Paul McFarland
Chair
Paul’s involvement stems from his then role as Secretary of London Scottish rugby club, where he has volunteered for 30 years, including 24 on Board and Committee. A historian (Edinburgh University) and a sports journalist by trade,he worked in New Media from the late 1970s, he changed tack completely in 2001, starting his own sportswear business. Excited by the Scots in Great War London project, he planned the rugby club’s events, and edited the book which commemorates the work of Scottish organisations in London a century ago. Scottish by heritage through his Canadian parents, Paul is married to a Scot, with two children and four grandchildren.
David Coughtrie
Management Team
David, a Chartered Architect, born in Ayrshire, educated at Ayr Academy and Strathclyde University, worked in Scotland before moving to London, becoming a director of London Transport, Managing Director of international consultancy companies and an executive director of Eurotunnel.
Combining an international career with a keen interest in Scottish affairs, he joined The Caledonian Club 40 years ago and served as Chairman and now Vice President.
He is a Past President of The Caledonian Society of London, former Trustee of ScotsCare, now a Life Governor. He was Chairman of the Commercial Education Trust for six years and appointed a Freeman of the City of London. One of the founders of Scots in Great War London and involved with Scots in London since its inception.
Shona Fleming
Management Team
Shona is the Chief Executive Officer of ScotsCare, a multi-million pound charity and one of the founding members of Scots in Great War London. Born in Glasgow and living in South Africa for much of her childhood, she returned to her birth town at 16 and eventually began working in social services in some of the most socially deprived areas of Glasgow.In 2002 she moved to London and began working for ScotsCare, starting as a telephone operator and progressing all the way up to become its CEO from 2016. She was also CEO of Borderline, the homelessness charity for Scots in London, from 2009 to 2023 when the charity merged with ScotsCare.
Malcolm Noble
Management Team
Born in the Scottish borders, Malcolm is a retired headmaster, an Academican at the Academy of Urbanism and a Senior Visiting Fellow at the University of Suffolk. He is the Chairman of Forces Children Scotland and serves on the Caledonian Club Event's Committee and Library Group. He is also a member of The Caledonian Society, serving as their President in 2018-2019.
Malcolm lives in Essex, where he is also Chairman of the local Civic Society, a Trustee of the City's Ideas Hub, and of its Arts and Culture Festival
Hugh Pym
Management Team
Hugh is a British journalist and author and currently works for BBC News as its health editor. He started his career on BBC radio, and has previously worked for Sky News. In 2020 he received the 2020 British Journalism Review Charles Wheeler award in recognition of his coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic.
An elder of the Church of Scotland, Hugh was a founding member of Scots in Great War London, supporting the commemorations of St Columbas' Church and writing the chapter on the Church in our 'Scots in Great War London' book.
Jennifer Rowland
Communication and Events Coordinator
Jennifer's professional background is in museums and heritage (History MA Cantab and MA Cultural Heritage Studies), and she also currently the Chair of Essex-based charity the John Ray Trust. With experience in research, exhibitions, website-building, social media and events planning she looks forward to supporting the Scottish diaspora in London through this new role.
A keen ballroom and modern jive dancer (though with much less spare time now she has two young children!) she is excited about learning some new moves at the London Scottish ceilidhs.
