, Liam worked at as a chef at Café Royal in Edinburgh before attending Edinburgh University where he graduated with a degree in sociology. Liam worked as a commission-based telecoms salesman for several years and as a session musician in London before retraining as an employment lawyer and eventually setting up his own practice in Aberdeen.
Liam has served as the Scottish Conservatives Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Justice since 2017 and is a member of the Justice Committee and Deputy Convener of the Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee.
Through his portfolio, Liam has consistently called for victims of crime to receive grater input and support in the criminal justice system. Liam supported the successful campaign to pass Finn’s Law in Scotland after starting a petition which was signed by over 57,000 people. Thanks to his efforts, criminals who harm service animals will now be given up to five years in jail.
Outside of politics, Liam is a keen cyclist and online chess player. He is married to a primary school teacher, sails a small boat and recently studied for an MBA through the Open University. Liam is also a member and former chairman of the Aberdeen 100 Round Table and a former member of St Fittick Rotary Club.
Jackson has been an MSP since 2007, most recently serving at party leader from February 2020 to August 2020. Prior to this, he served two terms initially as a regional MSP for the West of Scotland before being elected as the constituency member for Eastwood in May of 2016. Jackson was the Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservatives having been appointed by Ruth Davidson in 2011 and was previously Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Europe and External Affairs having led on health for almost nine years prior. In September 2018, Jackson became Interim Leader of the Scottish Conservatives, covering for Ruth Davidson whilst she was on maternity leave, taking up the role again in September 2019 when she stood down from the position.
Before becoming an MSP Jackson worked in the retail motor industry for 25 years and has been involved in the Conservative Party since his mid-teens when he joined locally in East Renfrewshire. He has held various voluntary Chair positions around the party including Deputy Chairman of Scottish Conservatives by John Major (1992/98) and served again in 2005/06 when he was also on the UK Party Board.
Jackson is married with two adult sons and now lives in Waterfoot in Eastwood. Outside of politics, Jackson is interested in theatre generally and film. He reads extensively (biographies, historical and crime fiction being typical picks) and enjoys (light!) walking around Scotland although in recent years this has been complemented by some sterner efforts during the summer in the Swiss Alps. Jackson has a strong vision to see that the party not only attracts people from diverse backgrounds to join but also to make sure their polices are representative of the population of Scotland.
Jamie Greene is a Scottish Conservative MSP for the West Scotland Region and currently serves as the Shadow Education Secretary. He grew up in Greenock and went on to pursue a career in media which saw him work across the UK and overseas.
He was previously Commercial Director at Viacom in London and ran a media content business prior to joining the Scottish Parliament in 2016. In 2018 he was appointed to the Shadow Cabinet under the Transport and Infrastructure brief before being promoted to the Education portfolio in January 2020.
Upon being elected to Holyrood he set out to create the parliament's first ever Cross-Party Group on LGBTI+ issues and is also a member of the cross-party groups on Taiwan, the Nordics and Israel.
Jamie Greene is a firm believer that having access to high-quality education is a fundamental right of every child in Scotland so that young people are afforded every opportunity in life and aren’t hindered by their personal circumstances.
His own personal experience taught him that a good education is critical to social mobility, allowing him to pursue a successful media career and become an MSP, despite growing up in one of the most deprived areas of Scotland.
Brian Whittle is a Scottish Conservative MSP for South Scotland. He was first elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2021.
Brian grew up in Troon. After attending Marr College, Kilmarnock College and Glasgow University he began a career as an industrial chemist working for ICI at Ardeer. From there, Brian changed direction entirely, becoming a professional athlete and is best known for winning the gold medal in the 4x400m relay at the 1986 Athletics Championships with only one shoe and achieving a personal best. After retiring from professional athletics, he spent several years in business as a director of various companies including ones working in events management and most recently developing software for the healthcare industry.
Drawing on his experiences in a STEM profession, athletics, and within the healthcare industry, Brian has served as the party's spokesperson for Public Health Mental Health, Wellbeing & Sport and currently serves as the Shadow Minister for Environment, Biodiversity & Land Reform.
