Meet Corra’s New Trustees

Corra’s vision is for a society where people can create positive change and enjoy fulfilling lives. Our board of trustees play a vital role working alongside communities to ensure that power rests with people themselves, people with radical ideas are supported, and people work together to respond to the big challenges facing Scotland. We are delighted to welcome five new trustees, and one co-opted committee member, who join this mission to make a difference for people and communities by encouraging positive change.

Strengthening people’s voices and shifting power to communities is central to our work and we have continued to take a proactive approach to increasing the diversity of Corra’s board. Following these appointments, Corra’s board will have an equal gender balance and increased representation from people from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic communities.

Joining Corra’s Board of Trustees are Mark Armstrong, Pratul Choudary, Graeme Davies, Tasnim Hassan, and Andrew Scott. Rob Scholes joins as a co-opted member of the Finance and Investment Committee.

Mark has over 35 years’ experience in leadership and management roles across the voluntary sector and local government. For the past 20 years he has held senior, strategic leadership positions in three different Scottish councils with responsibilities for many front-line services including education, housing, children’s social work and community development/empowerment. His professional interests range from, good governance, to the reform of public services, to the natural environment, to the creation of a just and inclusive society. Mark is married with four grown up children.

“I am thrilled to be joining Corra, an organisation built upon strong values which I share. I look forward to adding my experience and skills to the Board and working with others to deliver Corra’s vision and mission.”

Pratul is an accomplished IT Leader renowned for his adeptness in delivering business critical solutions to clients. With over two decades of experience, he has spearheaded numerous large-scale and intricate projects and services across diverse global landscapes. Currently serving as the Delivery Director at NTT DATA UK, based in Glasgow, Pratul excels in leading multicultural and distributed delivery teams across Government Sector. His expertise encompasses the successful execution of medium to large-scale projects in Application Development, Testing, and Maintenance, employing a spectrum of delivery methodologies including waterfall and agile.

Pratul’s career is distinguished by his customer-centric approach and extensive experience in multi-shore models. His educational background includes a Master’s in Business Administration with a focus on Strategy and Planning from Strathclyde University, Glasgow, complemented by a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science & Engineering from SSCET, Bhilai.

Graeme has spent his career advising organisations on the full spectrum of their communication plans, from FTSE 100s through to tech start-ups, plus leading cultural organisations. In 2022 he set-up UXL Marketing, through which he operates as a Portfolio Marketing Director & Board Advisor to a variety of clients.

He lives in East Lothian with his family, and is also a Board Member & Trustee of Grid Iron Theatre Company, Culture & Business Scotland and Gifford Community Land Company.

“I am delighted to be joining the Board of Corra Foundation. As one of Scotland’s leading charitable funders, the organisation’s commitment to empowering, encouraging and supporting people to work collaboratively is really inspiring – I look forward to helping shape the next phase of Corra’s journey to continue to make a real difference to people’s lives.”

Tasnim is a researcher-activist with a particular interest in intersectional disability justice. Working towards challenging deep-seated roots of inequality, her approach is centred on equity, care, as well as ongoing learning and growth. Her passions lie in community building and engagement, creating knowledge and evidence that drive change, and strengthening the disability movement. Her experience spans across various impactful initiatives, such as her advisory role for Trust for London’s Disability Justice Fund, supporting Greater London Authority and the Met Police’s engagement efforts with marginalised communities, collaborating with Sheffield University’s Centre for Equity and Inclusion in fostering anti-ableist practices, and her role as a trustee at the Alliance for Inclusive Education. Tasnim is currently completing her PhD at Durham University where her mixed-methods research is exploring the intersectional experiences of Disabled Black and Brown people across the UK.

Andrew Scott is an experienced public service leader. He has been responsible for significant innovations in public policy and services including, health, education, employment, the environment and public finance. He has recently retired from the Scottish Government, after holding a wide-range of senior leadership roles since the start of Devolution.

“I am delighted to be joining the Board. It’s a fantastic opportunity to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Scotland.”

Rob has over ten years’ experience as a social impact investor specialising in the UK elderly healthcare sector. Prior to this, he held investment roles at a mid-market private equity firm and in the private equity division of a large UK bank providing capital to support management buy-outs and corporate acquisitions. Rob is currently a Trustee and Treasurer at Edinburgh-based charity, The Open Door

“I am delighted to be joining Corra as a co-opted member of the Finance and Investment Committee. I look forward to drawing on my experience as an investor both in UK social care and across a variety of sectors to contribute to the delivery of the organisation’s long-term strategic aims.”

Corra’s current trustees

Our new trustees join Corra’s board and existing trustees. You can read more about Corra’s trustees on the Meet the team page.