Speakers

Chair

Pennie is an award-winning freelance journalist and broadcaster who specialises in health and care issues. A passionate promoter of innovation, she was BBC Scotland’s first Health Correspondent and has also worked on the newsdesks of a number of national newspapers. A former Head of Communications for a large NHS Trust, Pennie has inside knowledge of how public services work, giving her an informed perspective from which to approach and stimulate debate. 

Neil Gray was born and brought up in Orkney and graduated from the University of Stirling in 2008 with a first-class Bachelor of Arts Honours degree in politics and journalism.

He was elected to represent Airdrie and Shotts Constituency at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. He had previously won the Airdrie and Shotts Westminster seat in 2015 and held it on two subsequent occasions before resigning to stand for the same area in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. Prior to becoming an MP, Mr Gray worked for former Scottish Government Health Secretary Alex Neil MSP as his Airdrie and Shotts constituency office manager.

Neil Gray has held a variety of parliamentary roles. He was appointed Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development in January 2022. In March 2022 he additionally became Minister with special responsibility for Refugees from Ukraine. He was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy in March 2023. Most recently, Gray was appointed Cabinet Secretary for NHS Recovery, Health and Social Care in February 2024.

Sara is Chief Officer of Development at the ALLIANCE, responsible for leading and continuing to shape the vision of the organisation in partnership with the Chief Officer of Operations.

Sara is responsible for developing the strategic direction of the organisation, overseeing the ALLIANCE’s portfolio of programmes. Central to this is ensuring a strong voice for disabled people, people living with long term conditions and unpaid carers and opportunity to influence change based on their lived experiences.

Sara’s work involves working closely with ALLIANCE members, developing innovative partnerships that show how change can be achieved, and promoting the role of the third sector as a key innovator and partner in realising Scotland’s national health and wellbeing outcomes.

Since her time at the ALLIANCE Sara has had key policy roles in our health and social care integration and self management programmes.

Previously Sara has worked at Scottish Government as a researcher in the equalities and tackling poverty division and has worked in a number of frontline roles supporting people who have claimed asylum, survivors of sexual violence, and with people experiencing homelessness.  

Sandra Auld, IJB Lived Experience Representative 

Sandra Auld became involved as an Integration Joint Board (IJB) service user representative in 2018, when her mother was a resident in a council care home in Perth & Kinross. She has continued her involvement following her mother’s passing. 

A nurse by background, Sandra has ongoing family caring responsibilities for her grandchildren and was previously the main carer for her younger brother. 

She has been a member of the ALLIANCE IJB Lived Experience Network since its formation and contributes to several other groups and committees, including the Tayside Health Board Public Partner Network. In 2023, she was appointed to the Interim National Care Service Board. 

Sandra also chairs a Service User Reference Group, which provides a discussion and information forum, ensuring a two-way flow of communication between service users and the IJB. 

Through these experiences, Sandra has gained a practical understanding of the realities of integration. She believes that public partners and their communities must have a strong, informed voice in decisions that affect them and should be engaged at the earliest possible stage. She continues to work to ensure that this happens.  

Professor Derek Feeley

Professor Derek Feeley, CB, DBA, is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) and a Bevan Commissioner Advisor to the Board at East London Foundation Trust and an Honorary Professor at the University of the West of Scotland. He chaired the Independent Review of Adult Social Care which reported to the Scottish Government in February 2021.

Before returning to Scotland in 2020, he was IHI’s Chief Executive and prior to joining IHI, he was Director General of Health and Social Care in the Scottish Government, and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland. In that role, he was the principal advisor to the Scottish Government on all health, health care, and social care policy matters, as well as having leadership responsibility for NHS Scotland’s 140,000 staff. 

Eddie Fraser is Chief Executive of East Ayrshire Council, a post he has held since December 2020.  He has over 40 years of local government experience, having worked with Strathclyde Regional Council and Glasgow City Council prior to joining East Ayrshire Council in 1998.  Eddie is the first Social Worker to become a local authority Chief Executive in Scotland.

Eddie was appointed East Ayrshire Council’s Head of Community Care/Chief Social Work Officer in 2008 prior to being promoted to Director of Health and Social Care in 2014.

In his role as Chief Executive, Eddie is the Council’s Chief Adviser on policy matters and is responsible for ensuring the efficient, effective and equitable implementation of the Council’s vision and strategic priorities, as set out within the Community Plan.  

Eddie is also currently the Strategic Lead for Health and Social Care for SOLACE Scotland, the professional body for Chief Executives and Senior Managers working in local government in Scotland. 

