How it all started
Glen Shuraig Consulting was founded in 2019 by Eleanor Ryan, who would be the first to say she has spent 30 years or so making mistakes! That may not strike you immediately as a selling point in your consultant, but there are a couple of significant advantages:
- honesty in a consultant is rather useful; and
- you can get the benefit of all that experience to avoid making the same mistakes yourselves.
Glen Shuraig Consulting has grown and now works on some projects with two like-minded associate consultants, Barbara Allison and Keith Connal. We also now have a part-time Business Manager, Sarah Noble, and a network of other potential associate consultants who could join us for specific projects. The ethos remains the same, however: we are here to give our clients the benefits of our real-life experience, not just the theory, and to help them deliver successfully. Meet the team below.
Eleanor Ryan, Managing Director
Eleanor’s successful deliveries include the creation of Revenue Scotland, many justice sector reforms during her eight years as Chief Executive of the Scottish Court Service, four Scottish Budgets and implementation of devolved fiscal powers in Scotland. Along the way, she has learned a lot about corporate governance, leadership, project and programme management and finance in the public sector – particularly the many ways in which things can go wrong, how to recover and get things back on track and how to avoid the same pitfalls another time. Eleanor is delighted to be sharing all of that learning with a range of clients in the UK and overseas.
Barbara Allison, Associate Consultant
Barbara had many years leading HR for the Scottish Prison Service and then the entire Scottish Government, before taking her skills, enthusiasm and commitment to the equally challenging role of Director of Communications, Ministerial Support and Facilities. She now brings all of this experience to third sector roles and consultancy projects, where she particularly enjoys helping clients identify strategic change priorities and energise their teams. In case all of that is not enough, Barbara is also a Chartered Accountant.
Keith Connal, Associate Consultant
Keith is a very experienced senior leader whose career has involved substantial policy, operational management, business change and project delivery roles in both the UK and Scottish governments. This wide experience and his commitment to public value stand him in good stead to provide effective support to clients on consultancy projects. Originally a geographer, Keith retains a keen interest in the environment and is now a trustee of two environmental charities.
Sarah Noble, Business Manager
Sarah Noble is a former Civil Servant, with over 40 years’ experience working in public sector policy, and latterly was a Business Manager in public sector finance. She has extensive skills in upward management, navigating bureaucracy and cat-herding, and is bringing all of these to her work in Glen Shuraig. When not working for Glen Shuraig, Sarah enjoys spending time with family, friends and her own cats and writing fiction.
Dr Bruce Ryan, Non-Executive Director
Bruce is a Senior Research Fellow with research interests in the use of information and communications technology in hyperlocal government, information literacy and digital literacy. He is also actively involved in hyperlocal government, providing support to community councils and participatory budgeting in Edinburgh, and makes time to provide support and challenge on the running of Glen Shuraig Consulting. In the odd hour not consumed by all of these interests, Bruce enjoys cycling and listening to audiobooks, especially science fiction.