Get to know us
Who we are
Our saltire internship program mirrors that of our UK partners, designed to match talent with companies across the US. To support that work we have a dedicated board of directors here in the US.
The role of the US board is to support the continued growth of the program by:
– helping to identify host companies and build connections,
– raise funds from outside sources and provide direct financial support
– promote the program across networks
As part of our expansion in the US, the Board is supported by Regional Advisory Boards (RAB) strategically designed to harness the potential growth opportunities that exist in key geographies across the US. Each advisory board is made up of a group of Ambassadors who support our program as hosts, advocates, mentors and alumni of the program.
We are delighted to introduce our team below.
Mark Bamforth OBE
Board Chair
Mark Bamforth OBE is a serial entrepreneur, having founded, built and sold three companies. He is currently a general partner in an antimicrobial resistance (“AMR”) fund and is mentoring and investing in Scottish and US-based life science entrepreneurs.
Bamforth founded Arranta Bio to build an advanced therapeutics contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) in May 2019 with a focus on the microbiome, plasmid and mRNA vaccines. Arranta was sold to Recipharm in April 2022.
Previously, Bamforth founded Brammer Bio, a best-in-class viral vector CDMO for cell and gene therapies that supporter leading innovators. Brammer’s team grew from 110 in 2016 to over 600 at the time of its acquisition by Thermo Fisher Scientific in April 2019.
In 2010, Bamforth founded a biologics CDMO, Gallus BioPharmaceuticals, and acquired a world-class facility and team with a commercial supply agreement with Janssen. Gallus tripled through organic growth and merging with Laureate Biopharma. Gallus was sold to DPx Holdings (aka Patheon) in 2014.
Bamforth spent 22 years in the UK and USA at Genzyme; as a corporate officer for 9 years while leading the 12-site global manufacturing operation and a pharmaceutical CMO unit. He began his career as a petroleum engineer exploring for North Sea oil with Britoil, then as a chemical engineer in the whisky industry with Whitbread.
Bamforth serves on the boards of Continuus Pharma, Pneumagen, Enterobiotix, Kincell Bio, and Entrepreneurial Scotland. He has a BS in Chemical Engineering from Strathclyde University and an MBA from Henley Management College. Mark currently lives in Boston, MA with his wife, where they raised their two children.
Derek Blackwood OBE
IEng FIMechE ICD.D
Derek Blackwood, worked in the energy industry for over 40 years prior to his retirement in 2015.
During his career he worked for Wood Group, Vepica, Marathon Oil, APG/Salamis, John Brown Engineering and BP.
He is a Founder and Hall of Fame member of the Globalscot network, a former President of the BABC in Houston, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers in the UK and a Director of the Institute of Corporate Directors in Canada.
Derek is a Founder Funder of Entrepreneurial Scotland, (ES), and a Trustee of the ES Saltire Foundation USA. He is actively involved in the Saltire Scholars (interns) programme and the Scottish Space School at NASA.
Derek lives in Houston with his wife Jean. They have a daughter, Heather in Houston, a son, Stuart in Aberdeen and three grandsons.
Fraser Grier
Fraser Grier is a New York City-based U.S. immigration attorney, advising multinational companies, arts institutions, entrepreneurs, investors and artists.
His career in the United States began in 2014, when he carried out investigations into civil rights cold cases from the early to mid 20th century across the U.S. South. In 2016, he completed New York University’s postgraduate International Legal Studies program, entailing advocacy before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in partnership with the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center in Washington D.C.
Over the past decade, alongside his legal practice Fraser has held leadership positions within nonprofit organizations focused on promoting business and cultural ties between the United States and Scotland, including facilitation of trade missions by regional Scottish chambers of commerce to New York City.
In 2025, Fraser co-founded First Foot, a nonprofit with the mission of supporting creatives based in Scotland who are launching their careers in the United States. He also organizes a volunteer leadership group for local Scottish university alumni chapters.
Rory Hedderly
Head of Business Development (USA)
Rory Hedderly serves as Head of Business Development (USA). Rory joined the Entrepreneurial Scotland team after 15 years of public service on behalf of the Scottish Government. Most recently, Rory held the position of Deputy Head of the Scottish Government USA (2018-2023). In that time, Rory worked to grow Scotland’s reputation in the US by showcasing Scotland as the best place to Live, Work, Study, Visit and do Business. A vital part of that success was his ability to build networks across business, political and wider interest groups will the sole purpose raising awareness of what modern Scotland has to offer the world.
Prior to his move to the USA, Rory spent over 10 years working in Private Office as Deputy Private Secretary to the First Minister of Scotland as well as several other Cabinet members.
Rory also volunteers in support of the Washington Tattoo, a charitable organization modelled on the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, that focuses on cultural exchange, support for veterans and education of the arts. Rory resides in the Washington, DC area with his wife and goldendoodle where he enjoys golf and travelling.
James McGregor
James McGregor is a semi-retired California-based board tech executive, advisor and investor who bridges the gap between Silicon Valley innovation and global business strategy. With a career defined by scaling complex technology operations, James now invests in and provides high-level guidance to a portfolio of AI and infrastructure companies, including Deepgrids, Pandatron, and Rox Data.
Prior to retirement, James served as the Senior Vice President of Business Operations at Palo Alto Networks, where he led efforts in operational transformation and acquisition integration during a period of significant growth. His tenure in big tech also includes pivotal leadership roles at Google, where he served as Founding COO for Google Cloud and COO for Immersive Computing (AR/VR). In these roles, he was instrumental in driving the operational frameworks for some of the world’s most advanced technology divisions.
