Meet the World Changing Alumni Award Committee
Fran Shepherd
Director, Development and Alumni Office, University of Glasgow
Fran trained as a private client lawyer and has worked in fundraising and alumni engagement for over 20 years, holding senior positions at the University of Edinburgh and the National Galleries of Scotland before serving 9 years as Director of Development and Alumni at the University of Strathclyde.
Prior to her appointment as Director of Development and Alumni Services here at Glasgow, Fran was responsible for our international donors as Vice President International Development and so is well known to many Glasgow alumni and staff.
Emily Howie
Head of Alumni Engagement, University of Glasgow
Emily has worked in alumni engagement at the University of Glasgow for over 15 years. As a member of the University's Development & Alumni Office executive team, Emily is responsible for devising, delivering and evaluating the University’s Alumni Engagement & Participation strategy.
As Head of Alumni Engagement, Emily is a regular attendee at many of our flagship events including our annual alumni Christmas Dinner and international Burns Suppers and is a familiar face to many of our alumni community and friends. Emily Howie is also a graduate of the University of Glasgow with an MA in Management.
Emma Gilmartin
Head of Social Media, University of Glasgow
Since joining the University of Glasgow in 2013, Emma has revolutionised the way the University approaches Social Media, putting its students and staff at the forefront of its activity. As head of the award-winning team, she oversees its strategic vision and digital content planning. She has unified the university’s online presence, established and strengthened the UofG social brand and led an overhaul of Glasgow’s social output – using emerging channels and live platforms to tell the UofG story, breaking world-changing news and research and growing community engagement.
She has spoken at multiple conferences and writes blogs on the importance and value of Social Media in the HE sector Before life at UofG, Emma successfully established Social Media at the University of Aberdeen and Netball Australia with the Australian national netball team, the Aussie Diamonds, in Melbourne.
Susan Howie
Publications, Manager, University of Glasgow
Susan has worked in communications at the University of Glasgow for more than 20 years, with previous roles in media relations and internal communications. As Publications Manager Susan leads an award-winning team of print and digital professionals who are responsible for a wide-ranging portfolio of major promotional publications, communicating to audiences such as prospective and current students, staff, alumni, key influencers and funders, and visitors.
Susan is editor of Avenue, the University’s flagship alumni magazine, a role she is particularly passionate about. In 2019 she overhauled Avenue’s communications strategy to develop a fresh approach to content, with a fully integrated digital and print strategy, revised editorial and content teams, and a new design for the printed magazine. Feedback from alumni has been overwhelmingly positive, with a significant increase in alumni engagement.
Susan is a graduate of the University of Glasgow, with an MA (Hons) in Psychology.
Dan Traynor (LLB 2017)
Trainee Solicitor, Shepherd & Wedderburn LLP
Dan graduated from the University of Glasgow with a LLB (Hons) in 2017 and a diploma in Professional Legal Practice in 2018. Dan is a Trainee Solicitor with a international law firm. He now serves as a member of the General Council Business Committee and is a regular attendee at alumni events such as the Alumni Christmas Dinner. He is active in Scottish and UK politics and plays for Scotland's Gay & Inclusive Rugby Team, the Caledonian Thebans.