The Alternative Board North East Scotland

Originally trained as an engineer, Helen is passionate about bringing new products and services to market. She spent 10 years at NCR as a product designer for cash dispensers. She later worked in the oil and gas sector for Schlumberger and PII Technomarine, designing forecourt equipment and pipeline isolation tools, eventually taking on the role of a strategic product manager.

She lectured at Strathclyde University in Design and Manufacture before establishing a product development centre in Tayside, providing hands-on guidance to small companies in the development, prototyping and intellectual property management before moving to Robert Gordon University, where she managed the research and technology transfer function and, laterally, all commercial activity for a period of 16 years.

During this time, she was involved in supporting companies to be investor-ready and negotiating investment deals on behalf of the University. She has been on the board of several spinout companies and is educated with 4-degree awards, including MBA and LLM Commercial Law.

Jonathan is a Partner for The Alternative Board in Aberdeenshire East.

He has expertise from many years in Shell, plus SMEs, public and 3rd sectors in UK, Europe, Russia, Middle East and globally. His specialist areas are Leadership, Governance & strategy, Organisation Development, Change and Talent Management. He has a successful track record in oil and gas, distribution, aviation, chemicals, manufacturing and research, as well as delivering in many cultures.

Jonathan focuses his work on what he most enjoys: helping organisations and people thrive. The Alternative Board is a great fit.
He is on the board of a number of private and 3rd sector businesses. He also provides consultancy services. He was given the award of Inspirational Mentor of the Year 2019 for his work with SMEs.

He lives in Aberdeen with his wife, their two teenage children and Bobby, their border terrier.

Andrew Smith is a former owner of Aberdeen Business Network (ABN).

Following the sale of ABN in November 2022, Andrew took a short career break and also published a networking book - 'Cows, Not Cow: How To Make Your Business Networking Really Work'.

He is passionate about helping businesses work together to bring about the best possible results for all parties. He lives in Aberdeen with his partner, three teenagers and one dog!