Margaret Ann’s achievements bear testimony to her belief that hard work,
consistent focus and talent are a recipe for success at all levels.
She is passionate about encouraging female participation in sport and chaired the women leaders in sport working group. She has reached the highest echelons of Scottish, UK, European and World sport; not bad for a schoolgirl from Kilsyth.
Margaret Ann was born and raised in Kilsyth where her initial interest in sport
saw her spending hours in the pool developing her talent as a successful club swimmer. Encouraged by her Kilsyth Academy PE teachers to enjoy a wide range of sports, she attended Dunfermline College of Physical Education (now Edinburgh University) to train as a PE Teacher. It was here that she discovered volleyball and the rest is history as she developed a life-long love of the sport.
She achieved consistent success in every team she played for, learning the
rudiments of the sport with Coatbridge Volleyball Club and then captaining Edinburgh Jets to National League and Cup success developing her abilities as a power hitter.
She played the best volleyball of her career as a key member of the Su Ragazzi side which won championships and national cups and also captained Scottish and GB teams. As a coach, Margaret Ann achieved great success in forming and developing the East Lothian Falcons which won the Junior National League. Several of the team went on to play for Scotland and Great Britain at junior, then senior level.
However, it is as a top level sports administrator, sports manager and sports governance leader that Margaret Ann’s true talents can be seen.
In 2004, she was elected as the first female President of the Scottish Volleyball Association (SVA), and in this capacity attended the General Assembly of the European Governing Body – the European Confederation de Volleyball (CEV).
Her passion and enthusiasm for the sport, coupled with excellent interpersonal skills quickly established both her and Scottish Volleyball as a significant presence, initially within Europe and subsequently on the stage of World volleyball.
In 2008, she was asked to join the prestigious FIVB Disciplinary Committee and in 2009 was appointed to her dream job and current role as the Chief Executive Officer for Scottish Volleyball.
She also became Vice President and then President of the Small Countries group within the CEV and continues in this demanding post, helping to create a parity of treatment for small federations within the CEV.
In 2011, she became a member of the CEV’s Board of Administration and then Senior Vice President, taking charge of both men’s and women’s senior European competitions and was the VIP Advisor to the Volleyball Competitions at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
As a member and Finance Director of the British Volleyball Federation, Margaret Ann was closely involved in the preparations for the hugely successful volleyball tournament at the 2012 London Olympic Games. And in the same year, she was elected to the Scottish Commonwealth Games Board, contributing to the very successful 2014 Glasgow CWG.
More recently she attended the 2018 Gold Coast CWG in Australia in a dual role for Scotland’s Beach Volleyball Team and as a CWG Board member.