Corporate Affairs Community meeting | March 2026

David Lonsdale is the Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, and Head of Devolved Nations for the BRC. Prior to this he was Assistant Director at CBI Scotland for 8 years until 2013, and previously worked at the Scottish Chambers of Commerce, rising from Policy Officer to become Head of Policy & Public Affairs.

David’s responsibilities at the SRC involve representing and promoting the interests of the retail industry and member companies to government, policy makers and opinion formers on a wide range of public policy issues.

He is a board member of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, a member of SCDI’s National Policy Committee, a member of the CBI Scotland Council, and former chairman and trustee of Work Place Chaplaincy Scotland.

Ewan is Deputy Head of the Scottish Retail Consortium. He previously was Head of Policy and External Affairs for the SRC. Previously he was Public Affairs Advisor for Wm Morrison Supermarkets plc, and before that worked for the Scottish Youth Parliament, Scottish Parliament & Business Exchange, having started his career at the Courier Newspaper in Dundee.

Ewan leads on the development of SRC policy, collaborating with stakeholders, members, and colleagues to develop the SRC’s position on relevant Scottish issues. He also leads on the development of the SRC’s media activity. 

Jim leads the BRC's corporate affairs, including communications and public affairs, around the UK. Jim and the team ensure the BRC is well-represented and positioned in Westminster, Whitehall, the devolved administrations, regional and local government, and in the media and social media. 

Before joining the BRC, Jim was director of corporate affairs and packaging policy at the Food and Drink Federation. He has led corporate affairs for some leading global brands in the UK, including PepsiCo, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), and ManpowerGroup. Jim started his career at the CBI, where he was head of policy for employment, skills, pensions, exports, and public service reform. Jim is a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a former visiting fellow at the University of Oxford, and holds degrees from Cambridge and Durham universities. 

Neil Johnston is the Director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium. He has worked in public affairs and policy work in Northern Ireland for over 25 years. He has worked for a diverse range of organisations including the Royal Institution for Chartered Surveyors, the BBC, the RSPB and Northern Ireland’s leading health charity, Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke. 

Sara has a varied and diverse background working across the private, public and voluntary sectors for over 20 years. As Head of the Welsh Retail Consortium, she has ten years’ experience working for UK wide retailers, advising them on their engagement activity in Wales and helping them develop their business approach.

A former Council Deputy Leader, she has championed issues around diversity, digital deprivation and social justice, focusing on building community connections across the county.  She has previously held the role of Head of Wales for global communications agency Grayling, with extensive experience in working for clients to build their objectives and presence in Wales.  Sara sits on the board of the Farmers Union of Wales and Snowsport Cymru.