Our Leadership Team

Cathy Fallon, Chair of the Board

Cathy has worked in nursing and social care for 37 years having completed her nurse training in London where she specialised in acute, community and forensic care.

She worked for 3 years at the Maudsley Hospital in London as a Clinical Nurse Specialist within a multi-disciplinary team on a randomised controlled study that compared community care with hospital admission for people with acute psychiatric conditions.

Cathy was a voluntary member of the Independent Monitoring Board at Barlinnie Prison for 7 years until the monitoring process was re-structured as part of a national review.

Cathy is a qualified counsellor, group therapist and mindfulness teacher and completed her MBA through the Open University.

She moved to Scotland in 1990 where she worked for Lanarkshire Health Board as a Clinical Nurse Manager setting up the first multidisciplinary Community Mental Health Team in the area.

Cathy moved to the voluntary sector in 1993 working with Loretto as Deputy Director and latterly as Managing Director when Loretto became a member of the Wheatley Group in 2014 subsequently taking on strategic responsibility for Barony Housing when it too joined the Wheatley Group.

Within this time Loretto played a pivotal role in moving the focus of care and support from institutional to community care settings.

It provided personalised and inclusive services through its 600 + staff to people with support needs relating to mental health; learning disability; alcohol related brain damage and addictions and was the principal Organisation involved in the closure of the 140 bedded homeless hostel, the Great Eastern Hotel, in Glasgow.

She has a passion for enriching and valuing vulnerable people’s lives and treating people with dignity and respect, wanting them to achieve their highest potential and lead deep, inclusive and fulfilling lives free from discrimination.

She retired from Loretto in March 2020 and continues to work in the charity sector as a Trustee and for ACOSVO as a mentor.

 

 

Isobel Brown, Vice Chair

Isobel has an impressive track record in organisational development and change management having worked at board and investment level within the public and private sectors and has supported a number of Cabinet advisory groups and Government manifesto development projects.

Isobel has provided strategic advice and mobilised teams for the Midlands Engine, the Government’s Startup Loans Company, Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership and Shaw Trust; a significant provider of employment advice to disadvantaged and disabled people in the UK.  In addition to advising Equanet, a company who has developed a platform dedicated to creating an alternative technology that connects marginalised groups and removes the barriers for SME digitisation, Isobel is working with The Consultation Institute who quality assure consultation processes to ensure organisations’ approaches are open, transparent and that the public are actively involved in decision making.

Isobel sits on a number of boards on a voluntary basis; Forces in Mind Trust and Action for Children Byte Night, raising considerable funds through sleeping rough for homeless children in the UK.

Daniel Adams

Daniel is the CEO of Akshaya Patra UK and believes deeply in seeking a more just world for everyone, especially those who are vulnerable or marginalised.

Akshaya Patra feeds more than two million hungry children every school day across India and provides nutritious meals to disadvantaged children and their communities in London.

Daniel is a passionate advocate for the transformative power of school meals for children living in poverty, having witnessed their impact first-hand across Africa, India and the UK.

He joined Akshaya Patra in 2023, following 12 years working for Mary’s Meals, where he served as UK Executive Director and Global Director of Communications and Fundraising.

Daniel, who originally trained and worked as a journalist with publisher DC Thomson in his native Dundee, lives in Glasgow with his wife Jenn, two sons, and their border terrier Macduff.

In his spare time, Daniel follows his football team, enjoys the theatre, and is privileged to volunteer as a trustee with both The Mungo Foundation and a refugee support organisation.

 

Rosaleen Beattie

Rosaleen is a recently retired Consultant in Palliative Medicine, working in Hospice, Hospital and Community Teams; and was also a Health Board Medical Director, and Professorial Fellow in Healthcare Ethics.

She has enormous enthusiasm for the work of The Mungo Foundation, caring for the whole person, in improving and enriching the lives of the most vulnerable in society.

She has a special interest in the effects of adverse childhood experiences, including deprivation and abuse of all kinds, and the ongoing effects on physical and mental wellbeing and ill-health, even beyond the individual, through epigenetics; and was formerly on the Board of Children 1^st. She is aware how the adverse effects of mental ill health on physical health are poorly recognised; and conversely how physical illness affects mental well-being is often overlooked.

A particular professional focus has been on issues of consent in healthcare, especially for those whose capacity is impaired or diminished, or those whose ability to communicate is compromised. An additional specialist focus has been on the difficulties which can arise for people with additional learning needs, neurodiversity, dementia, and mental health problems, in communicating distress in healthcare, particularly pain; and having that distress recognised.

All of these are frequent topics for undergraduate and postgraduate teaching.

Marc Esmiley

Marc is an accomplished digital transformation leader responsible for large worldwide scale transformation programs over the last 15 years. Skilled in providing strategic leadership of short- and long-term goals through the use of innovative techniques in support of the company’s mission and core values, as a means to implement positive change and increase performance.

He works with businesses to grow and expand their portfolios through the use of digital technology and innovation. He is currently the Financial Services Technical Director at Microsoft partnering with the top Financial Services companies across the globe advising, reviewing, building and implementing their digital strategy to meet the need for business growth. Marc also sits on a number of boards helping them form and deliver their digital strategies.

Clare Flynn

For the past twenty years Clare has held various Executive Leadership and Senior Educator roles within the Further Education (FE) Sector, this included Executive Leadership of the Faculty of Care & Science of a multi-campus college. Clare, as a lead driver for change within the FE Sector, developed and sustained strategic and operational relationships to strengthen opportunities within social care, health care, early education, science, dental and business. Clare’s strong communication skills ensures relationships are developed and strong partnerships are built, enabling her to engage with stakeholders at all levels.

