Meet the team that make up Impact Hub Inverness - Polly, Brian, Karen B, Kate, Karen M and for a short while - Lindsay! 
Thanks to Paul Campbell Photography for the photos!

Brian Weaver

It's primarily thanks to Brian's leadership that HISEZ grew from a small grant dependent 2 person team to an enterprising 7 person social enterprise that joined the Impact Hub network. Brian's main role is engagement and communication with various stakeholders working in the sector, and the delivery of business advice and business skills workshops. He has significant skills in crisis management, particularly for groups encountering trading difficulties, and helping boards develop and strengthen. He previously worked with HIE as its business starts manager and, before that, worked in the private sector where he successfully set up and ran a business. Brian works part time and provides a part time input to the office as a host at present, a role which he will continue to deliver for the Hub going forward. He is one of the makers and Co-Founder of the Hub here in Inverness.

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Karen Bruce

Karen Bruce keeps the rest of us organised and ensures that Impact Hub Inverness HQ runs like a smoothly oiled machine. She could make money from almost nothing and with a background in financial services, that's not surprising. Her main role is handling all contract management responsibilities for the Scottish Government's Just Enterprise business support programme, which we deliver across the Highlands and Islands. She also advises some of the many clients we work with, specifically in the area of developing and managing accounting systems. Before joining our enterprise Karen worked in a senior management level in the banking sector where she gained significant experience in financial planning and management, human resources and customer care. She is currently a Board member of Social Enterprise Scotland. Co-Founder Karen works a 3-day week and when she’s in the office she will be a volunteer host.

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Lindsay Dunbar

Lindsay joins us temporarily to promote the Impact Hub and support the Rural Entrepreneurship Conference. She is no stranger to the Impact Hub though, as she is a member through her work as a creative and cultural project manager. With 15 years experience as a strategic leader, project manager and producer Lindsay Dunbar FRSA was selected as the Creative Scotland Fellow 17/18 for the exclusive Clore Leadership programme as the founder of Play Pieces Arts.  As a consultant and facilitator she has worked across many creative organisations, specialising in rural engagement. In 2018 she qualified as an accredited LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® Facilitator, bringing playful creative thinking to problem-solving. An experienced researcher, her recently published paper Forgotten Regions: Developing High Quality Theatre through Rural Creative Hubs was prepared for the Arts and Humanities Research Council and Clore Leadership. 

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Polly Chapman

Polly Chapman, also Co-Founder of Impact Hub Inverness, joined its predecessor, HISEZ, from the Scottish Government where she successfully managed a number of grant programmes, including setting up and running the Third Sector Resilience Fund. Polly has a number of years' experience of research in rural Scotland. She has some great insights into what makes rural communities tick, and what doesn't, and how to support change in these places. She's also built up an impressive network of contacts with local and national agencies, community groups and third sector organisations.  She has led on developing the relationship with Japan and developing the Impact Hub.  Within the team Polly also works as a business adviser on the Just Enterprise programme, and with BIG Lottery applicant referrals from Scottish Investment Business. Polly works full time and acts as a volunteer host.

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Kate McKinley

Kate McKinley is a business adviser on the Scottish Government Just Enterprise programme and helps enterprising third sector groups with business and financial planning, marketing, board and governance training and strategic planning.  She's also part of the team working on other projects including feasibility studies, options appraisals and development plans. Kate previously worked for 15 years in the private and public sectors in marketing what's grandly known as 'business to business communications', but which really means helping organisations use words more effectively. A big fan of finding ways for rural communities to thrive and not just to survive (she lives in one), Kate was, until recently, chair of a voluntary board of a charitable company and oversaw the redevelopment and expansion of her local village hall. Kate works four days a week from home.  While she will not be an active host of the Hub on a regular basis, she will be a Hub champion, promoting the concept of the Hub through her contract work.  She will also deliver some of the outreach Hub activity.

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Karen Maclean-Yuille

Karen Maclean-Yuille is our legal structures and governance guru. Karen has worked in the enterprising third sector for 12 years and is a former Chief Executive of Social Firms Scotland. Here she assesses applications for business support for the Just Enterprise programme and takes them to the fortnightly case conferences with our consortium partners and is one of our business advisers. Karen is also vice chair of a social enterprise providing support and training to young people in Highland who experience difficulties in the transition to independent living and/or work. Karen works half time from home.  Like Kate, while she will not be an active host of the Hub, she will be a Hub champion, promoting the concept of the Hub through her contract work.