Our board

Agnes Tolmie

Agnes Tolmie is Chair of the Scottish Women’s Convention and has been an active campaigner in the women's movement for over thirty years. These campaigns include equal pay and women's representation in political and public life.

During the 1990’s Agnes was involved with a coalition of women in Scotland for the establishment of a Scottish Parliament. She campaigned with the STUC Women’s Committee for the 50/50 gender balance within the new Scottish Parliament. She was an active anti-apartheid campaigner and visited South Africa with the first all women delegation, which was a joint ACTSA/STUC delegation.

Agnes is past Chair of the STUC Women’s Committee. She is Chair of Unite the Union Scotland Women’s Committee, a member of the UNI Global World Executive Board and their World Women’s Committee. Agnes is a past Commissioner of the Women’s National Commission and current member of the Older Women’s Commission. Agnes is past President of the STUC. Agnes was the recipient of the STUC Women’s Meritorious Award in 2012 and TUC Gold Badge for Service to Women in 2013.

 

Suzanne Conlin

Suzanne lives in Glasgow and has worked in social housing since 2002.

She is currently employed as the Senior Housing Manager for a Scottish Local Authority responsible ensuring the council provides safe & secure homes for all council tenants. In addition to landlord services, Suzanne is also responsible for homeless services, regulation of the private housing sector, factoring and the provision or emergency and supported housing. Suzanne is also the Strategic Housing lead for all tenures focusing on access to affordable, sustainable housing and supporting independent living.

In her role she is a member of:

• The Child Protection Committee
• The Adult Protection Committee
• The Community Justice Partnership
• The Health & Social Care Partnership Strategic Planning Committee

Suzanne has been on the board of the Scottish Women’s Convention since December 2010.

 

Girijamba Polubothu

Girijamba has a PG Dip in Community Education and a degree in Economics. She has worked extensively with minority ethnic organisations and has been working with Shakti Women’s Aid for the past 17 years and is currently the Manager of Shakti Women’s Aid.

Prior to her work at Shakti she worked for Fife Racial Equality Council as a bilingual Employment, Training and Education Advisor. She has been a voluntary classroom assistant, was also involved with Fife Advocacy Project and the Citizens Advice Bureau. Girijamba was involved in Fife council consultation forums (1996/7) on community matters; Scottish Government’s National strategy to address domestic abuse in Scotland (2000) and No recourse to public funds – short life working group. She served as chair of Nari Kalyan Sango, Management Committee member of Saheliya and Board member of LINKnet mentoring service for black minority ethnic people. She is currently on the board of Scottish Women’s Convention.

She currently sits on the Scottish Government’s Forced Marriage Network Group and has been actively involved in drafting the Forced Marriage etc. (Protection and Jurisdiction) (Scotland) Act 2011 and Multi agency practice guidelines – handling cases of forced marriage. She is an active member of the National No Recourse to Public Funds Campaign Group lead by Southall Black Sisters. She is also locally involved with Violence against Women Partnership, Edinburgh Multi-agency risk assessment conference and Cross Party group - Men’s Violence against Women and Children.

 

Sarah Cumming

Sarah has been involved with the SWC for a number of years.

She was an volunteer with the organisation prior to becoming a Board member.

Sarah is an active member of Unite the Union, where she sits on the Regional Women's Committee, the Disabled Workers Committee and the Scottish Executive Committee.

 

Patricia Donnelly

Patricia worked for Anniesland College for 25 years as the Co-ordinator of one of their outreach centres in Ruchill.

She is the Secretary of Glasgow Trades Union Council, a member of the STUC's Women's Committee and on the board of The White Ribbon campaign.

She has a strong interest in issues/campaigns for people with disabilities and violence against women.

 

Elspet Angus

Elspet graduated in history from Edinburgh University 50 years ago and completed teacher training. She taught in secondary schools in Edinburgh, Elgin and Banff.

Latterly she specialised in teaching pupils with additional support needs. A career-long member of the EIS, she enjoyed being rep in two of her schools at various times.

Now happily retired, church work, including the Guild and Stewardship, occupy some of her time along with various hobbies and interests such as travel, genealogy, the local talking newspaper and the SWC.

Born and bred in the North-east of Scotland, she remains deeply interested in its way of life, work, language and culture as well as in representing and promoting the area wherever possible.

 

Margaret Lance

Margaret brings a range of skills and experience within the field of women’s rights, advice and community work to the SWC Board through working with adults and young people on a wide range of issues.

Fluent in French and English, Margaret is skilled in teaching languages as well as using this within her role as a Community Education Practitioner within diverse communities, particularly in helping women and their families.

Margaret currently works at Waverley Care as a Health Improvement Coordinator which includes raising awareness around HIV and delivering information about transmission, prevention, and testing, including antenatal testing. As part of her role, she is passionate about women's rights and delivers workshops and services on HIV prevention and gender-based violence. She has also used her range of skills to raise money for global causes including children's rights and is Chair of Women in Action Global.