At Holyrood, he was a member of the Health & Sport Committee and the Public Petitions Committee. He currently serves on the Covid-19 Recovery Committee and sits on many Cross-Party Groups for various subjects including Health Inequalities, Science and Technology, and renewable energy.
Brian’s particular area of interest is in tackling inequality of opportunity across sectors including education, the green economy, the rural economy, and particularly sport to improve access for all Scots regardless of background.
Originally from Achnacarry in Lochaber, Donald was educated at the University of Oxford, and graduated with a BA in Modern History (first class honours). He then worked at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington DC – a think-tank specialising in international relations.
Returning to the UK to study law, he qualified as an Advocate at the Scottish Bar in 2005. He practised across Scotland focussing on public, agricultural and crofting law, appearing in the Court of Justice of the European Union, the Supreme Court, the Court of Session (Inner and Outer Houses) and the Scottish Land Court.
Donald Cameron was first elected to the Scottish Parliament to represent the Highlands and Islands Region in 2016, and he was subsequently re-elected at the 2021 Scottish Parliamentary election. Following the election, Donald was elected to serve as a member of the Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture committee, and was appointed Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture.
Oliver has represented his home constituency of Dumfriesshire in the Scottish Parliament since May 2016.
He grew up in Moffat, where he attended Moffat Academy before moving to Edinburgh to study Law at university. After graduating he worked briefly for the global oil and gas company Shell before taking a firmer interest in politics working within Westminster as a parliamentary aide.
He returned to Dumfriesshire in the run up to the Independence Referendum in 2014 to help co-ordinate the local 'Better Together' campaign.
Oliver is member of a number of cross-party groups with a focus on learning difficulties and mental health.
I was elected to Holyrood in May 2016 for Mid Scotland and Fife and was delighted to have been re-elected for the region in May 2021.
I am a resident of Bridge of Allan and was educated at Craigclowan Preparatory School and then Morrison’s Academy.
I have a BA (Hons) in Politics and Social Science from the Open University, plus I have also worked as a management professional in the hospitality, housing and retail sectors.
My motivation for becoming an MSP followed on from my 18 years as a local councillor with Perth and Kinross Council, where I found that hard work and determination to help my constituents really did make a difference to people’s lives.
Through work in the charity sector with organisations such as Ark Housing which help people with learning difficulties, I have continued in that vein following my election by supporting many charities through my parliamentary work.
Following posts since my initial election as Shadow Minister for Local Government, International Relations and Migration, Deputy Chief Whip, Shadow Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning; for the 2021-2026 Holyrood session, I now hold the positions of Shadow Minister for Just Transition, Employment and Fair Work, and also Shadow Minister for Older people.
In the 2016 New Years’ Honours List I was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire by Her Majesty the Queen and prior to this, I was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 1994.
Craig Hoy is a Scottish Conservative and Unionist MSP for the South Scotland region.
He is a resident of East Lothian and a Shadow Minister for Health and Social Care.
Craig is the convener of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross Party Group on Beer and Pubs and serves as Chairman of the Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party.
Over a 25-year career in media and business, Craig has worked for organisations including Dods, the BBC and Holyrood Magazine which he co-founded in 2000.
He was educated at Lasswade High School and grew up in Midlothian. After going to university in Edinburgh and graduating from City University in London, he started his career as a journalist, going on to work as a Downing Street Lobby Correspondent.
After a decade as a journalist and political editor, he went on to run businesses in the UK and overseas – including the launch of his own events and intelligence company in 2008.
Craig is not a career politician and represents something new and refreshing in our local politics. After winning a by-election against all the odds, Craig became a Councillor in Haddington and Lammermuir ward on East Lothian Council.
He entered the Scottish Parliament as a Regional List MSP for South Scotland in May 2021 and sits on the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee and the Public Audit Committee.
He serves on the board of the South East Scotland Transport Partnership is a member of the East Lothian Education Committee and sits on the Haddington and Lammermuir and the Fa’side local area partnerships.
Craig is a member of the Haddington Common Good Committee and is a member of both the Audit and Governance Committee and the Policy and Performance Review Committee of East Lothian Council.
