Who’s Who in Scotland

Whos Who
Published annually and available online, Who’s Who in Scotland is Scotland’s national biographical dictionary.

It is simultaneously a useful address book, a mine of information, and an essential guide to the establishments of Scotland (academic, ecclesiastical, legal, commercial, professional, political, artistic and literary) as well as to individuals who conform to no known category or establishment.

Also, the book can be a source of amusement and miscellaneous interest. The book contains approximately 4,000 entries.

ENTRANTS IN WHO’S WHO IN SCOTLAND

A typical entry in Who’s Who in Scotland will contain the information listed below.

Key:
  1. Full Name ensures the proper spelling of the biographee name for correspondence and other written work.
  2. Honours, Degrees, Diplomas, Affiliations in abbreviated form.
  3. Occupation describes the subject’s current profession and identifies areas of expertise.
  4. Date/Place of Birth indicate age and national origin.
  5. Family Background provides the name of spouse and number of children; s and d are abbreviations for sons and daughters.
  6. Education summary reveals the level of education including name of school and college or university.
  7. Career Summary details full career history to indicate areas of expertise and facilitate contact.
  8. Miscellaneous lists voluntary offices; awards; books published and membership of societies.
  9. Recreations highlight an individual’s vital interests.
10. Address provides vital contact information.

Guide to entrants featured on the Home Page (top row, to bottom row, left to right):

R. Alexander “Sandy” McCall Smith, CBE, FRSE, is a Rhodesian-born British writer and Emeritus Professor of Medical Law at the University of Edinburgh.

Dr Lena Wilson is the former Chief Executive of Scottish Enterprise – Scotland’s national economic development agency which has 1100 staff in 40 offices in Scotland and around the world.

Roy Dennis is a professional ornithologist and wildlife consultant. He has worked in the Highlands and Islands since 1959, becoming one of the world’s leading experts on ospreys and other birds of prey. In 1992 Dennis was awarded an MBE for Services to Nature Conservation in Scotland.

Belinda Dickson, OBE, is a knitwear designer whose international reputation for quality, colour and modern eclectic style has earned her the affectionate title of “Queen of Cashmere”.

Thomas Hugh Pennington, CBE, FRCPath, FRCP, FMedSci, FRSE is emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen. Outside academia, he is best known as the chair of the Pennington Group enquiry into the Scottish Escherichia coli outbreak of 1996 and as Chairman of the Public Inquiry into the 2005 Outbreak of E. coli O157 in South Wales.

Lorna Hood is a minister of the Church of Scotland. On 30 October 2012 she was nominated to be Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland for 2013-14; she was duly formally elected as Moderator on the 18 May 2013.

Alex Salmond is a Scottish politician and former First Minister of Scotland. He became Scotland’s fourth First Minister in May 2007.

Joanne “Jo” Rowling, OBE, FRSL, pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British novelist, best known as the author of the Harry Potter fantasy series. The Potter books have gained worldwide attention, won multiple awards, and sold more than 400 million copies.

Thomas Martin “Tom” Devine, OBE, BA, PhD, DLitt, HonDLitt (Queen’s Belfast), HonDLitt (Abertay Dundee), Hon DUniv (Strathclyde), FRSE, FRHistS, HonMRIA, FBA is a historian of Scotland. His main research interest is the history of the Scottish nation since 1600 and its global connections and impact. He is regarded as the leading authority on the history of modern Scotland.