These roles followed a successful track record as a founder and entrepreneur, having launched and scaled multiple ventures including Shapely Nash and Ariadne Consulting, gaining experiences that grounded his strategic advice in the practical realities of building and exiting a business. This combination of “big tech” scale and “startup” agility allows him to mentor founders with a unique perspective. Originally from Scotland and a graduate of the University of Glasgow with a degree in Engineering, James remains a dedicated “Global Scot,” facilitating international investment and leadership development between Silicon Valley and Scotland.
Kim Perdikou
Kim Perdikou joined the board of Nasuni Corporation in December 2022. Ms. Perdikou is Chairman of Atsign Company, a private startup cybersecurity internet protocol company based in Silicon Valley.
Ms. Perdikou served in multiple leadership positions during her tenure at Juniper Networks. Perdikou served as EVP, Office of the CEO 2010-2013 where she oversaw the company’s quality and customer experience as well as holding Non Exec Director positions at multiple of Juniper Innovation Fund Portfolio companies.
Perdikou served as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Juniper’s Infrastructure Products Group (IPG) from 2006-2010, doubling revenue in three years to $3.2 billion. She led her team of 2500 through the development of industry-changing innovations, including the multi-chassis T1600 core router and the breakthrough “3D Scaling” technology in Juniper’s MX 3D routers. She built the ecosystem and business model to drive significant business unit growth, including Juniper’s mobile routing and software solutions. She also served as Juniper’s Chief Information Officer, and has been recognized as one of Computerworld Magazine’s Premier 100 IT Leaders.
Previously, she held technology-leadership positions across diverse industry verticals at Women.com Networks, Inc., Reader’s Digest, Knight Ridder and Dun & Bradstreet.
Perdikou also has a passion for mentoring future leaders, sharing her personal experience as a woman in business and taking risks. She has served as an advocate and advisor for several organizations that promote women in business, science and engineering including Fortune-State Department MPW (Most Powerful Women) mentoring program and the partnership of TechWomen with the US Dept of State mentoring program.
Perdikou served as a Non Exec Director of Lam Research Corporation. Ms. Perdikou served as Chair of REBBL Inc. a high growth private beverage company delivering taste, function and nutrition for 8 years until May 2022. Perdikou served on the Supervisory board of Alter Domus (an alternative fund administration services company) from January 2021 until their acquisition by Cinven in November 2024 and Chaired the Renumeration and Nominations Committee. Perdikou served as a Non Exec Director of CyberArk from July 2014 until its sale to Palo Alto Networks (for $25B at the end of 2025), she served as Chairman of the Compensation Committee, and is a member of the Audit, Strategy & Nominating & Governance committees.
She holds a Masters degree in information systems from Pace University in New York, and a Post Graduate degree in education from Jordanhill College in Glasgow, Scotland. Her bachelor’s degree is in computing science and operational research from Paisley Tech (now West of Scotland University) in Scotland.
Mike Smith
Mike Smith is a Senior Vice President with Wilmington Trust based in Boston and Washington, DC. Mike held similar roles with PNC Private Bank and JP Morgan Private Bank following his return to the United States in 2013. He works with Family Offices, Founders and Venture Capitalists, with specific focus on the Life Sciences and Defense Technology Government Contracting sectors.
Mike spent the majority of his career based in Edinburgh and London UK working for major European Private Banking operations, Société Générale Private Bank and Dresdner Kleinwort Benson. He founded both the Kleinwort and SG Hambros Office in the Scottish Capital where they previously had no presence, and developed the business North of the Border and in Northern Ireland, recruiting teams and establishing relationships with the Scottish Business Community and Professional Intermediary Sector. Mike is a member of the GlobalScot Network and the British American Business Association. Mike lives in Portland, Maine but spends significant time in Boston and Washington DC.
Nina Spencer
Nina Spencer is a highly accomplished executive and dedicated board member, currently serving as Vice President of Business Development at NESFircroft, the world’s largest technical staffing company. In this role, Nina oversees all energy sector operations across the Americas, driving strategic growth and fostering innovative partnerships within the industry. She holds a Masters degree in Business and Law from Heriot-Watt University, equipping her with a robust foundation in both commercial acumen and regulatory expertise.
Nina’s professional journey is marked by a wealth of experience in the oil and gas sector, including hands-on offshore assignments in the Gulf of Mexico, Trinidad, and South Korea with leading organizations such as Lloyd’s Register and Anadarko Petroleum. Her expertise spans project management, regulatory compliance, and cross-cultural team leadership, consistently delivering results in complex, high-stakes environments.
A former Saltire Foundation Scholar (2009), Nina remains passionately committed to giving back. She has actively supported the Saltire Foundation by raising funds and mentoring the next generation of leaders through hosting students, embodying a spirit of service and mentorship. As a board member, Nina brings her strategic vision, global perspective, and unwavering dedication to advancing the mission of charitable organizations, leveraging her broad network and industry insight to create lasting impact in the community.
Regional Advisory Board - Boston
Regional Advisory Board - New York
Check back soon.
Regional Advisory Board - Washington DC
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Investing in
Future talent
Every year we partner with incredible businesses across the US providing exceptional talent to support their ambitions – check out our partners below.
