Counting down the most powerful Scots

TODAY The Scotsman continues its countdown of the most powerful people in Scotland.

Power, in itself, is easy to define – it is the ability to get things done, to persuade others to do one's bidding or to come round to one's way of thinking. The problem comes in comparing levels of influence – how can you pit those in different fields against one another and come out with a definitive list of the 50 most powerful Scots?

We have looked at similar investigations which have been carried out in the past – including the Sunday Times Rich List and the Power 100 lists compiled by Scotland on Sunday – and cross-referenced and updated them, and also taken soundings from a range of professions to create our long-list of Power Scots.

We then distributed this list among experts in areas including arts, politics, business and the environment and adjusted the results according to their judgments to come up with our final list of 50.

Ultimately, the list is subjective and open to debate and we welcome your thoughts, as we are well aware everyone would come up with their own top 50 – or order the 50 we have chosen differently.

We have excluded individuals who do not have a physical power base in Scotland, and also those in the news media. As in similar surveys, it is not thought appropriate to include anyone connected to the newspaper compiling the list, and we decided to omit anyone in the news media to avoid suggestions of bias.

We have also looked at where Scotland's most powerful individuals come from – are they coming through the old routes of the independent schools and ancient universities or are the state schools turning out the power brokers of the 21st century? If this is the case, does it suggest that Scotland is becoming more of a meritocracy?

We began our countdown on Saturday and continue until Thursday, when we have assembled a number of experts to tell us what they think our list says about the powerful face of Scotland today.

Please let us know what you think by commenting below.

THE COUNTDOWN SO FAR

50 CATHERINE LOCKERBIE, DIRECTOR, EDINBURGH INTERNATIONAL BOOK FESTIVAL

49 TOM DALRYMPLE, GLOBESPAN GROUP.

48 KEITH SKEOCH, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, STANDARD LIFE INVESTMENTS

47 STEWART MILNE, HOUSEBUILDER

46 DUNCAN MACLAREN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, FRIENDS OF THE EARTH SCOTLAND

45 PETER CUMMINGS, CORPORATE CHIEF EXECUTIVE, BANK OF SCOTLAND

44 FORD KIERNAN & GREG HEMPHILL, COMEDIANS/PRODUCERS

43 PAT WATTERS, PRESIDENT, COSLA

42 JOHN LEIGHTON DIRECTOR, NATIONAL GALLERIES

41 GEOFF ELLIS, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, DF CONCERTS

40: ROBIN HARPER & PATRICK HARVIE

SCOTTISH GREEN PARTY MSPS

THE Scottish Greens' two MSPs are of key importance to the minority Scottish Government – their support can determine whether or not Alex Salmond can get policies (and this week, its first budget) through parliament.

Harper, pictured right, the member for the Lothians, is a former teacher and actor, educated at St Marylebone Grammar School, London and Elgin Academy, then Aberdeen University.

Harvie, left, represents Glasgow. He was born in the Vale of Leven and went to Dumbarton Academy and Manchester Metropolitan University. Before becoming an MSP, he worked within the Gay Men's Project at the sexual health organisation Phace Scotland as a youth worker and then as development worker.

39: GORDON SMITH

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SFA

THE former footballer has control over the national sport after winning the top job last summer.

Born in Kilwinning, Ayrshire, and schooled at Auchenharvie Academy in Stevenston, he started his playing career with Kilmarnock. He was known as Casper for "ghosting" past defenders. He was sold to Rangers, then Brighton, for a record 440,000. In a cup final against Manchester United, a commentator said "...and Smith must score". He didn't, and the phrase has haunted him since.

After retiring, he built up a formidable reputation as an influential pundit and agent, managing the likes of Kenny Miller. When former SFA chief David Taylor went on to become general secretary of UEFA, Smith took on the job, saying: "You can't avoid the flak – but I'll try to by doing a good job." Led the panel to appoint George Burley as the new national manager.

38: GORDON MCKIE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SCOTTISH RUGBY UNION

GLASGOW-BORN McKie was appointed to the top job in Scottish rugby in August 2005 with an impressive management record. The Heriot-Watt University graduate is a chartered accountant and his glittering CV includes posts as corporate banking manager for TSB Scotland, general manager (financial services) for John Menzies and group finance director for British Thornton Holdings.

In 1993, he was approached by Murray International Holdings, one of Scotland's largest private companies, to take on the post of managing director of Mimtec Electronics.

He is a Scottish representative on the International Rugby Board Council and Six Nations Committee. His time at the SRU has been contentious, including a power struggle with the owners of Edinburgh and the decision to scrap the Borders Reivers as a third professional team.

37: DAVID MILNE

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, WOLFSON MICROELECTRONICS

MILNE'S firm is a specialist in microelectronics, which plays a huge, if unseen, part in our daily lives – the firm's work is in devices such as iPods and mobile phones. Born in Edinburgh in 1942, Milne was educated as a boarder at George Watson's College before he went on to study applied physics at Heriot-Watt University.