He is the Conservative Party’s local Climate Change Champion and a committed local campaigner. He is also a member of the Scottish Conservative Candidates Board.
Craig stood for election in East Lothian at the 2019 General Election, where he campaigned for improved infrastructure, a more sustainable approach to housing development and more jobs for the county.
Craig supports a number of charitable and community-based groups and is a Friend of Blooming Haddington and the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick.
Craig also spearheaded Lorraine Kelly’s “Change of Check” campaign in East Lothian, reminding women to check for the symptoms of breast cancer. He has also backed the White Ribbon campaign to end male violence against women, once and for all.
He lives with his partner, who runs a local retail business, in Haddington and is active in local community groups and causes.
This includes supporting local efforts to reopen Edington Cottage Hospital’s minor injuries unit and organised a successful petition of over one thousand signatures to reinstate the X5 express bus service between North Berwick and Edinburgh.
In Parliament, he has actively promoted East Lothian businesses and charities, including Torness Nuclear Power Station and the Scottish Seabird Centre.
Murdo Fraser has been MSP for Mid-Scotland & Fife since 2001 and lives with his wife and two children in Perthshire. He is the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery and sits on the Scottish Parliament’s Covid-19 Recovery Committee.
Born in 1965 and educated at Inverness Royal Academy, he graduated LLB from Aberdeen University in 1986, and went on to do the postgraduate Diploma in Legal Studies. He worked as a solicitor in Aberdeen and Edinburgh and prior to his election to the Scottish Parliament was an associate with Ketchen and Stevens WS in Edinburgh, specialising in commercial law.
A few years after entering Holyrood, in November 2005, Murdo became Deputy Leader of the Scottish Conservatives and continued until November 2011. He has also previously been Scottish Conservative Spokesman on Economy, Health, Education, and Enterprise & Lifelong Learning and is co-convenor of the Cross-Party Groups on Scotch Whisky and Pakistan.
Murdo is Chairman of Trustees of the National Prayer Breakfast for Scotland, a Trustee of the Guardians of Scotland Trust, a patron of the Conservative Christian Fellowship and a member of the Scotland-Malawi Partnership.
During his time in politics, Murdo has also written two books: “The Blue Book: Scottish Conservatism in the 21st century” (2006), and “The Rivals: Montrose and Argyll and the struggle for Scotland” (Birlinn, 2015).
Murdo’s interests outside politics include hillwalking (he has climbed Kilimanjaro and more than half of Scotland’s 284 Munros), football, classic cars, travel (especially Africa), and Scottish history.
Sandesh Gulhane is a GP and politician who was elected Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow Region in May 2021, the first Hindu and first man of Indian descent to be elected MSP. He currently serves as the Scottish Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care.
Sandesh was educated in London, studied at Imperial College and has been a doctor since 2006. He worked as an orthopaedic registrar in London, Birmingham, Newcastle upon Tyne, and Glasgow before changing focus to primary care in 2015.
Sandesh was also Club Doctor as part of the medical staff of Scottish Professional Football League Club Queen’s Park FC from 2017 until August 2021, utilising his interest in Sports Medicine, working with players and non- playing staff alike.
He continues to work one day per week as an NHS GP.
As MSP, Sandesh has lobbied government for funding to support Long Covid sufferers and continues to challenge the government on its Covid Recovery programme for NHS Scotland, including hospital waiting times, resourcing primary care, dentistry and mental health services.
Sharon Dowey is a South Scotland list MSP for the Scottish Conservatives. Born in Girvan and raised in Maybole, Sharon has lived and worked in Ayrshire all her life. Prior to her election in 2021, Sharon was a senior manager with the Morrisons supermarket chain working all across Scotland.
In her time as an MSP, Sharon has served as Deputy Convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s Public Audit Committee and is the Culture, Europe and International Development spokesperson for the Scottish Conservatives. She is married to Martin, a former police officer and Leader of South Ayrshire Council and has three children.
