our team
Meet the people behind
Scottish Bridge.
Scottish Bridge is shaped by a collective of trustees, staff and volunteers working together to support the game across Scotland.
It operates through a close relationship between governance and delivery: the Board of Trustees provides strategic direction and oversight, while the wider team delivers the programmes, competitions and services that support players, clubs and the community.
Together, they create a structure that balances long-term vision with day-to-day delivery.
Board of Trustees
Stewardship and direction.
The Board of Trustees is responsible for guiding the organisation, ensuring it is well governed, financially sound and aligned with its charitable purpose.
They oversee strategy, support key decisions and help shape the future of bridge in Scotland.
Sarah Gunn
Chair of the Board of Trustees
Sarah is a qualified chartered accountant with 30 years experience working in the third sector. She has had various voluntary roles with not for profit organisations including Chair of Trustees for a charity supporting families with young children in Edinburgh.
She is a keen bridge player and supports initiatives to encourage new players. She was part of the team setting up and running the SBU Summer Academy in 2021 and assists with classes at the New Melville Bridge Club in Edinburgh.
Alan Goodman
Trustee
Alan Goodman is a retired actuary who has a background of management and consultancy within the financial services industry. Most recently he has chaired the Boards of a Scottish charity and his local golf club.
He has played bridge for many years, was heavily involved in setting up New Melville Bridge Club and has represented Scotland at various international events over a number of years.
Alan sits on the SBU Investigation Panel and is chair of the new SBU Board of Trustees.
Ian Patrick
Trustee
Ian is a Maths graduate who spent his career in Further and Higher Education retiring from the University of the West of Scotland where he was Director of College Partnerships
He has played Bridge for over 40 years and is still playing regularly with his original partner.
He has been involved in Governance in the Further Education sector for over 10 years and since 2018 has been Chair of the Board of Management of Glasgow Kelvin College. Ian firmly believes that effective governance underpins successful organisations and looks forward to contributing to the work of the Board of SBU.
Mike Hodder
Trustee
Mike is a retired technical manager having worked in the oil industry for over 40 years. In a varied career, he held management positions in research, technical services, QHSE, training and marketing and worked in the UK, France and the USA. He learnt to play bridge at school and has been a keen player ever since.
He is currently President of SBU North District and has also taught beginners and improvers at Aberdeen Bridge Club. He is keen to promote bridge at all levels including social bridge.
Jean McLaren
Trustee
Educated at Galashiels Academy and Atholl Crescent (now Queen Margarets University) latterly gaining a Distinction in Hotel and Catering Institutional Management.
Worked in the Oil Industry in Pembrokeshire and then as Domestic Superintendent at Sheffield Royal Infirmary. Then a career break to bring up 3 children and learn to play Bridge. Took up work in the Tourism Industry which included a 2 year secondment to the Local Enterprise Company as a consultant on a Tourism project managing a multi-million pound project to upgrade tourism facilities. Moved to Inverness to work with the Crofters Commission and then finally retired after 3 years with the Pensions Agency in the Scottish Borders.
Interests include bridge, cooking, travel, malt whisky.
a note from our chair
Sarah Gunn
“Bridge has the ability to bring people together in a way that is both challenging and deeply rewarding. Our aim is to support and grow that experience across Scotland by making it accessible to more people, while strengthening the community that already exists.”
Sarah is a qualified chartered accountant with over 30 years’ experience in the third sector. She has held a number of voluntary roles within not-for-profit organisations, including serving as Chair of Trustees for a charity supporting families with young children in Edinburgh.
A keen bridge player, she is actively involved in initiatives to encourage new participants. She was part of the team that established the SBU Summer Academy in 2021 and continues to support teaching at the New Melville Bridge Club in Edinburgh.
operational team
Delivering the game.
The operational team supports the day-to-day running of Scottish Bridge, working closely with trustees, clubs and volunteers across the country.
From competitions and education to membership and systems, this team ensures that the organisation’s work is delivered effectively and consistently.
Bob McKinnon
Operations Coordinator
Bob first learned bridge from a library book while studying at university, where games in the student union led to a partnership lasting more than fifty years. Some decades later, bridge also introduced him to his life partner, making the game central to both his social and competitive life. Bob has remained actively involved in Scottish bridge for many years and continues to value the friendships, community spirit and lifelong learning the game continues to provide across Scotland today.
Juliet Vivers
Secretarial Support
Juliet grew up in Aberdeenshire before beginning her career as a PA in the oil industry. After twenty years working in the House of Commons as Private Secretary to an MP, she later moved to Glamis and established her own massage therapy business alongside administrative support work. Although surrounded by card games throughout childhood, Juliet only discovered bridge in 2011. Since then, the game has become a lasting passion and an outlet for her naturally competitive personality and character.
Anne Perkins
Congress Convener
Anne became involved with the Scottish Bridge Union through her earlier role as Secretary of the East District before later taking on wider organisational responsibilities across Scottish bridge. Her experience coordinating trials, training opportunities and international events led to leadership roles within the SBU over many years. Alongside her bridge commitments, Anne enjoys reading, knitting, walking and travelling whenever possible. She continues to play an important role supporting competitions, player development and administration throughout the Scottish bridge community and beyond.