He has a strong commitment to supporting people achieve their personal outcomes and has been engaged in partnerships at a national and local level to promote person centred, integrated and cross sector working. Eddie’s goals are to lead an organisation that is community focussed and works across wellbeing, economy and skills, and safer communities in an integrated way for the benefit of our residents.

Anne Hendry, Director, IFIC Scotland 
 
Anne is a Senior Associate for the International Foundation for Integrated Care and Director of IFICs Country Hub in Scotland.  

A geriatrician and stroke physician, she held national clinical lead roles on Long Term Conditions; Healthcare Quality; Reshaping Care for Older People; and Integrated health and social care in Scotland. She was UK lead for the European Joint Action on frailty 2017-2019. As Honorary Secretary British Geriatrics Society 2021 – 2023, Anne promoted evidence based policy and practice for older people across the UK. She is currently Honorary Professor, University of the West of Scotland, Chair of Kilbryde Hospice, a Trustee director of Compassionate Inverclyde and continues to support education, system coaching and evaluation of integrated care as faculty for IFICs global Academy. 

Jenny Miller, Chief Executive, PAMIS

CEO of PAMIS, a third sector organisation working solely with people with profound learning and multiple disabilities (PMLD) and their family carers. Her role includes amplifying their voices to ensure it is included in research, policy and education locally, nationally and internationally. Her leadership and practice has been strongly influenced by lifelong education from people with PMLD as expert educators teaching us how to communicate, act with compassion, make human connections and work together.

Mark Diffley, Founder and Director, Diffley Partnership 
 
Mark is founder and director of research and insight firm, Diffley Partnership. He has spent 25 years delivering research, polling and insights for organisations in all sectors, including for governments, the third sector and companies across the business sector both here in Scotland and further afield. 

Stephanie Fraser, Baroness Fraser of Craigmaddie 
 
Stephanie Fraser is Chief Executive of Cerebral Palsy Scotland.  She has been involved in health and care policy in Scotland since 2012, previously chairing the Scottish Government’s National Advisory Committee for Neurological Conditions and as a Trustee of the Neurological Alliance of Scotland. 

Stephanie was appointed to the House of Lords in 2020 and is a regular contributor speaking on health, care and disability issues.  She currently serves on the International Relations and Defence Select Committee on and has previously been a member of the Communications and Digital, Covid 19 and Adult Social Care Committees. 

She sits on the board of two Public Bodies; Creative Scotland, the national funding agency for arts, film and creative industries and is the Scottish Board member for the British Library. 

Fatemah is a youth advocate with a passion promoting better mental health for children and young people in Scotland. She has diverse experience working alongside young people, communities and decision-makers through campaigns and innovative, co-produced approaches to change. Her work focuses on advocating for accessible, community-based mental health support, improving resources and tackling stigma and discrimination. She is committed to promoting an intersectional approach that recognises the diverse experiences of young people and ensures their voices are central to shaping policy, practice and services.

After his first 20 years in community development and social work Niall realised the only way he was ever going to get to drive a big digger was to set up a social enterprise.

In 2005 he established Clydesdale Community Initiatives (CCI), with a mission to support people to make a contribution to their community. Individuals experiencing complex barriers and inequalities are supported to use their experience of working as part of a team to improve their health, learn new skills, increase their confidence and reimagine their future.

CCI currently have more than 140 participants per week in our visitor centre, woodwork, cosmetics and food processing businesses, as well as our environmental and conservation volunteering programmes. CCI also operate a number of local third sector partnerships including repair and recycling and a food growing network across Clydesdale. Niall is the current chair of VASLan, the TSI for South Lanarkshire, and is a relentless advocate for the small and local community sector as the key to genuine early intervention and prevention.

Gareth Marr, Chief Officer, Dumfries and Galloway HSPC

Gareth is a passionate and experienced healthcare leader who’s spent over 15 years working across the UK and Australia, always with a focus on improving services and supporting people’s wellbeing. He’s currently the Chief Officer at Dumfries and Galloway Health and Social Care Partnership, where he’s helping to shape the future of integrated health and social care in the region.

Before stepping into this role, Gareth served as Deputy Chief Operating Officer, and prior to that, led major improvement work in mental health and learning disabilities at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board. His time there included both strategic programme leadership and hands-on operational management—roles he took on with energy and commitment.

Throughout his journey, Gareth has built a reputation for being thoughtful, collaborative, and deeply committed to making services better for the people who rely on them. Whether leading teams, driving improvement, or supporting frontline care, he brings a grounded, compassionate approach to everything he does.