Sharon is delighted to become a SCBAME ambassador and looks forward to working closely with the organisation to ensure the Scottish Conservatives are a party that represent all Scots.
Jamie Halcro Johnston is the Scottish Conservatives Shadow Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise and an MSP for the Highlands and Islands region.
Coming from Orkney, where his family have farmed for generations, Jamie was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2017 where he served in a number of shadow education and skills roles. Prior to becoming an MSP, he had worked in the Scottish Parliament as a media and political adviser, as well as in roles at Holyrood magazine and the Financial Times. He has previously worked on high-profile local campaigns, including the fight to dual the A9 and serving as a local coordinator for the Better Together campaign in the 2014 referendum.
Jamie stood for election in the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch constituencies in 2021, moving the Conservatives into second place – and was re-elected on the regional list. Following the election, he was appointed to his shadow ministerial role and has served on the Scottish Parliament’s Economy and Fair Work Committee.
At Holyrood, he has continued to champion local issues, as well as working on national business issues such as the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. A keen sportsman, Jamie has played for the Scottish Parliament’s rugby team, as well as being a regular hockey player.
Jamie believes it's vital Scottish politics is truly representative of the whole of the county and that all voices, including those from the BAME community living and working in rural Scotland, are heard.
Alexander Burnett has been representing Aberdeenshire West as an MSP since 2016 and is currently the Scottish Conservative Chief Whip.
Alex studied Law at Newcastle University going on to work in Azerbaijan for 9 years during which time he established the first Western holiday resort outside of the capital Baku and carried out development work in the educational, tourism, agricultural and forestry sectors as well as introduced the first Mexican, Thai and Japanese restaurants to Azerbaijan. He was also a founding member of the Azerbaijan Rugby Federation, winning two international caps.
Following his time in Azerbaijan, Alex returned to Aberdeenshire to live with his wife Lavinia and three children near Banchory, where the Burnett family will mark their 700th anniversary in 2023.
Always interested in politics and following the 2014 referendum, Alex became motivated to stand as a candidate for the Scottish Conservatives in the 2015 UK General Election for West Aberdeenshire & Kincardine (a seat now held by Andrew Bowie MP). During this hard-fought election campaign, Alex convincingly beat the 18-year incumbent Liberal Democrat and increased the Scottish Conservative vote by nearly 3,000 to 15,916. Unfortunately, the split unionist vote meant he came second to the SNP.
Encouraged by this campaign, he then ran the following year in the 2016 Scottish Parliament Election for Aberdeenshire West, winning the constituency, against all odds with a majority of just 900, but more than doubling the Scottish Conservative share of the vote from 2011 and defeating the SNP candidate, Dennis Robertson. During the Parliament, Alex held the Energy Portfolio, was Deputy Chief Whip, and sat firstly on the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform Committee; and, subsequently the Finance & Constitution Committee.
Since becoming an MSP, giving a voice to those with autism and their families has become a priority of Alex’s and in 2017, he co-founded the Cross-Party Group on Autism with his Conservative colleague Annie Wells.
Alex was re-elected in 2021, increasing his vote share by a further 9.1%, holding the constituency seat which prevented an SNP majority in Holyrood.
Alex is a strong advocate for rural areas. He understands first-hand the difficulties that face people in rural areas and across Aberdeenshire. Resolving these issues, such as better connectivity through superfast broadband, better public transport, getting a fair share of funding, more housing and protecting rural schools and health services, which are constantly under threat from the nationalist government is something that he will always fight for.
In business outside Parliament, Alex is Chairman of North Banchory Company, a director of the Bancon Group and owner of Leys Estate. He also has a very active life outside of politics through his involvement with Deeside RFC and supports many community activities and initiatives.
As a Vice-Chair of the Party with responsibility for Campaigning, Alex is keen to support all aspects of the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party and would warmly welcome any enquiries from those looking to get involved – at any level.
Having worked as a journalist for almost 30 years, Russell Findlay decided to get into politics and was elected as a new Scottish Conservative MSP for West Scotland in 2021. His main motivation is to help improve the lives of Scots and to champion the clear benefits of Scotland’s key role in the United Kingdom.
