Meet Louise, PINF Head of Operations and Governance

Introducing the newest member of the PINF team, Louise Collingwood! Louise is a Chartered Accountant who is joining as our new Head of Operations and Governance. Let's get to know her...

3/4 of the PINF team in sunny Glasgow!

Hi, Louise! It’s great to welcome you aboard the PINF team. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your career up to now? 

I grew up in the Shetland Islands before moving to Edinburgh to go to university aged 17 – I’ve now lived out of Shetland longer than I was there, but I’ll always be an islander at heart and return as often as I can.   

I qualified as a chartered accountant with ICAS in 2001 before moving to the Channel Islands to work offshore with KPMG, leading on audits of international banks, funds and trusts – totally different to my training firm, where I worked primarily with owner-managed businesses and small charities.  

When Scotland called me home, I joined Lloyds Banking Group in the regulatory team and enjoyed a number of years there working on capital and stress testing, forecasting and regulatory reporting.   

Looking for something different, I joined Inspiring Scotland as Head of Finance for their new trading subsidiary in 2021 and met a wonderful group of inspiring, values-led individuals who reinforced that I wanted to remain in the charitable space and make my impact here. 

What attracted you to PINF in particular?  

PINF is an ambitious and unique charity, I find the variety and strategic approach to making a difference both challenging and exciting. It’s at a pivotal stage in its journey, maturing out of being a start-up but still young and it feels like a place I could make a positive impact. 

I also haven’t worked anywhere like PINF before! It’s one of the things which drew me to this role – learning about new areas and sectors is really motivating for me. I had never come across the term public interest news before, but as soon as I started exploring the website I could immediately relate, not only to the objectives of PINF but through my own experience as a news user – both good and bad - and immediately knew it was a strong values match. 

It feels really validating to use the skills I’ve learned to make a real difference to organisations trying to make the world a better place. 

What’s your role at PINF and what will you be working on? 

I’ve joined PINF to support the team with all things back office, so leading on the management of finance, operations and governance. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into setting up scalable systems and processes and helping refine reporting and operational management to make PINF as efficient and effective as it can be.   

We’re a lean team with great ambitions so I’m hopeful that this will help ensure we really make a difference, plus I’ll learn a bit about journalism and the sector along the way! 

Speaking of which - what was your first experience of local news? 

I grew up in the Shetland Islands and, as a remote community, the local newspaper was an integral and important part of everyone’s weekly routine. Getting a mention was always a highlight and if your photo made the edit you felt like a celebrity. It also provided valuable links to the wider community and gave a real sense of connection. 

Outside of local news, what’s a cause that you feel strongly about? 

I’m passionate about equity for children and have immersed myself in volunteering in a school context for the last 8 years so I can have some impact there. I currently sit on Edinburgh Council’s Education, Children and Families Committee as parent representative and I appreciate the opportunity to ‘do my bit’, inputting into decisions impacting people in Edinburgh. 

How do you like to spend time outside of work? 

I’m glad you didn’t ask about spare time – what’s that?!?  I am a serial do-er so I’m usually involved in something, whether it’s helping at local events or work related to my role with the education committee.   

Outside of that I am generally ferrying my children around, out with the dog or just trying to keep it all together! I do enjoy reading when I get a rare moment to myself, any genre will do and am always looking for recommendations…  

Outside of my work at PINF, I provide flexible finance and governance services to small charities - so I always have a number of projects on the go at any one time. 

Finally, an issue close to this Scotland-import's heart, what’s the best place to get a coffee in Edinburgh?  

Can I cheat and have two? The Railbridge in South Queensferry is great for a cuppa with a view, but I can’t go past Patina for delicious coffee and some of the best pastries in town. 

Fantastic – one new colleague and two new coffee shops to meet in, what more can we ask for?! 

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