Meet our Trustees
Find out more about our Trustees including their professional and personal backgrounds
Professor Alan Baird
With a background in Social Work, I have enjoyed a long and rewarding career in local and Scottish Government.
I have continued my involvement in the sector since ‘retiring’ as a Member of the Scottish Social Services, as President of Scottish Care and as a member of the Independent Review, which was a route and branch review of Scotland’s care system.
I joined Dundee Carers Centre as a trustee in February 2021 and became Convenor of the Board of Trustees in October 2021 The work of the Centre in supporting unpaid carers is inspiring and a privilege to be a part of.
Outside of my Carer Centre duties, I am married with a daughter and granddaughter who bring great joy to my life. Golf, gardening, travelling and watching one of the Dundee teams keep me going, with golf and football often the most frustrating!
Arnot Tippett
I was born in Dundee but spent most of my adult life, until my recent early retirement, working away from the city. I am married with two sons.
I started my career in social care, working in some of the residential children’s homes in the city, then switched to a career in retail logistics. I moved into strategic business consulting with an American software company in the early 90’s. That role took me to live and work on projects in various countries around the world, mainly Chicago, Cape Town, London and Amsterdam. I returned to the city when I joined the NHS as a Programme Manager in 2004 and remained in that position until I took the opportunity to retire early in 2020.
I have been a Trustee for over 5 years and have been fortunate enough to work with staff, managers and other trustees in many of the strategic developments undertaken at the Centre over that time.
Carolyn Johnstone
I joined the Board of Trustees in 2019 after attending an AGM and hearing about the wide range of activities; I was keen to do something to help but being a carer myself my time is limited. This offered me an opportunity to give something back and work with a fantastic group of people.
I am a carer for my son who lives with quadriplegic dystonic cerebral palsy and am also a lecturer in Nursing at the University of Dundee. Equality and fairness is something I am very passionate about, I firmly believe that people living with disability and carers should have the support they need, and are entitled to the same opportunities as everyone else.
At work I am a member of the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Committee and have been involved in the development of a policy to enhance the support for student carers. Along with this I have used my connections with Dundee Carers Centre and the Alliance of Health and Social Care in Scotland to develop nursing student education around carers and the importance of inclusion at all stages of the patient and carer journey.
Overall being able to speak out and advocate for Carers is something I am privileged to be in a position to do.
Janet Robertson
I am delighted to be a trustee for the Dundee Carers Centre. I am now retired from working life but was previously employed for 34 years by Dundee City Council, ending my career as Head of Human Resources and Business Support. I was also involved at a national level as part of my professional association, contributing to the development of pay and conditions of service, with regular interactions with trade unions at national and local levels and with the development of the MyJobScotland recruitment, and selection website to name two areas. I understand people and organisations.
I was an advocate for developments at work to support employees with caring roles and an advocate for care experienced young people, regularly attending the Champions Board. I chaired a group which developed access to in-kind support for various voluntary organisations across the city. I believe in fairness.
I have experience as a carer in a few guises and therefore believe I have an empathy and understanding of the challenges faced,
I am married with grown-up twin boys and have two stepdaughters. Recent additions of two grandsons and a granddaughter are a delight and certainly keeping me busy.
Donna Hegarty
I became a trustee for the carers centre in March 2024. Initially, my background was environmental management; however in 2011 I had the opportunity to support a board of trustees fundraise and build a new hospice in Lanarkshire. The hospice cause is close to my heart as my young brother was supported by CHAS for many years and they really supported our whole family and I was keen to give something back. I’ve been in the health and social care sector ever since in development and income generation. Being part of the board of trustees allows me to utilise some of the skills I developed in previous roles, but more importantly allows me to support a great team of staff determined to make a difference to the lives of unpaid carers.
Liana Steven
My career started in hospital laboratories which sparked an interest in societal health. Back to university for a second degree, Environmental Health. Employed with the council structure this was challenging and the role involved a complete cross section of people. Many of the issues were exacerbated by poor housing, poor hygiene and nutrition. I spent several years training staff/ volunteers in Food Hygiene and allergy awareness as well as enforcement action against non compliant food businesses.
Marriage brought two lovely daughters, a family transport business and a huge learning curve. Proud to have been Awarded Scottish Fleet Manager, first time to a female and in a very male dominated industry too. Haulage held no passion for me and I now concentrate on running holiday rentals and a mix of fully furnished mid term and long term rentals. These are let at social rent to give tenants affordable and well maintained homes for life.
Unfortunately both my parents died relatively young, my Dad after significant disabilities relating to an autoimmune condition. His unpredictable ill health was difficult for us as a family.
By being involved with Dundee Carers Centre as Trustee I hope to bring some of my business experience, broad knowledge, empathy and energy to an organisation determined to care.
Paul Cairnie
My career has taken me through financial services, policing, housing and organisational governance, with a common thread running through much of it — working with people and trying to make organisations fairer and more effective.
I spent a significant part of my career with Tayside Police and later Police Scotland, working in recruitment, equality and diversity and organisational change. This included designing recruitment and assessment processes, managing large-scale recruitment campaigns and working with colleagues nationally to improve practice.
I later moved into housing, joining Caledonia Housing Association as an HR Business Partner before becoming Governance Officer. My work covered organisational development, employee relations, complaints, governance and equality, diversity and inclusion. I also chaired the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations’ EDI group, bringing together people from across the sector to share experience and improve practice.
Since retiring from full-time employment in 2025, I have remained interested in how organisations work and, increasingly, in the opportunities and risks presented by artificial intelligence. I am particularly interested in how AI can be used practically, ethically and inclusively, while ensuring that human judgement, fairness and accountability are not lost.
As a Board Member of Dundee Carers Centre, I hope to bring my experience of governance, people, equality and organisational development to an organisation whose work makes a real difference to people’s lives. I also hope to keep learning, ask useful questions and contribute to ensuring that the Centre remains well governed, inclusive and focused on the people and communities it serves.
Paul Cameron
Hi My name is Paul Cameron. I joined the board of Dundee Carers Centre in 2026, and I am delighted to be a part of the team. I am 38 years old and a father of four daughters.
I previously attended the Dundee Carers Centre as a child, being a young carer for the entirety of my youth as well as into my adulthood. I have since worked with families and the community of Dundee throughout my professional career, spending many years as a youth worker before becoming a teacher.
I now work as a specialist teacher, working with care-experienced pupils, supporting them to re-engage with education. Prior to joining the board of the Carer Centre, I was a trustee on two other boards for youth projects in the east end of Dundee and in Alloa. Being a trustee of the Carer centre is an honour, and I hope to bring my own experiences, both personally and professionally, to help in any way I can.
Gillian Berry
I have worked in finance for most of my career and currently work as a Finance and Procurement Manager in the Scottish public sector. My role is varied and covers financial management, procurement, governance and corporate reporting, as well as leading and supporting teams across a number of different areas.
I wanted to become a Trustee as I was keen to use my skills and experience to give something back and contribute to an organisation that makes a real difference to people and their families. I hope I can bring my finance and governance experience to the Board, alongside a practical and supportive approach. I am particularly pleased to be involved with Dundee Carers Centre, where the focus on supporting carers and disabled people and keeping their needs at the heart of what the organisation does really resonates with me.
Outside work, I enjoy cooking, travelling, walking and a good crime novel. I’m also trying, with varying degrees of success, to improve my Spanish
