Neil McLennan

Neil has held a number of key roles in supporting change and improvement in education. After a teaching career in the central belt, he was seconded to Learning & Teaching Scotland (now Education Scotland) as a National Development Officer. After two successful secondments implementing the national policy, he moved to the North East as Quality Improvement Officer (Education, Culture, and Sport) for Aberdeen City Council where he also undertook a period as Acting Service Manager (Schools & Curriculum). He currently supports leaders across public services in his role as Senior Lecturer and Director of Leadership Programmes at the University of Aberdeen.

Neil has led a number of national education and professional membership bodies. He is a former President of the Scottish Association of Teachers of History (SATH) and the Enterprise Practitioners’ Association (EPA), a former co-chair and the General Secretary of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland. He has been a non–executive director of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) Foundation and the Scottish College for Educational Leadership (SCEL), and a former Scottish Fellowship Councillor for the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA). He remains a board director for the Connect (formerly Scottish Parent Teacher Council) and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) as well as a Lay Committee member for Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE).

Neil was awarded Professional Recognition in Enterprise Education by the General Teaching Council Scotland and also was the recipient of a Royal Society of Edinburgh Medal “for his outstanding contribution to civic society, creativity and social enterprise, education, and the social sciences.” In 2016 he was a Scottish Business 40Under40. Outside of work, Neil enjoys historic research, travel, and the fine food and drink of the northeast of Scotland.