The Scottish School Food Awards Advisory Board 2026
The Scottish School Food Awards benefit from the knowledge and expertise of a carefully selected group of experienced specialists from across the foodservice, education, business and technology sectors.
Members include:
Chair: Dr Lindsay Graham CF, OBE
A 2014 Churchill Fellow, former community nurse and civil servant, Lindsay has worked in national government roles in both Scotland and England and was a former adviser to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on School Food. In addition, she advised the Westminster cross-party group on the Children’s Future Food Inquiry into childhood food insecurity, and acted as Vice Chair of Scotland’s Poverty and Inequality Commission.
A co-founder of International School Meals Day, she was awarded the OBE in 2022 for her work in tackling children’s food insecurity in the UK. The following year she received an Honorary Doctorate from Glasgow Caledonian University in recognition for promoting food security in Scotland and beyond.
Joining the Advisory Board fresh from her 2024 School Food Awards Lifetime Excellence achievement, Lindsay is more than qualified to help appraise the nominations.
Gavin Calder
Chief ExecutiveHarmeny Education Trust (HET)
Installed as Chief Executive of HET in 2024, he currently chairs the board of Scottish Outdoor Education Centres and serves on the boards of the Scottish Council of Independent Schools and Lathallan School in Aberdeenshire. A keen sports coach, he has previously been both Chair and President of the national governing body. He joins the Scottish School Food Awards in their fourth year to lend his significant skills and experience to the judging panel.
www.harmeny.org.uk
Chris Garside
International Development Director ARAMARKwww.aramark.co.uk
Margaret Gilmour
Senior Partnerships ManagerSoil Association Scotland
The holder of an MBA in Public Sector Management, Margaret works with the Food for Life Scotland team and is responsible for establishing, developing and supporting positive partnerships and relationships across Scotland’s food system.
With over 40 years’ experience in the public, private, and charity sectors she is an expert in the provision of support services and a strong advocate for ensuring the food we procure and serve across Scotland represents the best value for money.
As a manager within the NHS, local government and now at the Soil Association, Margaret has a strong track record of creating high-performing teams through appraisal, performance management, business coaching and celebration of success, and understands that the latter can only be achieved through the contributions of the whole team.
Wiktoria Grabowska
Operations Manager
Inspire Catering Ltd
Overseeing catering operations across six independent schools in Edinburgh and Glasgow, Wiktoria brings 12 years of experience in managing contract catering sites across various sectors. A keen promoter of nutritious, sustainable foods, she understands the responsibility that all caterers have, especially in schools, to educate new generations and to help them make healthier choices. A champion of women in the industry, she is eager to shine the spotlight on the work that female colleagues deliver every day across the sector.
Ian Holliday
Vice President, Growth and Retention,
Avendra International Europe
With over 40 years’ experience in the industry, Ian leads Avendra International’s European team, promoting advanced procurement solutions and technology to help hospitality professionals address challenges related to sourcing, pricing, driving efficiency, and saving time.
Leading the European team for Avendra International, which supports schools, colleges, care homes, healthcare, and hospitality, Ian firmly believes that strategic procurement, enhanced by data insights and digital tools, serves as an essential conduit for empowering clients to achieve greater savings and productivity in their daily work.
John Murphie
Former Chief Operating Officer
ISBA
Having retired from the position of COO in the Bursars’ Association in June 2025, John is now pursuing a career as a consultant and is a Governor in two schools, in addition to his roles as a Trustee for two charities. Still very involved in the independent school sector, he now enjoys a more relaxed lifestyle, a regular podcast, the occasional presentation to school leadership teams, and ongoing contact with a host of schools.
Donnie Maclean
Co-founder
Eat Balanced Ltd
An influential figure across Scotland’s food and nutrition ecosystem, Donnie has held several roles within foodservice, hospitality and tourism. In addition to serving as a board member of Scotland Food & Drink (2014–2021), he helped shape the strategic partnership between government and industry, and was appointed to the Scottish Government’s Food Commission, where he contributed his expertise to national food policy and supply chain improvements.
Serving on the advisory panel for the Good Food Fund which supports initiatives that improve access to healthy, sustainable food for children and families, he has a track record that spans public-private collaboration, science-driven innovation, and policy advisory.
As the founder of Eat Balanced, Donnie has grown the company into a trusted partner for schools across the UK, delivering over 8m meals each year.
With a career spanning three decades in hospitality – much of it spent managing four- and five-star hotels in London, Edinburgh and Glasgow – Marianne made the transition into contract food services and joined Lodestone House (previously Chartwells Independent) in 2022.
Bringing with her an invaluable blend of skills, experience, an eye for quality and a reputation for building strong teams, she joins the Scottish School Food Awards Advisory Board in 2025.
Marianne Stark
Director of Operations
Lodestone House