Our Team
Leading scientists and business minds; the ScotBio team is made up of forward thinkers who share ideas and watch them grow. We believe in ideas with purpose - creating products that are as good for consumers as they are for our partners and investors.
The Team
John Scouler
Head of Commercial Development
John joined the team recently and has over thirty years of Commercial and General Management experience in the food industry.
John has held senior executive roles with Kraft, Tesco and TalkTalk and will provide valuable input to ensure we meet all of our customers needs.
Dr. Joe Palmer
Product Development Manager
Joe joined ScotBio early in 2019 as part of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) program in partnership with Robert Gordon University. Joe’s work focuses on the complete valorisation of our biomass, including the adaption of downstream processing techniques for the co-production of bioactive molecules. Joe has a background in molecular biology, phylogenetics and analytical chemistry, having earned his PhD in Environmental Microbiology from the University of Nottingham.
Scott Furness
Plant Manager
Scott Joined the team in March 2024 and has 20 years’ experience of Management within Manufacturing, Logistics and Supply Chain and will lead the team as we scale up our new Production Facility in Livingston.
Scott brings a wealth of experience in leading and developing teams alongside his knowledge of Manufacturing systems and process from his previous roles at W.L. Gore & Associates and more recently Q2 Solutions.
Amanda McLaughlin
HR Manager/Executive Assistant
Amanda has brought organisation and order to ScotBio since she joined in February 2019. Having worked in executive support roles with companies like Tata Steel, Devro and Honeywell, Amanda has a background in working with senior leadership teams. She’s an excellent communicator, and her upbeat and energetic style keeps the team all moving forward effectively.
John McLaughlin
Sales Manager
John is a strategic-minded Sales Manager, who joined ScotBio in March 2020 to drive the company’s sales process. In the course of his career he has successfully built and maintained relationships with clients across Europe and the Middle East. With more than 20 years of sales experience and a background crossing the consumer goods, media and IT sectors, John is leading the charge in building ScotBio’s sales pipeline and developing relationships with key clients.
Chris Stewart
Head of Production
Chris joined ScotBio in September 2018 after studying microbiology at the University of Glasgow. Throughout his time at ScotBio, Chris has shown great interest and passion for the company’s growth and goals and has been instrumental in the scale up of our new site in Livingston. Chris is Head of Production and has responsibility for ensuring that the systems are fully operational and production runs smoothly.
Lucie Novoveska
R&D Manager
Lucie is passionate about “all things microalgae” and has a keen interest in applying her background in applied phycology and biotechnology. She received her PhD from Dauphin Island Sea Lab in 2011 and has since worked in 4 biotech companies in both the US and UK. Lucie also serves as an Associate Editor for Journal of Applied Phycology and a Work Group leader of EU COST action Ocean4Biotech. Lucie’s role at ScotBio is to continually optimise upstream processes, ensure health and safety compliance and manage the laboratory.
Becky Stuart
Bookkeeper / Payroll Administrator
Becky joined ScotBio in 2014 as Bookkeeper and Payroll Administrator. Her bookkeeping career began in 1989 with Plexus Ocean Systems Ltd and over the years she has provided service to companies in the hotel & leisure, construction and architecture sectors. Becky is an expert on Xero and keeps all the company’s finances up to date.
Rory Allison Operations Engineering Lead
Rory joined the team in January 2022, focusing on the development of heat management solutions as part of his MEng in Chemical and Process Engineering. Having established his value within the team, Rory progressed into his role as Process Engineer in April 2022, with the skillset to facilitate ScotBio’s process intensification and production scale-up. Rory has had a recent move to the Operations team where his experience has proven invaluable.
Hector Mora Gallego Process Development Scientist
Hector is a food technologist with a PhD in Food Science and Technology from University of Girona (Spain) and a degree in Biology. He joined the company in January 2023 as a process development scientist. He has worked in several food companies, universities and research centres both in Spain and Scotland, and has a background in product innovation and development, and food quality evaluation.
Conor Drysdale
Laboratory Technician
Conor joined the team in February 2024 and graduated from the University of Stirling with a BSc (Hons) in Marine Biology in 2021.
Conor has extensive experience working in various laboratory environments with all things Algae and also working with photobioreactors.
Iro Paraskeva
Senior Production Operator
Iro has a background in microbiology and is very interested in marine organisms and their application in industry. She first joined the company during the summer of 2021, securing a 3-month placement as part of her MSc course at the University of Strathclyde. With experience in culture maintenance and knowledge in industrial biotechnology, Iro joined the company full time as a laboratory technician, working in the upstream processes and making sure our algae are cultivated according to company’s demands and standards. Iro has proven her value in the team and has had recent move to Operations as Senior Production Operator.
Kevin McLaughlin
Senior Production Operator
Kevin joined the team in January 2024 bringing with him several years' experience in a number of manufacturing sectors in production and operational roles. Kevin will work as part of the Operations team to process our products as a Senior Production Operator at our purpose built facility in Livingston.
Monika Mazaraki
Senior Production Operator
Monika joined the team in February 2024 and has vast experience working on production lines for companies such as McVitie’s biscuit factory in London and previously Natures Best in Ireland, producing salad produce.
Monika will work as part of the Operations team to process our products as Senior Production Operator.
Jak Wilkins
Production Operator
Jak joined the team in January 2024 as a Production Operator and will work as part of the Operations team to process our products at our new facility in Livingston. Jak previously worked in the whisky industry in bottling operations and brings experience of food safety and quality into the team.
Our Board of Directors
Innovative colourants and proteins
Driving innovation in natural ingredients comes naturally to us. From our original discovery that led to development of our unique indoor growing system to improving the stability of spirulina extract, our team is constantly seeking out new ways to enhance our products.