Meet our Board
Anne Muirden, Chair
Anne Muirden has been a member of the Inverness Area Committee for more than 20 years and is a volunteer speaker. Before retirement she worked in administration in the public service. Anne is a member of the Free North Church in Inverness where she volunteers with the church’s Road to Recovery programme, helping at their drop-in centre for people with drug and alcohol addictions and writing up grant-funding applications for that work. She visited India with the Vision Tour in 2014, seeing for herself the work of TLM in West Bengal and attending TLMI’s Global Forum in Delhi.
Norman Lazonby, Treasurer
Now retired, Norman worked for over 35 years as a Chartered Accountant in Deloitte (and predecessor firms), primarily in the area of mergers and acquisitions. Originally based in Nottingham he moved to Scotland in 2014 to work in Edinburgh.
He is a member of an independent evangelical church where he leads a house group and occasionally preaches.
As well as his involvement with The Leprosy Mission, Norman is a long term supporter of Tearfund and Oxfam. Since moving to Scotland has become a regular supporter of Teen Challenge and Bethany Christian Trust, volunteering once a month with the Bethany Care Van feeding homeless people in Edinburgh.
He enjoys sport – primarily squash and tennis. He has also taken up cycling in the last few years and one of his greatest achievements was completing a ride from Lands End to John o Groats in nine days in 2017.
Robert Russell
Robert spent 19 years in ministry with The Salvation Army in various appointments across the UK before returning to live in Fauldhouse, West Lothian.
Together with his wife Christine, they have two children and three grandchildren.
Charity fundraising has been his main occupation for the last 30 years and he is currently Head of Donor Care with the Scottish Bible Society.
Robert is also chair of the Fauldhouse Community Development Trust, a position he has held for the past 7 years.
Within the Salvation Army in Fauldhouse, Robert is Corps Sergeant Major (Senior Elder) as well as worship leader – leading both the Choir and Brass Band
Tracey Alford
Tracey has spent the last 8 years working as a Senior Human Resources adviser with the Clydesdale Bank. She has recently secured a similar position with the NHS which she will be moving into in the near future. Tracey’s role is a generalist HR role with experience in all aspects of the employee life-cycle.
Along with her husband Michael, she lives in Paisley and worships at Harvest Bible Chapel in Glasgow. Tracey leads up the support ministry as well as the children’s ministry. Together with Michael, she also leads a weekly house group.
Rachel Macdonald
Rachel is originally from Leicestershire, and studied medicine in Sheffield, graduating in 1995. Between 1999 and 2008 she served with The Leprosy Mission as a senior medical officer and then Deputy Medical Superintendent at Anandaban Hospital in Nepal.
During this time she married Murdo, the Research Scientist at the laboratory at Anandaban, and it was in Kathmandu that their older two children were born.
In March 2008 the family returned to Scotland and Rachel took up the position of Specialty Doctor in care of the elderly in Edinburgh. She continues to work at Findlay House in Edinburgh, a community hospital with a long-stay dementia ward and a rehabilitation ward.
Rachel and Murdo are active member of Tranent Parish Church of Scotland where Rachel and all 3 children are members of the praise band.
Simon Keenan
Simon was formerly Head of Leadership and Professional Development for Police Scotland. He was a Police Commander, Coordinator of the Scottish Government’s Pioneer Programme for Cross sector Senior leaders, Police Representative on Scottish Leaders Forum and Director of Studies at the Leadership Development Division of the Scottish Police College.
He is married to Rosaleen (since 1975) with 4 grown up children and 4 grandchildren.
He has served in numerous lay ministries in Motherwell and Paisley Diocese including auditor with the Scottish Catholic National Tribunal, and is a Eucharistic Minister. He is a member of St Bridgid’s Parish Council.
He continues to work as a Leadership and Personal Professional Development Consultant with Elevating Potential/Eagles Wings supporting a number of Public, Private and Voluntary sector organisations.
Jesmond Sathiya Kumar
Jesmond was born and brought up in India where his mother was a nurse at Karigiri Hospital. He qualified as a nurse, specialising in operating theatre techniques and intensive care nursing.
He worked at Purulia Leprosy Hospital in both ulcer and medical-surgical wards and in the operating theatre.
He moved to the UK nearly 20 years ago and worked for the NHS and other private organisations.
He is currently nursing and working in a care home in West Lothian. He also owns a property related business.
He is married with three children and attends Whitburn Pentecostal Church.