Meet the Staff

Jo Mackie - Chief Executive

I am incredibly privileged to work with a small, commercially oriented, high quality team to help the Wood Family Trust achieve its key objectives, giving me the opportunity to oversee the development and growth of a forward thinking Trust which can offer management expertise and finance to carefully selected strategic partners.

As a new Trust we are constantly working to improve our understanding of how to best effect change in dynamic markets with complex landscapes.  We will continue to be proactive, take risks, and make strategic investments, based on business principles that provide systemic impact and long term socio-economic benefits to our target communities and partners.

Our people will always be our strength and we have established a highly experienced senior management team to drive forward our objectives in Scotland and Sub-Saharan Africa.

In order for us to be fast moving, responsive to need and immersed in the culture of the countries we operate, we have based our staff in our key regions of operation.

David Knopp, Director of Africa, heads up our Sub Saharan portfolio and is internationally recognised for his knowledge and success in executing market based solutions to poverty reduction, especially in the field of strengthening high growth sector value chains. David is joined by James Foster, Director of Chai Tanzania and Garron Hanson, Director of Imbarutso, Rwanda. Both James and Garron are highly experienced in the field of strengthening market systems for the poor and have managed a range of projects globally.

Alison MacLachlan, UK Manager, is responsible for our UK operations and has a wealth of experience in the execution of successful schools based projects and will be critical in the successful implementation of our flagship project, YPI, and the development of new initiatives within the portfolio. Alison is joined by Georgea Hughes, UK Investment Officer, and Jonathan Christie, YPI Co-ordinator.