Executive Team

 
 
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David Cochrane MBE, Chief Executive

David Cochrane is an energetic and inspirational member of the UK hospitality industry.  His enthusiasm has delivered travel & tourism to thousands, with exciting Scottish events, exceptional hospitality support, and unrivaled growth in Scottish careers within hospitality through the unique scholarship programme.

David joined HIT Scotland in 2005 and is now leading the strategic direction of this Scottish based charity. Working with the Trustees he delivers added value to many initiatives in collaboration with other sectors in the Industry. He has been recognised with an Industry Catey Award for his work in Education and Training. Amongst many Fellowships and Honorary Degrees held he led the successful Industry Expedition to the summit of Kilimanjaro in 2011. He is one of the few people in Scottish hospitality to have climbed Kilimanjaro again in 2022!

David was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s birthday honours 2020 for services to hospitality and in 2022 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration from Robert Gordon's University in Aberdeen.

 
 
 

Kirsty MacLeod, Operations Manager

Kirsty MacLeod joined HIT Scotland in 2011 to assist with the day to day management of the Trust.  Kirsty is a wonderful asset to our charity with great energy and superb organisational skills.  She oversees the management and development of HIT's Futures Group and the vast majority of the charity's events. Her drive and attention to detail has been a major contributing factor to the professionalism of HIT Scotland's activities.

 
 
 
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Alyson Gray, Scholarship and Finance Manager

Alyson joined HIT Scotland in 2017 and now looks after the management and organisation of the scholarships, content planning and creation for the website and social media, and the financial management.  Alyson comes with 20 years of experience in sponsorship, event activation and marketing, and her cheerful personality and organisational skills are a great asset to HIT.

 
 
 

Carol Collier, Administrative Assistant

Carol joined HIT Scotland in September 2021 when she was tempted out of early retirement by an offer she couldn't refuse, to work with the HIT Scotland team! Having had a long career in customer service and the hospitality industry, Carol was previously Customer Experience Manager of a large contact centre and more recently PA to an MD. Working part time 2 days a week, Carol provides admin support to the HIT team.

 
 
 

Emma Weatherston, Events Coordinator

Emma joined HIT Scotland in September 2023 and supports the organisations events calendar, administration and works with the HIT Futures Group. Following working on events in Glasgow such as 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships and COP26 as well as charity roles Emma has experience in events, workforce management and fundraising. Emma works with HIT Scotland 3 days a week supporting the team.