About Us: The Board

Laurie Russell, Chief Executive

Laurie has been The Wise Group’s chief executive since August 2006. He is also the Chair of Social Enterprise Scotland, the members led organisation, which champions social enterprise to policy and decision makers and other stakeholders in Scotland, and a member of the National Economic Forum.

From 1989 to 2006, he was Chief Executive of Strathclyde European Partnership Ltd, the public sector company that managed European Structural Funds Programmes in Western Scotland.  The Programmes invested more than €1,500m of European funds in economic development projects and played a significant role in the economic and social regeneration of Glasgow and the surrounding region.

Prior to 1989, Laurie was employed by the Chief Executive’s Department of Strathclyde Regional Council and led a community regeneration initiative in Faifley, Clydebank in the early 1980s.