Leadership Team & Governors

Originally from Lancashire, Anthony studied at both the University of Bath and the Open University, gaining a Bachelors and Masters degree in Mathematics. After securing his PGCE, he taught at Giggleswick School for ten years. Anthony then moved across to the maintained sector, working as the academic lead in the senior management teams of challenging inner-city schools in Liverpool and Bradford for six years, before returning to Giggleswick as the Senior Deputy Head. He has always been heavily involved in the co-curricular life of the school; coaching rugby, athletics and strength and conditioning, and helping with the CCF. More recently he fills his time training and competing in triathlons and duathlons, and spending time with his wife and two daughters.

Born and educated in Belfast, Mike left the Emerald Isle to study his MA in English Literature at the University of Aberdeen before then going on to take his PGDE. Teaching began in Aberdeen and Elgin before soon after taking up a post at Stewart’s Melville College as a teacher of English with a side line in coaching hockey and cricket. Mike joined the management team at Stewart’s Melville College in 2004, before later ‘jumping ship’ to become Head of the Junior School in 2016. He is married with three children. As a younger man, his two main interests were karate and cricket. There are still the occasional forays into the social side of cricket at Inverleith, but mostly time is taken up watching his and everyone else’s children perform on the stage or the sports field.

Edinburgh born and bred, Frances initially moved west where she studied Economics at the University of Strathclyde gaining a Bachelor’s Degree. Following a year’s voluntary work at a primary school in rural Thailand with World Exchange, her passion for teaching and improving education standards was ignited. She went on to gain a PGCE Distinction from the University of Glasgow. Frances started her teaching career in Surrey, before coming ‘home’ to Edinburgh in 2006 where she joined the ESMS Family as Head of Business Studies, Head of Careers and Director of Sixth Form. She made the move to Head of Stewart’s Melville College in December 2022, having served as Interim Head since August 2022.  From August 2026, Frances will be Head of Erskine Stewart Melville Senior School. Frances lives with her husband and son. Not one to sit still, when she’s not at a Peloton class she can be found outside, enjoying Scotland’s beautiful countryside with her family and pet dog.

Kirsty was appointed as Head of The Mary Erskine Senior School in August 2018, having been on the school management team since 2006. She has spent most of her career at ESMS. Stewart’s Melville College first saw her teach Geography but, within a few years, she was promoted to become a Principal Teacher of Guidance and moved to The Mary Erskine School, where her focus has been in the pastoral side of school life. Kirsty gained her PGCE at Jordanhill in Glasgow, after graduating in Geography and Economic and Social History from The University of Edinburgh. Kirsty loves living in Edinburgh with her family, enjoying all it has to offer. In her spare time, she enjoys keeping fit, vegetarian cooking, walks with her dogs and spending time in the Scottish Borders.

Dan, originally from Surrey, is a seasoned Digital, Data & Technology leader with over 20 years of experience driving transformational change and managing IT capabilities across multiple sectors. Following graduation with an Engineering degree, Dan began his career at Accenture, consulting to major organisations such as GSK and Diageo. More recently he has held leadership positions at RBS & Heineken. Joining ESMS in July ’24 he is really excited about bringing this experience to bear in the Education sector with a specific focus on using Data & Advanced Analytics to provide our teaching staff and leadership teams with better automation, insight and visibility. Dan is married with 3 boys, lives in Linlithgow and enjoys Scouts leadership, squash and going to music gigs.

Miranda Banks joined ESMS as Head of Marketing and Communications in 2019. She brings over 24 years’ experience working in Communications across a range of different sectors and brands including NCT, Which?, British Lung Foundation, UPS and Microsoft Education. She lives in Edinburgh with her husband and three young children and when she is not running around after them, she loves singing in her local choir.

Lynn was appointed as Director of People in August 2023, bringing over 25 years of experience as a people professional. She is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development and member of the Scottish HR Leadership Group, actively building her network within the Scottish business and HR community to enhance connection, knowledge sharing and opportunities. Having held both executive and non-executive roles in private, public, and charitable organisations, she has a wealth of expertise in developing and delivering organisational and people strategies that drive positive impact. A particular passion is supporting young people into positive work destinations and mentoring early HR career people to grow and develop. Lynn lives in Fife with her husband and cocker spaniel and in her spare time she enjoys sketching, walking, swimming and sea kayaking in Scotland’s beautiful and far-flung landscapes.

Katie Ridland is the owner of Ridland Wealth Management Ltd, a firm specialising in financial planning for families and small businesses for over 17 years. She is Treasurer of the Merchant Company and has served on many committees including Education Liaison and is the Trustee of the Retirement Benefit Scheme. Katie is a qualified Chartered Finance Planner and a Fellow of the Personal Finance Society. She has been actively involved in the school as she was previously a Governor for 5 years. Katie’s passion is financial education and for the past five years, she has delivered classes at Erskine Stewart Melville. During this time, Katie has presented to over 2,500 children across Edinburgh schools. She is a member of the High Constables of Edinburgh and a past president of Edinburgh Rotary. Katie served on the board in 2006 of Junior Chamber International.

