Staff & Steering Group

Craig is the founder and director of CCM Live, a leading folk-based booking agency based in Scotland. A proud Orcadian, he is also festival producer of the Orkney Folk Festival, leading on artistic direction.

Having been part of the Showcase Scotland team for the last 10 years, Craig was appointed producer of the event for its 2027 edition onwards, and now leads the team delivering the annual conference for Celtic Connections.

At CCM Live, Craig represents a number of Scotland’s best known, internationally touring artists, working across continents with partners in key markets worldwide. He is also a director of Showcase Scotland Expo, Scotland’s export office for folk and traditional music, and has been an invited speaker at events across the UK, Europe, North America, Australia and Asia.

Since 2013, David has worked at Active Events, where he has assisted the delivery of tours for artists such as Elephant Sessions, Breabach, Capercaillie, FARA, and The East Pointers.

From 2022-23, David project-managed Scotland on Tour, an Active Events initiative funded by the Scottish Government to aid the recovery of the live music industry from the COVID-19 pandemic, through the creation of 350 new concerts in towns and villages across the country.

For almost as long, he has been involved in Showcase Scotland, working both on the pre-event organisation and as part of the Production Team during the event.

Donald Shaw is an acclaimed Scottish musician, producer, festival director and award-winning composer. He has recorded and collaborated on over 100 albums with musicians in all styles of music, created BAFTA-winning soundtracks and directed large-scale live commissions.

Since 2006 he has been Artistic Director of Glasgow’s Celtic Connections; the largest roots festival of its kind in the UK, with an annual audience of over 100,000. His programming for Celtic Connections has brought together high profile and emerging musicians from over 40 countries in unique collaborations that focus on folk and traditional music inspired performances, along with cross-over projects involving orchestral, jazz, electronic and world music.

Donald co-founded Capercaillie while still at Oban High School. From small beginnings playing in village halls, the band went on to worldwide success, bringing Scottish music and the Gaelic language to more than 40 countries. They have recorded some 17 albums, achieved silver and gold sales, and had the first song in Gaelic to reach the UK Top 40. Donald continues to write, produce and perform with the band, with compositions including Calum’s Road and Breisleach becoming part of Scotland’s musical repertoire.

Donald has also composed for film and television, including productions for HBO, Netflix, Amazon, BBC, Channel 4 and US cable channels, including the BBC nature series Scotland’s Wild Heart, BBC Alba drama Bannan and Hebrides – Islands on the Edge.

Gill is Executive Director of the Scottish Music Centre, a national organisation that supports and promotes Scotland’s music sector at home and internationally.

Gill is on the steering groups of both Showcase Scotland at Celtic Connections and Showcase Scotland Expo, is the Made in Scotland music partner, and leads Scotland’s expo representation at Classical Next.

Joseph Peach is co-director of Culture Counts, Scotland’s advocacy network for arts, heritage and creative industries. As Director of Policy and Public Affairs, he works at a national level to inform and influence policy and spending decisions in relation to the Scotland’s cultural sector.

A musician by background, Joseph studied piano at the RCS and spent years touring, making records and teaching, mainly in Scottish folk music. Work in music continues whenever possible. Alongside, Joseph has had a varied career in policy, research and public affairs. Previous roles include time as an MSP staffer, research focused on rural depopulation, and working for a grant funder supporting research and policy work on improving living standards and financial wellbeing for people on low to middle incomes.

Katie is one of Scotland’s leading cultural figures and is Head of Arts and Music at Glasgow Life, the charity that inspires people to become engaged and active in a city globally renowned for culture and sport. In her role, Katie has responsibility for Glasgow’s world class Arts and Music venues including Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Old Fruitmarket and City Halls, and Tramway; internationally significant cultural festivals delivered by Glasgow Life including Celtic Connections; and strategic, citywide creative initiatives that place communities in the heart of Glasgow’s celebrated cultural ecology. Glasgow Life is the city’s policy lead for culture and Katie leads the development and delivery of Glasgow’s Culture Strategy 2024 – 2030, and is the focal point for Glasgow UNESCO City of Music in a global network of more than 300 cities. A violinist, Katie is a proud graduate of the University of Glasgow with an MMus in Musicology and performs with many of Scotland’s amateur orchestras.

