OUR GOVERNANCE
Guiding our progress, safeguarding our future
Our executive and management team at the School work closely with the Directors of the St Mary's Music School Trust Ltd to develop the high quality education we provide.
Meetings of the Board of Directors are held regularly and Directors also serve on various committees.
The School's President and Vice-Presidents provide support and guidance to pupils.
Our Board of Directors
| FIONA AKERS | CHAIR |
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| After studying law at the University of Edinburgh, Fiona began her legal career at McGrigor Donald before joining Dickson Minto in 1999 as a partner and head of the firm’s Intellectual Property team. She retired from Dickson Minto in April 2020. Throughout her life, Fiona has been, and still is, a keen amateur singer. She has sung with the Edinburgh Festival Chorus, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) Chorus and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) Chorus and she also sings with numerous smaller choirs and groups. |
| THE VERY REVEREND JOHN CONWAY | DIRECTOR |
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John has been the Provost of St Mary’s Episcopal Cathedral since 2017. Previously he was the Rector of St Martin of Tours Episcopal Church in Tynecastle, Edinburgh. During his 16 years there, he helped to establish the St Martin’s Community Resource Centre in a re-developed building. Alongside that he had two spells as the Coordinator of Initial Ministerial Education in the Diocese of Edinburgh, with responsibility for clergy training, was co-Convenor of the Edinburgh Interfaith Association, and Convenor of the Diocesan Mission and Ministry Committee. |
| Ken Fairbrother | DIRECTOR |
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Ken is a recent pupil of St Mary’s Music School having attended from 2009-2018. He also attended the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RCS) Junior Conservatoire through their fair-access initiative, Transitions, and continued his education at the RCS with an undergraduate degree in Violin Performance, graduating in 2022. Directly following this, Ken was elected as the RCS Student Union President and oversaw the transformation of the Students Union over a two-year period which saw record breaking student satisfaction and the doubling of financial investment while supporting students through local, domestic, and international crises. |
| ALISTAIR MACKIE | DIRECTOR |
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Alistair was educated here at St Mary’s Music School as well as at Douglas Academy Music School in Milngavie and the University of Surrey. After working as a London-based trumpet player, he returned to Scotland in 2019 to take up the position of CEO with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO). As a player, Alistair held principal positions with both the Philharmonia Orchestra and London Sinfonietta, recorded several hundred film and television soundtracks and performed extensively as a chamber musician and soloist. As a teacher, he served on the staff of the University of Surrey, The Royal College of Music (RCM) and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. He has given masterclasses in the UK, Europe and the USA and, in 2017, was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Music. Alistair has served on the Boards of both London Sinfonietta and the Philharmonia Orchestra, as well as multiple terms as Chair of the Philharmonia Orchestra and an extended period as its interim Managing Director. |
| JAMIE MUNN | DIRECTOR |
| Jamie Munn works as a Fundraiser and Consultant for arts organisations across the UK, and has spent almost 20 years working on music projects in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. As well as St Mary’s Music School, he sits on the Board of Trustees of Drake Music Scotland, and Sound Waves, for which is he Chair, and is a Fellow of the International Society of Performing Arts. |
| JANINE WATSON | DIRECTOR |
| Janine is Head of Investment & Governance with the Registers of Scotland and has over twenty years’ experience in law and private equity. Her interest in music stems from playing the piano and violin and studying at Chetham’s School of Music. |
