Chairman - Pat McMullan C.Eng, MIGEM, MEI, MIOD

Formerly National Strategy Manager of the British Gas Engineering Academy, responsible to Director of Engineering Academy and supporting the Chief Executive of Centrica, for work with the DWP National Employment Panel, Ambition: Energy, and the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network.

Chairman of Apex Scotland
Board member of EC (UK)
Member of the Glasgow Employers Coalition
Member of the Engineering and Technology Board (etb), Business and Industry Panel (2005-2008)
Board member of the Adult Learning Committee for Learning and Skills Council in England (2005-2008)
Member of the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network Secretariat (2005-2008)
Member of the Ambition: Energy Operations group (2002-2005)
Member of the Equal Opportunities Commission’s General Formal Investigation into Occupational Segregation in Apprenticeships (2002-2003)

Current: Independent Consultant

2005 - Present:  Involvement with Scotland’s Futures Forum Alcohol and Drugs Project and RSA Drugs Commission; member of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Drugs Misuse.

2005 - June 2008:  National Substance Use Officer (Drugs), the Scottish Association of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams.

2000 - 2005:  Co-ordinator, Greater Glasgow Drug Action Team.

1995 - 1999:  Local Government Councillor; Convention of Scottish Local Authorities Spokesperson for Social Affairs and Chair of Scottish Local Government Drugs Forum.

1976 - 1995:  Various posts in Strathclyde Region Social Work Department working with offenders, children and families, disabled people, the voluntary sector, community development and social regeneration.

Since 1972:  Active supporter of the voluntary sector.

Susan Brookes
Head of Offender Strategy and Partnership Working - Scottish Prison Service

Sue Brookes joined the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) in 1987 as a prison Governor and has worked in 6 establishments in Scotland with all types of offenders, as well as spending two periods in Headquarters (HQ). Her most recent operational posting was as Governor of Cornton Vale, and she is currently working in HQ as the Head of Offender Strategy and Partnership Working.

Her current post has overall responsibility for all issues relating to Community and Offender outcomes, as well as the development of an effective interventions strategy with associated case management systems. The post is focused on the strategic development of future policy and positive partner relationships, ensuring that delivery requirements are accurately specified in CJA plans and in prison contracts and service frameworks.

Sue’s background prior to joining SPS was academic; she has an LLB in Law from Oxford, an MSC in criminology from Edinburgh and an MBA from the Open University.

Most of her career has been spent working with high risk, long term male offenders, often in small unit settings, including sex offenders.

As well as being a member of the Board of Apex, she was in the past a member of the Sentencing Commission for Scotland. She has participated in a range of Scottish Government policy development groups and is married with three children.

David Strang, QPM BSc MSc
Chief Constable

David Strang was appointed Chief Constable of Lothian and Borders Police on 29 March 2007. Born in Glasgow and educated at Glasgow Academy and Loretto School, Musselburgh, he graduated with a BSc degree in Engineering Science from the University of Durham and an MSc degree in Organisational Behaviour from Birkbeck College, University of London.

Mr Strang joined the Metropolitan Police in 1980 and, rising through the ranks, had operational postings in several territorial divisions, CID, Career Development, Territorial Support Group, a secondment to the Police Staff College and was also for a time Staff Officer to the Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner. His final post in the force was as Divisional Commander of Wembley Division.

In September 1998 he was appointed Assistant Chief Constable in Lothian and Borders Police with operational responsibility for all Uniform, Traffic and CID functions within the City of Edinburgh area, and was responsible for the planning and delivery of policing at large events such as the Opening of the Scottish Parliament and Edinburgh's Hogmanay Street Party.

In August 2001 he was appointed Chief Constable of Dumfries and Galloway Constabulary where he demonstrated his strong commitment to community policing and to building relationships at all levels. He chaired the Alcohol and Drug Action Team and the Youth Justice Strategy Group and was an active member of a number of region-wide partnerships.

He is a past President of the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (ACPOS), having served in that capacity for the year 2004-05, and is now the Executive Vice President of ACPOS.  He also Chairs the ACPOS Criminal Justice Business Area and is a member of the National Criminal Justice Board.  He was a member of the McInnes Committee reviewing summary justice in Scotland (2003-2004), the Sentencing Commission (2003-2006) and the Scottish Prisons Commission which published its report “Scotland’s Choice” in 2008.

He was awarded the Queen's Police Medal in Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee Birthday Honours in 2002.

Sheriff Brian G Donald

Sheriff Donald graduated from St Andrew’s University and became a solicitor in Edinburgh, practising in the Supreme Court. Having studied also French, German and Italian, he fulfilled a long-held desire to spend time in continental Europe by working for a couple of years in Rome, Italy as a teacher of English in an international school. Then back to legal practice in Edinburgh where he became a partner in J & A Hastie SSC Edinburgh, opening their Glasgow office and running both as joint senior partner till he became a Consultant in 1996. Outwith legal practice he was appointed by the then Lord Advocate as a member of the Stewart Committee on Alternatives to Prosecution from 1978 to 1982, and thereafter as a temporary Sheriff in 1984. He became a part-time lecturer in the Diploma in Legal Studies in the School of Law, Edinburgh University between 1980 and 1990 and was a founder member of the Scottish Legal Aid Board in 1986, remaining on that Board till 1991.

He was appointed as a permanent Sheriff in Kirkcaldy in 1999 and remained there until 31st August 2008 when he retired and took up a part-time appointment as a Judicial member of the Parole Board in Scotland. He is also to continue having just been granted a Commission as a part-time Sheriff.

Extra-murally he is into music, theatre, choral singing, wine and keeping his languages fluent. His retirement is intended to allow him to spend half of each month in Provence where he has a nice house with a pool!

Sam Muir

Following a career in the Police Service spanning 29 years, Sam joined the Board of Apex in 2001. Throughout his career he worked in a wide variety of settings including time as a Community Beat Officer, Juvenile Liaison Officer and Crime Prevention Officer. Following promotion to Sergeant he worked for three years at The Scottish Police College and, on taking up the role of Inspector in 1990, he became a prominent figure in the promotion of Community Safety and partnership working throughout Scotland. A two year stint at the Scottish Office provided a gateway back to operational policing as Area Commander at Falkirk. This provided the opportunity to put policy into practice and make considerable progress in strategic partnership working in areas of community safety, child protection, youth strategy, domestic violence, race relations and the management of sex offenders in the community.

A stroke in 1999 brought his police career to an end but opened up new doors in the voluntary sector and an enthusiasm for the work undertaken by Apex.

Bryan Rankin

Bryan Rankin graduated from Aberdeen with a degree in economics. He trained as a chartered accountant in Edinburgh. Remaining in the profession for over twenty years he ultimately became managing partner of KPMG in Edinburgh. He then became a director of a venture capital company for a few years, Since then he has acted as a director or chairman of a number of companies including three listed on the stock exchange.

In the charity sector he was chairman of Right Track in Glasgow and Vice-Chairman of LEAD Scotland. He is currently also a Director of PBS Foundation, a medical charity.