More recently Clare has taken up position as Regional Lead (Forth Valley) for Developing the Young Workforce working closely with Scottish Government National Teams and relevant Ministers on supporting opportunity for young people by bridging the gap between employment and education.

Clare is a compassionate and empathetic person, and her focus remains with clear intention to support equality and opportunity for all. Her goals are to continue to expand and grow her knowledge and skills to support this intention

David Furness

David has worked in the retail industry for almost forty years, with twenty years operating at a management board level.

With extensive experience in stores, he is currently the Director of Channel Operations at Sainsbury’s and leads its Operational Support departments, Contact Centres and Retail Transformation teams across Sainsbury’s, Argos and Habitat.

A retail expert following his time in food and DIY stores, David has been at the forefront of change in the last few years as Sainsbury’s transforms its operations across the UK.

David is passionate about the retail industry and its people, is committed to developing future generations of retailers and is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Originating from Halifax in Yorkshire, David now divides his time between London, where he is based for work and Ayrshire where he lives with his wife and youngest daughter. He became an ardent cyclist in his mid-forties and regularly organises charity cycle rides. David’s other interests include golf, travel and supporting his football team.

 

Donald Martin

Award-winning National and Regional Editor with 35 years’ experience leading and managing National, Regional, Sunday, Daily and Weekly newspaper and magazine titles across the UK. Now owner and founder of DM Media Consultancy which provides Brand, PR and Communications services as well as business coaching, leadership and change management advice.

Previously, Editor of The Herald and Herald on Sunday and Editor-in-Chief of Newsquest Scotland, overseeing a portfolio of 26 Scottish titles including the Glasgow Times. Head of Publishing for DC Thomson’s magazines, including The People’s Friend, My Weekly and the Scots Mag, and Editor-in-Chief of DC Thomson Newspapers and Editor of The Sunday Post.

Editor of The Herald and Glasgow Evening Times first time around in 2008-10 and 2006-2008 respectively; and previously Editor of the Evening Express in Aberdeen, the North West Evening Mail in Cumbria, deputy editor of the Cambridge Evening News and Group Editor at Thames Valley Free Newspapers. Took his first editorship at the age of 24, launching the 250,000 free weekly distribution Edinburgh and Lothians Post in 1988.

Longest serving board member of the UK Society of Editors, the organisation representing the media industry, and currently working with the industry’s training body, the National Council for the Training of Journalists, on building a journalism leadership course.

Previously UK & Scottish President of the Society of Editors; board member and Chair of the Scottish Daily Newspapers; and Scottish media representative on the Editors’ Code of Practice Committee of the Independent Press Standards Organisation and the Press Complaints Commission’s complaints panel.

On Advisory Board of Future News Worldwide, an organisation promoting training and standards to aspiring journalists across the world.

A passionate advocate of press and broadcasting freedom: the public’s right to know, the importance of the vitality of the news media in a democracy society, and the commitment to high editorial standards. Believes in a fair, just and transparent society.

Proud to be Glaswegian and a champion of the city and its people; a keen golfer when time permits; loves a fine malt whisky or two; and a supporter of a famous Glasgow football club.

 

Ian McGhie

Ian spent over three decades in the Royal Navy. A career submariner, the pinnacle of his seagoing appointments was as Commanding Officer of the nuclear attack submarine HMS SPLENDID. His later military ‘desk jobs’ include many years spent in and around Whitehall, which included a secondment to the Cabinet Office to help set up the UK’s inaugural Office of Cyber Security, and a role as Military Assistant to The Rt Hon Adam Ingram when the then MP was Minister of State for the Armed Forces.  Other appointments include being Commanding Officer of the offshore patrol vessel HMS LEEDS CASTLE, and as Captain of the Faslane Flotilla with responsibility for ensuring our submarine fleet was ready in all respects for global operations.  Ian took early retirement from the Armed Forces in 2016 after he completed his time as Commander British Forces Gibraltar, where he was responsible for all of UK Ministry of Defence’s myriad interests on The Rock.  He set up his own management consultancy company in Gibraltar and was nested within a large, full service international law firm.  This involved mediation, Government work and various commercial roles, as well as a number of directorships, mainly within the security and risk sectors.

Ian remains a Trustee/Director of Calpe House, a charity registered with the Charities Commission of England and Wales. Calpe House provides bespoke, specialist accommodation in central London for Gibraltarians visiting the UK to lever on NHS provided secondary and tertiary health care.  He holds an MA in International Security and Strategy from King’s College London.

Specialising in strategic planning, leadership and risk management, Ian also has extensive experience in transformational change programmes, particularly where cultural considerations were as important as organisational requirements.

Ian has spent a lifetime in public service; with a passion, he wishes to continue this trend.  A strong advocate of ‘service before self’, he hopes to be able contribute to The Mungo Foundation in this vein. He looks forward to working with the Mungo team, but is particularly keen to connect with those people that the Foundation most seeks to help.

Having lived in the Spey Valley for over twenty years, Ian has been married to an Ayrshire lass for 37 years, has two daughters and two golden retrievers.  Whilst English by birth, Ian considers Glasgow as his home city.  He is a long suffering Killie supporter, but his main interests centre on all equine activities and rugby.

Stephen Owens

Stephen is an experienced risk management professional with over 22 years of experience in the banking sector. He has a strong background in integration, ongoing legislation impacts, financial management, and reliance on key clients. Stephen has also served on two board roles, which has given him valuable insights into business operations. With a business development background in banking, Stephen brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table.