Marshall has worked in the entertainment and hospitality industry in Scotland and Europe for some 40 years. He has been the proprietor of the Queen Charlotte Rooms in Edinburgh for 21 years and has been a stalwart supporter of The Scottish Licensed Trade Association for 15 years. Now as president he is leading The S.L.T.A.’s exciting 3 year “time for change action plan”.

His ambition is to work with the industry to highlight the importance our bars and pubs make to tourism and the Scottish economy.

Elaine has been involved in tourism and hospitality for over 40 years. Moving to Aberdeen in the early eighties, Elaine joined Allied Bakeries. She then started working with the Hotel & Catering Training Company, managing their Aberdeen office before joining local training company Hospitality Training.

Joining Scottish Enterprise’s tourism team in the mid 90’s, she has managed a variety of significant tourism projects including Scottish Enterprise’s investment into Royal Deeside and the Cairngorms and the Banffshire Coast Tourism Partnership. She was seconded to the Tourism Partnership Manager, a role that managed the review of DMO’s in the region and the subsequent creation of VisitAberdeenshire. Elaine has run a small tourism business in Aberdeen for over 11 years.

Stephen Gow, chairman of Aberdeen City and Shire Tourism Awards, is a highly experienced hotel general manager responsible for The Chester Hotel in Aberdeen and The Chester Residence in Edinburgh.

Keen to support and nurture talent in the workplace and to encourage a new generation into a career in hospitality, Stephen was instrumental in the creation of Hospitality Apprenticeship North East and chairs this industry-led initiative. He was also a founding director of VisitAberdeen and remains a member of Aberdeen City and Shire Hotels’ Association.

Originally from Edinburgh, Stephen’s career has seen him manage hospitality businesses from Perth to Hawaii and Inverness to London.

Megan has been involved in sport for over 25 years both professionally and as a volunteer. As a Partnership Manager at sportscotland, the national agency for sport, she has responsibility for the strategic relationships and investment with a wide range of Scottish governing bodies of sport, supporting them in their preparations for Olympic and Commonwealth Games.   

As the rights holders for major sporting events in Scotland, governing bodies play a key role in delivering these national and internationally significant events, and the wider benefits they bring to the nation in terms of tourists, international profile and pride. 

Marina is Director of the Highlands and Islands Tourism Awards, Executive Board Director of the Scottish Tourism Alliance and a Trustee of HIT Scotland. She also sits on the Board of Visit Inverness Loch Ness. She is Chairperson of the Achnagairn Estate, an events venue near Inverness which has 60 bedrooms, a ballroom and a restaurant “Table Manors” on the Estate.

In 2010 she was presented with the Highland Business Women’s Club Ambassador Award. Marina has run her own tourism development business since 1996.