Revd Angus McLeod
Convener of Scots in London
The Reverend Angus MacLeod is the Minister at St Columba’s Church and is the convenor of Scots in London. Angus was inducted as Minister of St Columba’s, Pont Street and St Andrew’s, Newcastle in June 2012, following sixteen years of service as a chaplain in the British Army. His family roots are on the Isle of Skye and Durham, in the North East of England. He studied at the University of St Andrews before travelling and working in America, London, Milan and Romania. Prior to ministry he worked in advertising and teaching. He returned to St Andrews to study Divinity before completing his training with churches in North Carolina and Glasgow.
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, the charity for Scots in need in London, 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.
Kelly Birch
Communication and Events Coordinator
Kelly’s professional background is in the charity sector, with a focus on marketing, communications and fundraising. Alongside her role as Communication and Events Coordinator at Scots in London, she holds a voluntary board position for NURTURE: Therapy and Family Wellness CIC.
With experience spanning digital marketing, events planning, sales, copywriting and partnership working, she also supports a number of local charities with their communications and fundraising activity. She is passionate about community building and looks forward to supporting Scots in London’s member organisations to tell their unique stories, grow their networks, and strengthen the wider Scottish community in the capital.
In Memory of Paul McFarland
Former Chair of the Management Team
1955 - 2024
It is with great sadness that Scots in London announces the passing of Paul McFarland. Paul was instrumental in the initial enterprise of Scots in Great War London which started back in 2016, editing the resulting book. He chaired the management group, took a leading role in re-establishing the newly branded Scots in London, recruited our Coordinator and was a great early proponent of the St Andrew’s Book Festival. We give thanks for his friendship and dedication to Scots in London and our thoughts are with his family - his wife, two sons and four grandchildren.
