CLAN Gathering 2026- Policy Panel

James Mackessack-Leitch

James leads the Commission’s work around land and human rights, governance, and ownership. This touches upon a range of land reform issues from developing policy and legislative proposals to reform Scotland’s land market, to articulating the nature of carbon rights and what ownership means, to modernising the Common Good property regime, to improving access to land for new entrants to agriculture. He also oversees the Commission’s research strategy and efforts to support research capacity in land reform issues. James hails from a family farming background and brings broad experience from the private, public, and third sectors to his role.

Dani Hutcheon

Dani Hutcheon is a researcher at the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health at Glasgow Caledonian University. Her research focuses on community empowerment and resilience, community asset ownership, community wealth building and community-led activity for the health and wellbeing of underserved groups. Most recently, Dani’s research has focused on differing policy and practice for community asset transfer across the devolved nations of the UK. Dani sits on the Scottish Government National Asset Transfer Action Group.

Patrick Kirkham

Patrick Kirkham is Head of Land Reform at the Scottish Government. His teams cover a range of issues including community land ownership, Community Right to Buy legislation and casework, the Scottish Land Fund, the government’s sponsorship of the Scottish Land Commission, the Land Rights and Responsibilities Statement and implementation of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2025 (which will introduce new policies relating to large landholdings). He has previously worked across climate change, post-18 education and labour market policies in the Scottish, UK and New Zealand governments. Outside of work he is a trustee at Verture, the climate resilience charity.

Carey Doyle

Carey Doyle is a Research Fellow at Scotland's Rural College (SRUC). She has been a researcher and policy contributor in land reform and community empowerment in Scotland since 2020, including leading a major action research project on urban community landownership and collaborating closely with communities, practitioners, and policymakers. Prior to joining SRUC, she worked in the charity sector supporting community groups with land buyouts, and in private practice as a town planner. She has published on community landownership, rural housing, spatial analysis, social division, and inclusive engagement.

Annie McKee (Chair)