Laura-Beth is a mandolin player, singer and composer on the Scottish Trad Music scene. Originally from Lincolnshire, Laura-Beth started her performing career touring with The Shee and Finnish band ‘Frigg’ before moving to Glasgow in 2008. She is an established mandolin tutor and event facilitator, as well as touring with award winning Kinnaris Q and Jenn Butterworth. Laura-Beth is the newly appointed Head of Youth and Communities at The National Piping Centre.

Lesley is Festival Manager for Celtic Connections, the largest roots festival of its kind, hosting 300 events and welcoming over 1200 artists from 45 countries into 25 venues over 18 days in January each year. Celtic Connections also hosts almost 200 delegates each year for Showcase Scotland.  Working on the festival for over 20 years, she has produced performances with the festival for high-profile international events including the Ryder Cup Chicago, London Olympics 2012, Commonwealth Games 2014 and UEFA European Championships 2020.

She tour-managed the 12-piece supergroup Treacherous Orchestra, coordinating logistics, schedules, and live performances and project manages the Grit Orchestra, a hand-built 80-piece orchestra bringing together diverse musicians for ambitious, large-scale productions.

Michael Cassidy is a folk artist who has toured throughout the UK and North America. He has received national airplay of his own work and in 2012 he won the Gerry Rafferty songwriting prize for his track “The men who stood beside me in the war”.

In 2025, he started as a Producer at Celtic Connections, Scotland’s major festival showcasing traditional folk, roots and world music in Glasgow each January. He is involved in both the production and programming of the festival.

Born and raised in Sydney, Australia, Mikaela is a Festival Producer at Celtic Connections. She has worked in a broad range of roles across the arts industry, following a love of folk and traditional music that was instilled at a young age. Mikaela worked for Australian festivals including Port Fairy Folk Festival and Brunswick Music Festival before moving to Scotland in 2015, where she has worked across the music and events industry in varied roles, including programming, management, ticketing, marketing, distribution for organisations including Lepus Arts, Red61, Festivals Edinburgh and Vertical Records. Mikaela is the current Chair of the Board for the BIT Collective.

Norah Campbell is Head of Arts for British Council in Scotland. The role works across art forms through the brokering of connections, working in partnership and running projects, such as the Momentum Delegates Programme during the Edinburgh August Festivals and the International Strategic Partnership with Creative Scotland. A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, Heriot Watt University and Strathclyde University, Norah has worked in both the public and private sectors in creative, strategic development and voluntary roles, and is currently a member of the Board of Creative Scotland.

Rosie Munro is a Scottish booking agent with a strong focus on strategic touring and long-term artist development. With over a decade of experience in the music industry, she is passionate about connecting artists with audiences and is committed to supporting the live music sector. Having studied music as well as arts, festival and cultural management, her work is artist-focused and grounded in a deep respect for the industry.

She is the founder of Venn Music Management, a booking agency representing a roster of acclaimed artists across the folk, jazz and indie music scenes.

Siobhan is a Music Officer at Creative Scotland, the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works and visits there, by distributing funding from the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.

Specialising in traditional music, she works with artists and organisations to support recordings, touring, festivals, showcases, multi-arts venues, research and development, as well as offering wider industry sector support.

Tara McLoughlin is an experienced cultural leader, arts programmer and venue manager who serves as Artistic Director and Cultural Venues Manager for Stirling Council. She leads the artistic and strategic development of Stirling’s cultural venues and festivals, creating programmes and partnerships that connect communities with arts, music, heritage and creativity.

Tara has played a key role in major cultural initiatives including Stirling’s UK City of Culture Bid, Culture Night Stirling, and bringing The SAY Award (Scottish Album of the Year Award) to Stirling for three consecutive years. Under her leadership, the Tolbooth has received national recognition, including Scottish Venue of the Year 2023 at the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards.

Before moving into cultural leadership, Tara built a successful career in radio, delivering Aria nominated projects, live events, engagement campaigns, and artist development initiatives with Global Radio and Communicorp UK.

An active contributor to Scotland’s cultural sector, Tara is a long-standing SAY Award nominator, serves on the VACMA Forth Valley panel, and has been a panel member for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Made in Scotland Showcase. She is passionate about championing musicians and artists, supporting cultural development, and creating opportunities for people and communities to engage with exceptional cultural experiences.