Jane first moved to Scotland to study Law and Politics at Edinburgh University.

Full statement

She began her working life in financial services, investing funds in the Asia Pacific region. After starting a family and spending some time overseas, she returned to live in Scotland in 2010. Jane has over the last decade retrained and worked as a mental health counsellor in Edinburgh working with adults and young people with experience in the voluntary sector, high schools and private practice. Through personal experience Jane is an advocate of the living donor project.

Jane believes in the positive impact all individuals can make to contribute to a diverse and flourishing society, and that it is the state’s role to support and facilitate citizens reaching their potential. Her experience in mental health services informs the importance of this. She seeks to help build a society where understanding and empathy outweighs blame and intolerance and a system which works to reduce entrenched inequalities. She has a special interest in getting counselling services fit for purpose, accessible and sustainable for all whilst ensuring fair pay for those working in the sector. As a parent of young adults, Jane wants to work to ensure every young person in Scotland has access to work, and quality training and those in work are paid a fair wage.

Through the experience of living overseas, Jane has a strong belief that there is more that binds us than divides us, and that problems need to be solved by cross border collaboration not separation. Jane also has a renewed appreciation for many aspects of Scotland including the humour, the food, the landscape and yes, the lovely climate too