Our people

Clare Marney

Community Director, Chair

Clare is an NHS consultant and university lecturer. Through her professional work, she has seen first-hand the impact that a lack of physical activity and social connection can have on people’s health and wellbeing. She is a strong advocate for the public health benefits of having a thriving community centre at the heart of the local area.

Her children have benefited greatly from the wide range of activities and clubs available in the local area. Clare is passionate about helping to ensure there is a vibrant, inclusive community space available in the area for people of all ages, incomes and abilities. In her spare time, Clare enjoys singing, crafting and gardening, all pastimes she hopes to one day enjoy in and around Lenzie Public Hall.

Liz Ibbotson

Community Director, Vice Chair

Liz has a working background in both private and public sectors in sales, industry marketing and international trade. Since stopping work she has been a serial volunteer in a number of areas including: Young Enterprise Scotland, Victim Support and Lenzie Fair Trade. She is currently Chair of the East Dunbartonshire Befriending Service. She is also a founding trustee of the Gavin’s Mill Community Project, which owns Gavin’s Mill, a B listed building in Milngavie, housing a shop and café specialising in ethically produced and fairly traded items. Liz has been involved in working on the Lenzie Public Hall project since February 2025.

Emma Donaldson

Community Director, Secretary

Emma works for the Environmental Rights Centre for Scotland as its Finance and Administration Officer. She’s helped grow the charity from a team of 4 employees to its current team of 10 employees with funding of just under £450K. She’s assisted with the setting up of finance & admin systems, policies, membership, its website and social media, the employment of staff, budgeting, delivery of accounts and organising events. Previously, Emma practised as a dual-qualified (English/Scots law) solicitor with law centre, in-house and private practice experience before taking a career break.

Emma lives in Lenzie and is passionate about making the local area the best place it can be for all who live, work and visit. With children at Lenzie Meadow Primary School & Lenzie Academy, she’s a member of both schools’ Parent Councils and helps run Lenzie Meadow Primary School’s running club. With memories of attending Lenzie Public Hall’s toddler group and, in so doing, making supportive and long-lasting friendships, she’s been involved with trying to get the hall back in use for the whole community since its closure in September 2019.

Emma has an interest in the environment, running and cycling and plays the clarinet.

Hilary Sneddon

Community Director

Hilary was born and brought up in Lenzie and spent many years working in the biotechnology industry before returning to the town around 25 years ago. Her career began as an industrial scientist and laboratory manager, initially in Sussex and later in Ayrshire, before she moved into a more commercial role managing the sales of laboratory equipment, along with customer service and training for these products.

Now retired, Hilary has a wide range of interests, including tap dancing and tennis. Much of her free time is dedicated to volunteering as an event first aider with St Andrew’s First Aid, supporting activities at football grounds, music festivals and concerts, among other events.

Having known Lenzie Public Hall as a valued community resource in the past, Hilary is keen to see it restored and returned to active use for the benefit of the local community.

Tom Gray

Community Director

Thomas Gray is an Emeritus Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at the University of Strathclyde. Now retired, he joined the University from industry in 1967 and went on to build a distinguished career in teaching, engineering consultancy and research, including a five-year period as Head of Department.

Alongside his academic career, Thomas has always had a strong interest in community matters. He was jointly responsible for establishing Lenzie Community Council, with a particular focus on access and footpaths. He later became Secretary of the Community Council, a position he continues to hold. Tom is also an elder at Lenzie Union Parish Church.

Andrew Davidson

Community Director, Treasurer

Andrew is a Chartered Accountant specialising in data analytics and data security. Originally an academic, he has spent the past 15 years working in the professional services industry, bringing a strong analytical and governance-focused perspective to his work.

Andrew has lived in Lenzie for over six years with his wife and children and is keen to apply his professional expertise to support community-led initiatives and help ensure the long-term sustainability of Lenzie Public Hall.

Svitlana Rusanova

Membership Secretary

Svitlana Rusanova has extensive experience in event management, communications, and building strong stakeholder relationships. As National Coordinator of the Quercus Life Award, she successfully developed and maintained a diverse stakeholder network, working with local authorities, NGOs, the scientific community, students, and national and international juries.

During her time at Raiffeisen Bank Aval, Svitlana led marketing and PR initiatives, delivered employee training programmes, and coordinated a wide range of corporate social responsibility activities. She also contributed to a large-scale rebranding project across up to 100 local branches and supported the launch of a regional VIP centre. At Business Forum, she established and managed customer services teams supporting international conferences worldwide, delivering approximately 18 events annually.

Svitlana brings strong analytical and cross-functional skills, excellent organisational abilities, and a clear commitment to applying her professional expertise to support local community projects.

Marian Martin

Volunteer, Project Team

Marian Martin is a retired district nurse who has lived in Lenzie for over 30 years. Her two children, now in their 30s, attended Lenzie Primary School and Lenzie Academy, and her daughter was a member of the Guides at Lenzie Public Hall. Marian was also actively involved in the primary school PTA, which regularly used the Hall for ceilidhs and other community events.

She is a member of the Lenzie Fairtrade Group and has used the Hall, along with other local venues, to host stalls and community activities. For more than seven years, Marian has been passionate about seeing the Hall returned to full community use as a welcoming social hub, helping to bring together long-standing residents and those living in newer housing areas across Lenzie.

David McDove

Volunteer, Project Team

David McDove is a retired civil engineer with extensive experience across both the construction industry and local government. For many years he worked as a Site Agent on large construction projects, before later moving into local authority work as an Assistant Business Manager (Strategy, Policy and Road Safety), with responsibility for a team of around 200 people.

In this senior role, David was responsible for strategy and policy development, road safety engineering and education, sustainable travel initiatives, school travel plans, funding bids, contract preparation and procurement, and the supervision of multiple construction projects on an annual basis. He also served as the Council’s appointed Project Manager for a £3 million-plus multi-agency project to deliver a new railway station in Gartcosh.

Sam (Siheng) Liang Ferguson

Volunteer, Project Team

Sam (Siheng) Liang Ferguson is a Proposals Manager with over 18 years’ experience across the construction, energy, petrochemical, refining and renewables sectors. She has a strong track record in sales coordination, proposal development, cost analysis and commercial reporting on major projects with total investment costs exceeding $7 billion.

Sam is a recognised Subject Matter Expert in refinery CMMS upgrades and is an endorsed Member of the Association of Cost Engineers (MACostE). She brings extensive experience in analytical thinking, structured planning and commercial oversight, alongside strong communication skills. Sam is trilingual in English, Mandarin and Cantonese, and is keen to contribute her professional expertise in support of community-led projects.

Sneha Ch

Volunteer, Project Team

Sneha works in IT, specialising in automation testing for websites and API services. With a professional background in the financial services sector, she has experience ensuring digital systems are reliable, secure and function as intended through structured testing and quality assurance.

Living locally, Sneha is keen to use her technical and analytical skills to support the behind-the-scenes digital work needed to help Lenzie Public Hall run smoothly. She is particularly interested in supporting the website, improving digital processes and helping ensure online information and services are clear, dependable and accessible.