David Girdwood has a long association with ESMS, having joined Stewart’s Melville College in 1987 as Head of Chemistry. He later became Head of Upper School and, in the summer term of 2022, served as Interim Principal of ESMS. David has been a member of the Governing Council for many years. He read chemistry at St Andrews University and went on to do his teacher training at Jordanhill (now Strathclyde). This was followed by an MEd at Stirling. In 2002 David was appointed as Rector of St Columba’s School, Kilmacolm, serving for 15 years until his retirement in 2017. David is a Deputy Lieutenant of Renfrewshire and is Chair of Governors at St Columba’s. He has also served as a governor of The Glasgow Academy and of Lomond School. David has been married to his wife Lisa for 37 years. They have two daughters, who both attended ESMS Junior School and a much-loved working cocker, Rhu, who is a Retirement Dog. David’s interests include rugby and walking.

Professor Linda Bauld holds the Bruce and John Usher Chair in Public Health in the Usher Institute, College of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh and serves as Chief Social Policy Adviser to the Scottish Government. Her research focuses on two main areas: the evaluation of complex public health interventions, and how research can inform public health policy. She has also been involved in communicable disease research on Covid-19 and chaired Scottish Government advisory groups on Covid-19 and children and young people (schools and HE/FE) since September 2021. Professor Bauld is a Trustee of Diabetes UK and the Institute for Alcohol Studies. She is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, the Faculty of Public Health, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Academy of Social Sciences. She was awarded an OBE in June 2021 for her services to public health. Both her children attended ESMS.

David Bradley-Bird is the co-founder and Director of Multiply, an award-winning Marketing Agency with offices in Edinburgh and London. As an experienced marketeer he works with many blue-chip companies specialising in digital communication and delivery of learning strategies. Educated at Millfield School in Somerset, he grew up in Hertfordshire before moving to Edinburgh in 1997 to further his career. He is member of the Merchant Company along with several industry related bodies. David is an SFA qualified football coach and coaches 2005 year group at Curries Star Football Club. He is married with two teenage children and keeps active through running, gym and participating in running events and triathlons.

Liz Flockhart was educated at George Heriots and studied at St Andrews University (Modern History MA). She qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1998, then moved to Martin Currie as a Fund Manager for 10 years. A further 10 years at abrdn plc as Global Head of Investment Oversight followed. Liz has two children, both former pupils of ESMS. She has been actively involved with the School throughout her time as a parent, taking part in initiatives such as the launch of the Parents’ School Ball, acting as Treasurer of the Stew Mel Lions Rugby and supporting our students with career guidance and work placement support.

Michael Wells is Legal Director of Dispute Resolution and Claims at Thorntons Law LLP in Edinburgh. He is a former pupil of Daniel Stewart’s and Melville College and currently a Member of the Royal Company of Merchants, and a former Assistant of the Court. He is also a Youth Coach at Spartans WFC. He plays most racquet sports, having played tennis for the School, and hockey for Edinburgh University, DSMC FPs and ESMS Vets.

Maidie Cahill has worked as an HR professional in a variety of organisations including Land Rover, Unilever and NEC Semiconductors, before Joining The SQA as Director of Corporate Services. Maidie has used her HR/governance experience serving as a board member with Edinburgh College, Edinburgh World Heritage, Art in Healthcare and Friends of the Royal Scottish Academy. Since retiring Maidie has joined the Royal Company of Merchants and is currently an Assistant on the Master’s Court. She is also a Burgess of the City of Edinburgh and a member of the Incorporation of Bonnetmakers and Dyers. Maidie is the only High Constable of Edinburgh to own her own police box in Drummond Place.

Alistair Stewart is an investment professional with in excess of 20 years’ of experience investing in and managing private equity investments. He completed his law degree at Aberdeen University before qualifying as a Chartered Accountant, spending five years with KPMG. He then spent 18 years in institutional private equity and five years as CEO of a UK-based e-commerce business. He is actively engaged with the wider ESMS network through his involvement with the Stewart’s Melville and North Edinburgh Vikings Rugby clubs. He has one daughter at The Mary Erskine School and a son who recently left Stewart’s Melville College.

Susan Murray LLB, Dip LP, LLM (Edin) is a Senior Litigation Solicitor working in-house with the Central Legal Office of NHS Scotland. She is accredited as a specialist in medical negligence by the Law Society of Scotland and is a Member of the Society’s Accreditation Panel for Medical Negligence. Susan has over 30 years’ experience in specialising in high value medical negligence litigation and public inquiries involving the NHS. She is an elected Council Member and a Board Member of the Law Society of Scotland, also serving or having served on a number of Law Society Committees, including Equality & Diversity (Convener) and Audit. Susan is a second generation former pupil of The Mary Erskine School and her 3 children were educated in ESMS. Her interests include travel, skiing, gardening and spending as much time as possible with her children and pre-school grandchildren.

Malcolm Rust MA (Hons) LLB Dip LP NP is a partner and Head of the Private Client and Charities teams at Shepherd and Wedderburn LLP. He started his legal career with S&W in 1992, and acts for charities, trusts and individual clients. He is an accredited specialist in charity law by the Law Society of Scotland. Malcolm is a member of The Royal Merchant Company, Assistant of the Court and sits on the Audit & Risk Committee. He is married to Gill. Malcolm went to school at Robert Gordon’s College in Aberdeen, and thereafter went to St Andrews, Aberdeen and Edinburgh Universities, undertaking a History degree before turning his sights on Law. He currently has one child at ESMS (two have already left). Malcolm enjoys the hills, running, cooking and music. Next to Gill, the love of his life is Dougall, their Cockapoo.