Evelyn McDonald

Evelyn McDonald is the CEO of Scottish EDGE. Previously run by Scottish Enterprise for four rounds, Evelyn oversaw the spin-out of the competition in Autumn 2014 to the private sector-led Scottish EDGE C.I.C. The introduction of lending to the winners in Round 5 has created a revolving loan fund to support future applicants.

In addition, the small team of seven has introduced mentoring, alumni events, training and a business support package to winners as well as the innovative EDGE Pledge. Prior to joining Scottish EDGE in November 2014, Evelyn had a long career at the Prince’s Scottish Youth Business Trust, and latterly the Prince’s Trust.

In 2002, she helped set up and run a successful growth fund that assisted over 300 Trust-supported businesses providing access to loans of up to £25k and follow-on support. Evelyn is also a board member at the Scottish Design Exchange and an assessor of the Small Business Charter Award.

FUN FACT: Evelyn is a keen music fan and in 2014, along with her music journalist husband, John, they turned their flat into a music venue hosting bands such as Simple Minds, The Vamps and Twilight Sad.