Gail Burden
Chief Executive Officer
Gail is responsible for all aspects of Sleep Action and Teens+ including strategy, governance, finance and staffing.
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Gail has over 10 years’ experience as a CEO and has worked in the charity sector for nearly 20 years. Gail has a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) with specialism in strategic planning, and is a Director of the Association of Chief Officers for Scottish Voluntary Organisations (ACOSVO). She has been a panel member for Children’s Hearings Scotland for over 5 years and is a Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts. Gail is passionate about helping children and young people achieve their potential and is active in advocating for the rights of the child.
Alyson O'Brien
Head of Sleep Services
Alyson is the Head of Sleep Services at Sleep Action.
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Alyson joined Sleep Action (formerly Sleep Scotland) for a second time in August 2017. She has a background working in the voluntary and higher education sectors with children, young people, and adults with additional support needs. Alyson previously worked with the deaf community in Edinburgh, and as part of the Disability Resource team for students at the University of Cambridge.
Alyson is responsible for our Sleep Support and Training teams to ensure a high-quality service to both families and professionals. She develops and provides lecturing at many of our highly regarded and informative sleep courses. Alyson also supports our trained sleep counsellors to implement behavioural sleep programmes with children, young people, and their families. Alyson is the Designated Child Protection Lead for Sleep Action.
Alyson is passionate about spreading the good word of sleep, and finding the right solution to a sleep issue at any age through training, education, and advice.
Christopher McShane
Head of Corporate Services
Christopher joined Capella, the non-profit that operates Sleep Action in 2023.
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Christopher previously worked as Managing Director for Marathon Kids UK, a charity dedicated to giving fully funded exercise opportunities to thousands of children across the UK. He has worked with young people for over a decade in roles such as a nursery teacher, a Youth Specialist for Royal Carribean and a Director for the YMCA. He has recently completed an Executive Masters of Business Administration and Senior Leader Master’s Degree Apprenticeship at Aston University. Christopher has a passion for making a difference to others and supporting young people to achieve their greatest ambitions.
Colin Simpson
Finance Director
Colin joined Capella in June 2024 as Finance Director, responsible for all aspects of the charity’s finances.
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Colin is a Chartered Accountant, with over 25 years experience in a variety of senior finance roles. He has extensive commercial acumen from exposure to the UK’s manufacturing, motor, and financial services sectors. Colin’s work history includes Arthur Andersen, Motorola, Renault and Lloyds Banking Group. In recent years his focus has changed to supporting SMEs and charities across Scotland with their end-to-end finance requirements. Colin has a passion for developing people and teams, and in particular, championing young people to reach their full potential.
Colin understands that people are an organisation’s biggest asset, and therefore invests in building high-performing teams.
Zuzana Beak
HR Manager
Zuzana manages the HR function, including Recruitment, Employee Relations, Learning & Development, Health & Wellbeing, Payroll etc.
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Zuzana is a trained Mental Health First Aider and also a qualified Wellbeing Coach.