Office bearers

John is an engineer by profession, becoming a Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers in 1971 and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in 1992. He spent his working life as an engineer and manager in the construction industry based in Edinburgh and working on projects mainly throughout Scotland. He retired from work in late 2001 and from both Institutions by 2002 to support his wife Avril.

John initially became aware of Alzheimer Scotland during the year 2000 when Avril became ill and he became a full-time carer. Avril was eventually diagnosed as having vascular dementia and admitted to NHS Continuing Care in March 2005.

John joined the Council in 2004 and subsequently the Executive Committee and the Staffing Committee.

Ian is a retired Chartered Banker with 38 years’ experience in the Royal Bank of Scotland. He holds or has held directorships and honorary positions with several other charities in Scotland.

He has direct experience of the impact of Alzheimer’s disease, with several family members having been affected.

Arlene is married to Jeff and has two grown up children, Michael and Melissa. She took early retirement from her employment in the General Register Office for Scotland in 2011 and recently qualified as a yoga teacher, teaching classes in Edinburgh and Kirkliston. Arlene enjoys running and is a Jogscotland Leader.

Her interest in Alzheimer Scotland started when her father developed the disease in the mid 1990s. He was looked after at home for a number of years and spent over 5 years in a nursing home. He died in 2009.