Emily Macdonald – Investment Readiness Programme Manager
Emily oversees the LaunchMe investment readiness programme for the Firstport Group, joining in February 2024.
Emily’s career in finance and risk management has included roles at Dresdner Kleinwort Bank, Investec and Gatehouse, a Shariah-compliant UK bank. Since leaving banking, Emily has been putting her analysis skills to work on freelance projects, launching her social enterprise and gaining valuable experience in trustee roles with charities in her local community.
Recent projects have included helping establish a community library and saving it from closure. This included writing the business plan, community consultation and getting the library launched and operational. Through this and other projects, Emily has gained great experience in project management, financial planning, grant applications and reporting, volunteer recruitment, service design and fundraising.
In her role as trustee for a community development trust, Emily has added experience in governance, larger community projects and local place plans. She has built a good network of contacts with partner organisations in Fife.
As an experienced credit risk analyst, Emily is well-placed to advise on what potential investors are interested in, what information is useful and how to present this compellingly.