Trustees

Jim Dempsey

Chair of Trustees

Jim Dempsey is a professional member of the Chartered Institute of Editing and Proofreading. He has a master’s degree in creative writing and works as a fiction editor through his company, Novel Gazing. He writes a monthly column for WriterUnboxed.com with advice for writers. Throughout his career, Jim has worked to promote marginalised voices in his home country of Scotland, and in Namibia, Angola and the Netherlands.

Waltraud Pospischill

Vice-Chair of Trustees

Val was born in Austria and came to the UK in 1982. She trained under R. D. Laing and lived as a research student in a Philadelphia Association therapeutic community, combining being near to her partner with doing a practical for her MA. Since that time Val has taken up numerous voluntary posts, which she hopes will improve social provisions, mainly for the most disadvantaged people. She is a keen artist, poet and writer – with experience working alongside the Koestler Trust in their initiatives. Val is also a South West ambassador for Outside In

Dr Renuka Thakore

Renuka is Founder of the Global Sustainable Futures: Progress through Partnerships and received the Global Sustainability Award in 2022. Recognised  as a global leader who has engaged and connected with academics, businesses, and individuals, she loves to dig into real-world problems and solve them by applying systems thinking and trans-disciplinarity. Her personal and professional journey over the last 35 years has taught her the key lies within every individual and organisation and how they are empowered through their external and internal support system. 

Amanda Thomas

Amanda has had a successful career as a freelance writer for 20 years. In that time she has taught in prisons and written for TV as well as for the big screen.  Her writing has taken her to many places including the USA and Bahrain and Italy. 

She started her career writing short stories for women’s magazines although nowadays she is more involved in writing scripts both for business and for the entertainment industry and writing biographies for many different clients.  She also gives talks about the opportunities offered in freelance writing.

Dr Rula Al Abdulrazak

Rula is a speaker, consultant, coach, researcher and educator. She has extensive experience supporting organisational development and growth through a culture of learning, inclusion and well-being. Over the last 28 years, Rula enabled executive board development, cultural change, and organisational growth, advised on brand strategies, and developed bespoke and creative training programmes. She has worked across four continents with a wide range of organisations, from the European Commission to the University of London.

Dan Nawaz

Dan is a writer, editor, artist, events facilitator, and creative mentor from Glasgow. He has been an editor and provided graphic design for literary magazines and holds a BA in English, Creative Writing & Journalism from the University of Strathclyde. He writes short fiction and has a novel in production, with a focus on realist fantasy. He has been part of the Edinburgh International Book Festival programming team and continues to facilitate workshops, arts outreach programmes, and grassroots literary events around Central Scotland.