The Team

My team work alongside me to make sure your interests are represented in the European Union and to ensure people in Scotland are aware of the latest developments across Europe. The team are always happy to assist and look forward to hearing from you!

 

Laura Rayner

Chief of Staff

laura.rayner@europarl.europa.eu

Originally from the south-east of England, Laura moved to Scotland in 2003 to study History at Stirling University. After graduating with first-class BA (Hons) degree in June 2007, she accepted a scholarship from Edinburgh University and completed an MSc by Research in Scottish History, gaining distinction.

Laura initially joined Alyn's Brussels office as an intern on the Allan Macartney Internship programme, and after a spell working with a public affairs firm joined the Edinburgh office in January 2008 as Press Officer and moved to head up Alyn's team, based in the European Parliament office in Brussels, in Autumn 2009. She is responsible for EU policy issues and politics as well as issues surrounding Europe and Scotland, and takes a lead in much of Alyn's agricultural work.

 

Nicola Strachan

Parliamentary Advisor

nicola.strachan@snp.org

Starting life in Gourock, Nicola spent time working with children in the US before graduating from University of Paisley with BA (Hons) in Politics & Social Policy. Since graduation, Nicola has worked for a children's charity as a development officer working on fund-raising and promotion and most recently as the disclosure administrator for NCH Scotland, implementing care standards and checking staff records. Starting work for Alyn in July 2006, Nicola works as Alyn's Parliamentary Advisor, focussing primarily on the Education and Culture Committee in the Parliament.

 

Rachel MacBeath

Press and Communications Officer

rachel.macbeath@snp.org

Rachel has an MA (Hons) in Legal Studies and Politics, and has recently completed a postgraduate Journalism and Communication course at Strathclyde University; where she gained a first for her NCTJ written port-folio. Before working for Alyn, Rachel gained experience at a number of national and local newspapers and STV and worked as an intern for Bill Wilson MSP.

In her spare time, Rachel enjoys reviewing events and festivals. She is based in the Glasgow office and is responsible for Alyn's press output, communications and newsletters.

 

Catriona Matheson

Parliamentary Advisor

catriona.matheson@snp.org

Originally from Cupar in Fife, Catriona spent a year working for NGOs in Sri Lanka and India before moving to Glasgow to study. As part of her degree, Catriona undertook a year studying Government and International Relations at the University of Sydney, Australia, before graduating from the University of Glasgow with an MA (Hons) in Politics in June 2009.

Catriona worked as a Parliamentary Researcher at the Scottish Parliament before joining Alyn's office. In addition to policy research, she manages Alyn's diary, travel and correspondence from constituents.

 

Gordon Archer

Consultant

Former Senior Advisor to John Swinney MSP and Head of Research for the SNP Group at Holyrood, Gordon works on an occasional basis with the team, providing advice on policy projects and media support.