He was completing his physics doctorate at Bristol University in 1973 when Edinburgh University's Wolfson Institute asked him to head its microelectronics research. In 1984, he renamed the unit Wolfson Microelectronics. A year later, with colleague Jim Reid, it was transformed into an independent microchip design house, supplying firms including Apple, Canon, HP, Microsoft, Sony and Toshiba.

The company funds a 1 million PhD programme at Edinburgh University.

36: NICOLA STURGEON

DEPUTY FIRST MINISTER

ALEX Salmond's right-hand woman is said to be thought of very highly by her boss and the rest of her party – and since last May, has set out to prove why. The First Minister's faith in her is demonstrated by the fact she holds two of the most important portfolios in Scottish government – deputy leader and health.

Born in Irvine, Ayrshire, in 1970 she attended the town's Greenwood Academy and went on to study law at Glasgow University. Before becoming an MSP, she worked as a solicitor at Drumchapel Law Centre.

She was a list MSP for Glasgow from 1999 to 2007, when she finally won the Glasgow Govan seat. Previously leader of the SNP in the Scottish Parliament, she has held the portfolios of education, health and justice in the SNP's shadow cabinet. She is seen as a ferociously hard worker who has done much to help settle the SNP into government.

35: KEVIN MACDONALD

FILM DIRECTOR

THE power of the award-winning Scots director was proved earlier this month when his name was linked to a film of one of the biggest stories of recent times – the disappearance of Madeleine McCann.

Born in Glasgow, Macdonald was educated at independent Glenalmond College and began his career with a biography of his grandfather, Hungarian film-maker Emeric Pressburger, which he turned into a documentary, The Making of an Englishman.

For the film One Day in September, about the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, he persuaded one of the terrorists to be interviewed. He won an Oscar for best documentary for the piece. His next film, Touching the Void, won the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film at the 2004 Baftas.

Since then, he has branched into fiction with the acclaimed The Last King of Scotland and forthcoming State of Play, with Russell Crowe.

34: KIRSTY WARK & ALAN CLEMENTS

TV PRODUCERS

WARK and Clements are Scotland's most high-profile media couple, and Clements is said to believe their recent "spying" court case – involving his move from RDF to SMG – has done nothing to negatively impact upon his career.

Wark was educated at Grange Academy in Kilmarnock and Ayr's private Wellington School. After studying history at Edinburgh University, she joined the BBC as a researcher for radio and, in 1982, moved to TV, eventually becoming a presenter of Newsnight and Newsnight Review. She founded the independent production company Wark-Clements with her husband, which later merged with Ideal World to form IWC Media.

The couple sold to RDF Media, and Clements stayed on to work for them until last year.

The pair are extremely well-connected, and have famously holidayed with Jack McConnell, the former First Minister. It is thought unlikely Alex Salmond will extend a similar invitation.

33: EILEEN GALLAGHER

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SHED PRODUCTIONS

AS CHIEF executive of Shed Productions – who have brought us Bad Girls, Footballers' Wives and Waterloo Road – Gallagher is a serious player in broadcasting.

She studied at state school – Queen Margaret Academy, Ayr – and Glasgow University before joining Scottish Television in 1984 as a junior press officer. She rose through the ranks to become director of broadcasting, and has chaired trade body Pact. She held several other senior broadcasting jobs before co-founding Shed Productions with fellow ITV highflyers, Brian Park, Ann McManus – both Scots – and Maureen Chadwick. It launched with Bad Girls – the provocative women's prison drama. The firm was valued at 44 million on flotation.

The company has continued to buy up other firms, making Gallagher a powerful and influential player in TV circles.

32: JACK PERRY

CHIEF EXECUTIVE, SCOTTISH ENTERPRISE

A DUAL Scottish-American national, Perry was educated at the Glasgow Academy and both Glasgow and Strathclyde universities. He is a chartered accountant and a US certified public accountant. Before joining Scottish Enterprise, he was a partner at Ernst & Young.

He joined SE in February 2004 in the wake of Robert Crawford's controversial departure. During his tenure, the quango has faced repeated stern criticism, but Perry has stood firm to justify the agency's existence.

SE, which is currently being overhauled, has set up a series of grants and investments to provide sums ranging into the millions to growing companies. Whatever direction the organisation takes in future, Perry knows enough powerful people to still be among the movers and shakers – whether he is inside or outside Scottish Enterprise.

31: WALTER SMITH & GORDON STRACHAN

MANAGERS OF CELTIC AND RANGERS

STRACHAN and Smith are responsible for the two largest teams in Scotland – and the mood of a large chunk of the country on the night after a game.

Born in Edinburgh, Strachan was educated at Craigroyston High before a prolific career, including playing in Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen team in the 1980s and winning a league title with Leeds. He took over at Celtic in 2005 and won the title in his first two years. Smith was born in Lanark, but grew up in Glasgow as a devout Rangers fan. He coached then managed Rangers before heading south for Everton. He returned to Scotland to manage the national team before heading back to Rangers.