Nick Freer
Founding Director
Nick Freer advised FTSE 100 and global corporates during ten years with London HQ-ed Maitland, before setting up his own consultancy in Edinburgh where he now advises some of the UK's most dynamic SMEs and tech startups, international corporations with operations in Scotland, enterprise agencies, not-for-profits, and entrepreneurs. Nick also writes or curates a weekly column for the business section of The Scotsman.
Erikka Askeland
Associate
Award-winning journalist Erikka Askeland has spent almost two decades as one of Scotland's foremost business and financial reporters, with Insider, The Scotsman, and the Press and Journal, where she spent two stints as Business Editor. Erikka, who is based in Aberdeen, also brings corporate communications experience to her role with Freer.
Vanessa Collingridge
Associate
Former BBC broadcaster Vanessa Collingridge, who also owns and runs Monster Media Productions, has over 25 years’ experience advising clients ranging from startups and SMEs, to global corporations, and International business schools and universities - around media relations, executive and impact coaching, pitching, presentation, and public engagement.
Jeremy Grant
Associate
Jeremy Grant spent 22 years at the Financial Times, in posts including Singapore & Malaysia Correspondent, Chicago & Midwest Correspondent, and European Companies Editor. After leaving the FT in 2017, he joined PWC in a director-level role in content and throught leadership, which included generating global content for PwC's strategy + business management journal. Relocating to Scotland in 2022, Grant now provides content creation and editorial services to clients in the UK and overseas.
Carolyn Jameson
Adviser
Carolyn Jameson was Trustpilot’s Chief Trust Officer between 2019-2024, was previously Head of International M&A and Corporate Affairs at Ctrip, Chief Legal Officer at Skyscanner, and Head of Legal at Wolfson Microelectronics. Jameson advises a number of startups, is on the board of the Scottish National Investment Bank, and is an investment committee member with VC firm Scottish Equity Partners (SEP).
George Mackintosh
Adviser
In June 2020, Eggplant, the software testing business George Mackintosh founded in 2008, was acquired by Keysight Technologies for $330 million. Mackintosh, a former Chairman of the CBI’s SME Council, is an Associate and former Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the University of Edinburgh Business School, and is the founding director of the Papple Steading historic farm development in East Lothian.
Angus Maitland
Adviser
Angus Maitland founded Maitland, in its third decade as one of Europe’s leading communications consultancies and is a former co- chairman and CEO of The AMO Partnership, the world’s largest financial communications network.