Our People
We have built a strong professional team that combines technical skills and professional experience in economic and social development with sound judgement, honesty and clear thinking.
Our consultants have backgrounds in academia, economic development agencies, community organisations and the private sector, bringing a range of different perspectives to our work.
Brian McLaren, Business Development Director
Brian is a highly experienced consultant and researcher with particular expertise in strategy development, evaluation, group facilitation and economic and social research methods. He jointly leads our Enterprise and Innovation unit, and is an acknowledged expert on the creative and cultural industries, leading all of our work in this sector. Since joining EKOS, he has built a substantial base of clients across the UK including broadcasters, enterprise agencies, national and local government and arts organisations. His consultancy practice also extends to innovation, technology and enterprise development, areas in which he has led projects for clients such as NESTA, the Scottish Funding Council and Scottish Enterprise.
Prior to joining EKOS in 2002, Brian worked as an economic development practitioner at Scottish Enterprise and as Research Officer at the Scottish Arts Council. He has Honours and Masters’ degrees in Psychology and is a Director of the Tron Theatre in Glasgow and a member of the UK Forum on Creative Industries (FOCI).