Barnardo's Scotland National Advisory Board

Martin leads the Aberdeen office for PwC where he specialises in external auditing for the energy sector. He lives and works in Aberdeen and prior to that worked with PwC in Sydney, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Belfast.

Martin has 2 adopted children, is passionate about helping children and has worked with Barnardo’s both in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Outside of work, he spends his time on the side of various sporting fields watching his kids and going to Pittodrie to see the Dons.

Sarah is CSR and Social Impact Lead at Hymans Robertson LLP, an independent pensions and investments services partnership. She was involved in the set up and launch of Hymans Robertson’s grant-making foundation and manages its day-to-day governance and operations. In this capacity, Sarah is a member of several membership organisations for grant-making foundations and trusts working across the UK: their aim is to share best practice and commit to open and trusting grant-making to support the voluntary sector and enable non-profits to do their best work.

Sarah is a trustee and Secretary of The Hymans Robertson Foundation, a grant making charity working with non-profits across the UK to improve lives and opportunities for young people and communities facing disadvantage.

Dorothy qualified as a social worker in 1984 and has spent her career working in local authorities. During this time she has held a range of posts in child care and criminal justice social work. For the last 10 years, Dorothy has been a senior social work manager in Renfrewshire Council, and has a breadth of experience in multi-agency working with key strategic partners.

Dorothy has recently retired from full-time work but will take up the role of Independent Chair of the Fostering and Adoptions Panels for Inverclyde Council in 2019. She is also a member of the Advisory Board for the Hub for S.U.C.C.E.S.S. at Edinburgh Napier University, which aims to increase the number of looked after young people accessing higher education.

Ryan has worked in the public sector for over 28 years. He is a Royal Air Force veteran with operational tours across the world, including active service in the 2003 Iraq War. For the last 20 years, Ryan has worked across policing in Scotland. He has served in a variety of roles, including Counter Terrorism, Intelligence Development, Custody Operations, and Community Policing. His current role is as the Locality Inspector for the Lochee and West End Wards in Dundee.

Ryan has a particular interest in supporting children in the criminal justice system and developing methods to divert young people away from criminality.

Stuart Payne was appointed Chair in 2024 having first joined the advisory board in 2018.

Stuart is Chief Executive of the North Sea Transition Authority, the UK government body that regulates the oil and gas, offshore hydrogen, and carbon storage industries. In addition to this role, he is a non-executive director of Energy Transition Zone Ltd, a not-for-profit company created to establish the north east of Scotland as a global leader in energy transition activities and was previously Chair of the Brightside Trust, a national youth mentoring charity.

Stuart holds a degree in psychology, is a Fellow of the Energy Institute and of the CIPD, an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society and was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2020. Married with two children, Stuart lives in Aberdeenshire.

Malcolm is Head of the Charities team at commercial law firm Shepherd & Wedderburn. Malcolm has advised on the law and regulation of charities for over 25 years and has been heavily involved advising charity clients on the current regulatory and economic challenges facing those operating in the charity sector in Scotland. Re-accredited as a Specialist in Charity Law by the Law Society of Scotland, he collaborated in the writing of “A Practical Guide to Charity Law in Scotland” first published in 2016. He speaks and writes regularly on topics affecting the third sector.

In his role as Head of Private Client, Malcolm also advises a range of individual clients and family offices on wealth planning and philanthropy.

Millicent is a passionate advocate for youth empowerment with a proven track record of driving meaningful change across multiple sectors. She represents a new generation of leaders dedicated to breaking down systemic barriers and creating inclusive, supportive environments for young people from all backgrounds.

At UK Youth, she was instrumental in convening over 550 cross-sector leaders to address youth opportunities at the Joined Up Summit. She has co-designed professional development programs targeting more than 10,000 individuals in the youth sector. Her work with the House of Lords as a Youth Advisor showcases her ability to influence policy, particularly in supporting disabled and neurodivergent young people's transitions into employment.