Throughout his media career, Russell worked for newspapers including the Sunday Mail and Scottish Sun and broadcasters STV and BBC, specialising in investigative journalism.
His work included a ground-breaking analysis of the scale and reach of organised crime in Scotland, its overseas connections, and broader problems within the justice system.
He conducted investigations into unsolved murders, judicial complaints, miscarriages of justice, paedophile rings and police failures to bring serial killer Angus Sinclair to justice much sooner.
Others included shining a spotlight on the so-called ‘security wars’ that blighted Glasgow in the 2000s, proceeds of crime failures and the abuse of bankruptcy laws by wealthy criminals.
In 2008 Russell co-authored a book about a prominent Scottish criminal and went on to write three other non-fiction titles published by Birlinn. One of these was Caught in the Crossfire about a long-running drugs war that blighted communities across Scotland and seeped into policing and politics.
Russell was targeted in an acid attack on the doorstep of his own home in Glasgow days before Christmas 2015. The hitman, a violent career criminal, was detained at the scene and jailed. While Russell made a full recovery and wrote a book about his ordeal, those who ordered the attack have not been brought to justice.
In 2017, while working as a freelance journalist, Russell secured exclusive press and broadcast interviews with the carers of the missing woman Margaret Fleming. These were then used by police and prosecutors to secure the carers’ conviction for Margaret’s murder, although her body has never been found. As an MSP he backs his party’s proposed Suzanne’s Law, which would put pressure on killers to reveal the whereabouts of their victim's remains.
In 2020, after deciding to become a parliamentary candidate, Russell joined the Scottish Conservatives as director of communications. Having spent decades unseen due to the nature of his journalism, he is still getting used to being in the public eye.
Since being elected to Holyrood, Russell has continued to campaign on justice issues while assisting constituents on a broad range of problems. One notable success was his campaign on behalf of prison officers to stop drug-soaked mail from entering prisons. This led to a significant reduction in overdoses.
He is deputy convenor of the parliament’s criminal justice committee and shadow community safety minister for the Scottish Conservatives.
Stephen Kerr was the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party Member of Parliament (MP) for Stirling until the December 2019 General Election. He was born Dundee and brought up and went to school in Forfar, during his school years he was the awarded the prestigious Adam Smith Thomson Virtutis Causa Medal for community service. Stephen served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in London and then in 1986 Stephen graduated from the University of Stirling with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Studies.
He has held many leadership national and international roles in Kimberly-Clark and left in 2017 when he was elected as Member of Parliament for Stirling. Stephen’s involvement with the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party began in 1976 when he was chairman of the Forfar branch of the Scottish Young Conservatives. Later, he went on to be chair for two others. He was also the Scottish Conservative Westminster parliamentary candidate in Stirling in 2005 and 2015 General Elections increasing the total vote on both occasions before finally gaining the seat in 2017.
Stephen is married with four children and the proud grandparents of ten grandchildren. He is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and has served in multiple lay positions in the church and was the President of the first-ever Church pageant performed in the United Kingdom in 2013. Stephen believes in making a difference and is now the Chairman of the Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Candidates Board. He would like to see a more diverse pipeline of candidates coming through who have a wide range of skills, reflecting today's Scotland.
Edward Mountain is a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Highlands and Islands Region, having been re-elected on 6 May 2021.
Edward’s area of interest includes health care provision in the Highlands, improving infrastructure, and renewing the Highland school estate. Edward also supports a strong local economy and is passionate about agriculture and fisheries.
Before entering politics Edward enjoyed a long career as a soldier. He joined the army in 1980 and his military service took him to Cyprus, Uganda, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain and Egypt. Edward left the army in 1992 but continued to serve as a reservist for a further six years.
After leaving the army, Edward went on to qualify as a chartered surveyor in 1997, becoming a senior partner for a firm based in Inverness in 2006.
In 2007, Edward returned home to the farm and runs a herd of 180 pedigree Simmentals and grows 300 acres of barley.
Follow Edward on Facebook at EdMountainMSP and on Twitter at 1edmountain.