Stuart Crawford

Stuart Crawford was educated at Millfield School , Somerset , and Cambridge University . After qualifying as a chartered surveyor, he spent the earlier part of his career as an Army officer where he attended both the British and US Army Staff Colleges. He retired in April 1999 in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During this time he planned, drafted and implemented the Army in Scotland ’s corporate communications strategy.

He was selected as a Parliamentary candidate in the first Scottish Parliamentary elections in May 1999 and again in the General Election in June 2001. In 1999 he founded Stuart Crawford Associates, specialising in the new politics of Scotland following the restoration of the Scottish Parliament.

Stuart is also a writer and journalist, with articles regularly published in the Scottish press and magazines and journals across the UK and abroad. He also appears frequently on radio and television commenting on political and military matters.

He is a former Convener of the Association for Scottish Public Affairs and currently a director of the charities Community Integrated Care and the Hometown Foundation.

Alasdair Rankin

Alasdair Rankin is a History and Politics graduate with postgraduate qualifications in Russian Language and Soviet Studies. He is a former Ministry of Defence career civil servant in Whitehall where he worked on the defence economics of non-NATO countries. More recently, he has been a senior official in the Scottish Parliament and was Clerk to the European and External Relations Committee of the Scottish Parliament. Alasdair has first-hand expertise in the work of the Scottish Parliament and its committee system, the legislative process for primary and secondary legislation and the operation of the Scottish Government.

He was an adopted regional list candidate for the Scottish Parliamentary elections in 2011. Alasdair also serves as a member of the national committee of the Association for Scottish Public Affairs (ASPA) and is a trustee of a UK autism charity.

Charles Pelling

Charles Pelling graduated from Aberystwyth University in International Politics and Strategic Studies before joining the Army. He served for 20 years in the Royal Tank Regiment, leaving in 2000, in the rank of Major. During his military career he served around the world on a number of operational deployments, including commanding the British Army Liaison Team during entry into Kosovo in June 1999.

He also led a classified equipment trials and development team, acting as an interface between industry and government bodies over contract details, including organising full capability demonstrations for Ministers, Army Board members and overseas delegations.

On leaving the Army, he completed a Masters in Business Administration at the Edinburgh Business School before joining Stuart Crawford Associates.