Sue Pollard
Education
Sue first encountered bridge while at university before later returning to the game after joining Oban Bridge Club. Since then, she has become heavily involved in both local and national bridge education initiatives across Scotland. As Convenor of the Education Committee, Sue is passionate about supporting teachers, encouraging participation and helping clubs retain and develop players at every stage of the game. Outside bridge, she enjoys spending time with family as well as playing pickleball and mahjong through her local community groups regularly.
Chris Miller
Chief TD
Chris learned bridge during his teenage years and later played competitively while studying mathematics and computer science at Cambridge and Edinburgh universities. Following a long career in software engineering and artificial intelligence, including many years working in the United States, Chris became an experienced bridge director across face-to-face and online events. Since returning to Edinburgh, he has become an active player and tournament director within the Scottish bridge community. Outside bridge, Chris enjoys music and plays classical guitar and renaissance lute regularly today.
Angus Macdonald
Competitions Controller
Angus grew up playing a variety of traditional card games before discovering bridge through informal staffroom games while working as a teacher. His increasing involvement in club bridge gradually led to organising competitions and later becoming involved in tournament directing across Scotland. Over many years, Angus has played an important role supporting competitive bridge and helping events run smoothly for players through his work with the Scottish Bridge Union. He remains passionate about maintaining enjoyable and well-organised competitions for bridge players throughout Scotland today.
Marina Evans
Club Relations
Marina previously worked as a European Equity Portfolio Manager and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts. Although always interested in bridge, family and professional commitments delayed deeper involvement in the game until she joined New Melville Bridge Club in Edinburgh during 2016. Encouragement from fellow players and excellent local teaching quickly developed Marina’s passion for bridge. She remains committed to increasing participation across Scotland and believes bridge plays an important role bringing people together socially and intellectually through shared experiences and friendships.
Anne Symons
Director of Selection
Anne is a retired pharmacist who recently relocated to Perthshire with her husband Andrew. A longstanding member of the Scottish Women’s Team, Anne has represented Scotland in numerous national and international bridge events over many years of competitive play. More recently, Anne has stepped back from active competition to focus on selection responsibilities and supporting player development within the Scottish Bridge Union. Outside bridge, her interests include choir singing, yoga, tai chi and teaching bridge to players at different stages of the game regularly.
Ann Binder
Member Services
Ann grew up in St Andrews and began her career in the hotel industry, specialising in finance and administration roles. After many years living and working abroad in Bermuda and Switzerland, she later worked in IT administration for a borough council in Surrey before returning to Fife following retirement. Ann first learned bridge while living in Bermuda and became more actively involved after moving back to the United Kingdom. She strongly believes bridge plays an important role in keeping minds active, engaged and socially connected throughout life today.
Marc Shearer
MemPad Services
Marc first learned bridge while studying at university before stepping away from the game during a long career in software development. After retiring and returning to Scotland, he rediscovered bridge and quickly became actively involved once again within the local bridge community. Alongside supporting the Scottish Bridge Union with IT and MEMPAD services, Marc enjoys running, golf, programming, crosswords, reading and walking regularly. He is also a keen traveller and enjoys spending time exploring destinations throughout the United Kingdom and abroad each year.
Laura Cooper
Financial Controller
Laura is a qualified chartered accountant with more than thirty-five years of experience working alongside charities and small businesses. Her work focuses on simplifying financial processes and creating efficient systems that support organisations and the people working within them daily. Although still relatively new to bridge, Laura has quickly developed a strong appreciation for the game and its many social and mental benefits. Within the Scottish Bridge Union, she is focused on streamlining processes and supporting the volunteers who contribute so much time to Scottish bridge nationally.
Zhenya Winter
Youth Bridge Convenor
Zhenya is Head of Marketing for a global business payments provider and has more than twenty-five years of experience within the financial services sector. Alongside her professional career, she has held several ambassadorial, advisory and judging roles across the fintech industry internationally. Having first learned bridge as a child while playing with family members, Zhenya later developed her game more seriously while living in London. She is passionate about growing youth bridge in Scotland and helping support the next generation of players across the country today.
district representatives
Connecting clubs and players at a local level.
Scottish Bridge is supported by a network of district representatives, helping to connect clubs and players at a local level. They play an important role in strengthening communication, supporting regional activity and ensuring the game continues to grow across all areas of Scotland.
Mike Hodder
Anne Perkins
Tim Wickens
Fiona Braid
Matthew Pumphrey
Alan Kennedy
Iain Sleigh
law & ethics committee
Support and guidance.
The Laws & Ethics (L&E) Committee supports members and tournament directors in applying the Laws of Bridge and offers guidance on ethical matters in both online and face-to-face play.
It also handles disciplinary issues that cannot be resolved at club or district level. Matters requiring national oversight should be referred to Ian Patrick, Chair of L&E, while allegations of online cheating should be submitted to David Wiseman, Chair of the Investigative Panel. All cases are treated in strict confidence.
The L&E Committee includes: Ian Patrick, David Wiseman, Chris Miller, Julia Palmer and David Shenkin.
The Disciplinary Panel includes: Bobby Dickson, Sheila Adamson, Nuala Booth, John Copland, Jim Hay, Graham Johnson, Joan Lees, Abi Milne and Matthew Pumphrey.
working together
The strength of Scottish Bridge lies in the collaboration between governance and delivery.
Trustees, staff and volunteers work collectively to support clubs, develop players and maintain the standards of the game, ensuring bridge continues to thrive across Scotland.