Culture & Business Scotland is delighted to welcome a fantastic group of people to its Board and has appointed an Executive Director. With a wealth of expertise from across governance, public affairs, academia, cultural leadership, creative industries and commercial strategy, these appointments mark an important step in strengthening the organisation’s leadership as it continues to champion long-term collaboration between Scotland’s culture and business sectors.
C&BS Chair, Jane Morrison-Ross, welcomed the appointments:
“Bringing exceptional strength, diversity and experience to our Board and senior leadership at a pivotal moment for Culture & Business Scotland, each of them offers a unique blend of insight – from governance and public affairs to creative practice, commercial expertise and cultural leadership. Together with David’s appointment as Executive Director, this significantly enhances our ability to make meaningful connections across Scotland’s culture and business communities.”
C&BS Executive Director, David Nelson, highlighted the opportunities ahead:
“It is a privilege to lead Culture & Business Scotland as we move into a new chapter for the organisation. The expertise and insight our new trustees bring will amplify the vital role our Board already plays in enhancing the organisation’s impact and influence. We look forward to making connections between culture and business organisations, growing our membership programme and services, and exploring new areas of philanthropy and sponsorship.”
New Board Appointments
John Cumming
John Cumming is an experienced public affairs professional and corporate political adviser with expertise across a range of sectors, including energy, defence, housing, major infrastructure delivery, and other highly regulated industries.
He has advised global businesses, innovative start-ups, and non-profit organisations, helping them to shape policy, navigate a complex political landscape, and build close partnerships with senior decision-makers.
He has also been closely engaged in high-profile cultural projects, ensuring politicians understand the immense social and economic value of the arts, its ability to transform communities, and the central role it plays in our international profile, helping to sell Scotland to the world.
After graduating from the University of Glasgow, John began his career at the heart of Scottish politics, working for members of the Scottish Parliament. Outside of work, he is a passionate follower of traditional music and the visual arts, championing innovative artists who connect the nation’s cultural heritage with today’s audiences.
Dr Clare Devaney
Dr Clare Devaney is a Reader in Strategic and Systems Innovation at Glasgow School of Art. Clare leads GSA Rural Lab, the GSA’s new research-led centre for regenerative and creative practice, which is based at its Highlands & Islands campus, near Forres.
Clare is programme lead for ‘A Golden Thread’, a pan-Scotland doctoral training and enterprise development programme funded through the UKRI AHRC Doctoral Focal Awards. Led by the GSA in partnership with Open University and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), ‘A Golden Thread’ will realise twenty Craft-led doctoral training places across Scotland in a seven-year programme, recruiting students from within Scotland’s rural and island communities and bringing world-class Craft practice together with future-focussed sectors such as space and biomaterials.
Clare has previously worked as Strategic Lead for Place and Culture in the North of England, leading a high-level national partnership (including the NP11, Arts Council England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Environment Agency) in the co-production of a North of England Strategy for Place. Her career includes positions with the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), where she co-led its national ‘Heritage, Identity and Place’ research portfolio and led its international ‘Citizens and Inclusive Growth’ programme, several public sector roles, including as Head of Innovation and Special Projects for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, and consultancy and in-house leadership roles across the arts, including with Liverpool’s FACT new media and digital arts centre and CREATE, Ireland’s national agency for socially engaged art.
Clare is a two-time TEDx speaker, a finalist in the Indigo Global Prize for Economics and her first book ‘Panonomics’ was published in 2021.
Amanda McGuigan
Amanda McGuigan is a chartered accountant and governance professional who helps boards make long-term, values-led decisions. Her recent roles include senior governance and oversight in financial services and a trustee role on the board of The Robertson Trust, where she also sits on the Investment Committee.
She combines operational insight with a pragmatic approach to governance and risk, including emerging areas such as AI. She translates technical complexity into actionable board‑level judgement and enjoys supporting organisations that value integrity, collaboration and sustainable outcomes.
Amanda holds a BA (Hons) in Accounting and Business Law from the University of Strathclyde and is a Chartered Accountant (ICAS), Certified Risk Professional (IRM) and Chartered Governance Professional, Fellow of the Chartered Governance Institute UK & Ireland (FCG).
Nela Popovic
Nela Popovic is a highly accomplished Chief Executive and Events Director with over 25 years’ experience delivering large-scale cultural, sporting, and charity events across the UK and internationally. She has led landmark projects including The Enchanted Forest, Scotland’s premier sound and light show, and The Kiltwalk, one of the nation’s most successful mass-participation fundraising platforms.
A strategic and collaborative leader, Nela brings deep expertise in governance, operational excellence, and stakeholder engagement, alongside a passion for using events to create meaningful community and social impact. Her work has consistently combined creativity with commercial acumen, achieving record-breaking growth and long-term sustainability for the organisations she leads.
Kevin Rivers
Kevin Rivers is a legal and business advisor who has spent more than a decade supporting organisations on growth, strategy, and partnerships around the world. He spent over eight years as a commercial attorney in Silicon Valley, where he advised hundreds of clients, from first-time founders to Fortune 50 executives and global investors, on strategic transactions, commercial operations, IP, and legal and regulatory issues across industries. He has a track record of using a pragmatic approach that bridges technical, legal and commercial domains to help organisations achieve their strategic goals. Having relocated to Edinburgh in 2024, he continues to advise early-stage companies and non-profit organisations in the UK on strategic planning and commercial operations as a strategy consultant.
Alongside his professional career, Kevin has a longstanding commitment to arts and culture. Before becoming a lawyer, he studied music business and technology and worked as an audio engineer and production manager for internationally renowned recording artists and songwriters in Nashville, Tennessee. Having made Edinburgh his adoptive home, Kevin is committed to promoting and celebrating the city’s cultural life. He hosts a podcast dedicated to showcasing Edinburgh’s food scene and building community around it, and is particularly interested in the ways everyday creativity and local cultural expression contribute to resilient, inclusive communities.
Kirsty Rogers
Kirsty Rogers began her career in business development with the social care services provider CrossReach before joining RBC Brewin Dolphin in 2019. She became a Relationship Manager in 2021, supporting private clients on their wealth management journeys and driving strategic business development activities, including corporate partnerships and sponsorships.
Kirsty has valuable experience in professional and community initiatives, having served as Chair of Edinburgh Young Professionals, where she led speaker sessions and networking opportunities for the city’s emerging leaders.
A long-standing supporter of the arts, Kirsty has volunteered with the Scottish Arts Trust and holds an MA in Art History and Management from the University of St Andrews, as well as an Essential MBA from the London School of Economics. Kirsty is passionate about bringing together the arts and business, fostering partnerships that spark creativity and practical impact.
Executive Appointment
David Nelson, Executive Director
David Nelson joined Culture & Business Scotland in 2023 as Head of Development and Programmes and now steps into the role of Executive Director.
A languages graduate of Heriot-Watt University, his career spans hospitality, financial services and professional investigation, working for businesses ranging from a small family firm to a FTSE 100 company.
He subsequently built a successful fundraising career, spending nearly a decade at the Scottish Chamber Orchestra working across all income streams, before joining the National Galleries of Scotland to manage its philanthropic giving and corporate sponsorship programmes.
