Highland

Business Gateway Highland is your gateway to expert local business advice and practical guidance. We have business advisers based in offices all over the Highland area.

View our offices Call us: 01463 896 871
Contact form

Meet the Team

Our team brings extensive experience, practical resources and 1:1 advice to help you at every stage of your business journey—from starting up to scaling for growth. Whether you’re researching your idea and target market, building and enhancing your online presence, hiring employees, or looking to improve your social media skills, our support is here to help you achieve your goals.

  • Danny

    Danny

    Business Gateway Manager

    Danny Gallagher is a private and public sector manager with over 30 years’ experience. A former managing director with Scotland’s leading commercial radio group for over two decades. A winner of multiple UK and Scottish radio awards. He also lectured in media, PR and radio for six years. Danny has also run his own small business for more than a decade. Danny has headed up the Business Gateway Highland team for over six years. His role includes managing and maximising efficient use of the operational budget; steering the experienced team; reviewing internal and external processes; overseeing robust monitoring of KPIs; supporting partnership working; and representing Business Gateway Highland at all levels including with the media, trade associations and government bodies.
  • Mark

    Mark

    Senior Area Business Manager

    Mark is our Area Business Manager for Inverness and Nairn and is based in our Inverness office. The area Mark covers is across to the east of the Highlands and the all-important capital of the Highlands which has a significant amount of commercial activity, from retail and tourism to training and professional services. Mark has worked for Business Gateway Highland since 2009 and has helped start up more than 1200 businesses. His business experience is extensive with a significant background in banking.
  • Emma

    Emma

    Area Business Manager

    Emma is our Area Business Manager for Lochaber, Skye, and Lochalsh. Emma is based at various locations, including Fort William and Broadford. Emma’s area is vast, from the vibrant towns of Fort William, Lochaber to Portree in Skye. It can also be remote and demonstrates a good mix of businesses from Food and drink to many outdoor sports activity businesses. Emma has a fantastic knowledge of all business sectors, from central to rural. Emma’s specialism is HR and has worked for Business Gateway Highland for almost a decade.
  • Marianne

    Marianne

    Area Business Manager

    Marianne is our area Business Manager for Ross-shire and Sutherland. Ross-shire has close links with engineering and industry as well as Breweries and IT, whilst Sutherland’s landscape is stunning with many tourism and small manufacturing businesses. Marianne has worked in employability for a number of years, her specialism is HR. Now firmly part of the Business Gateway Highland team. With first-hand experience in family business, Marianne understands all the challenges of running a successful rural business.

  • Lloyd

    Lloyd

    Area Business Manager

    Lloyd is our Area Business Manager based in the Inverness Office which also covers the Badenoch & Strathspey area and the area around Loch Ness. The area is rich in culture and myths. From Monsters to mountains, it has it all. With businesses large and small from outdoor adventure and sport sectors to manufacturing and more. Lloyd is an Accountant with diverse and extensive business experience. He also has an entrepreneurial background having set up a number of successful businesses over the years. Lloyd has worked with Business Gateway for over ten years.
  • Diane

    Diane

    Start-up Business Adviser

    If you’re thinking of starting a business, Dianne Swanepoel is our start-up business adviser. There’s not much Dianne doesn’t know about starting up in business, she’s run her own business with over 100 employees for over ten years. You should complete our Planning To Start tool, which is vital to assist you with support. Once completed you can expect contact from Dianne who will assist with getting your business off the ground. There’s help with business plan templates, information about tax, support through our webinars, workshops, a start-up grant and much more.
  • Ally

    Ally

    Business Growth Adviser

    Ally is our area business adviser for Caithness and North Sutherland. The area is rich in culture and is well suited to help your business get to that next level. Having experience working within the hospitality sector, a degree in accountancy and also business development in financial services, Ally can provide financial planning, support services through Business Gateway, along with expert guidance and support to achieve strategic goals.
  • Hagen

    Hagen

    Highland Investment Manager

    Hagen is the Investment Manager for Highland Opportunity (Investments) Limited. In the past, he was co-founder and finance director of a number of start-up companies and has also several years’ experience as bank branch manager and private investment manager. He holds a master’s degree in international management and is a specialist in business loans as well as alternative funding options. Hagen works closely with all Business Gateway Highland advisers and is responsible for the Highland Region area, where he has provided finance advice to several start-ups and existing businesses in the past.

Want to speak to the team?

We offer local advice, webinars, events, networking and much more. So get in touch with us today.

Complete our contact form

Want to visit us?

We have offices in Inverness, Lochaber and Caithness & North Sutherland. Find your nearest office below.

Upcoming events in Highland

View all events

How to build a digital marketing plan

Monday, February 16th

10:00 - 12:00 Online Webinar

An introduction to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for small businesses

Monday, February 16th

14:00 - 16:00 Online Webinar

How to build your brand

Tuesday, February 17th

10:00 - 12:00 Online Webinar

Hear from the businesses we're supporting

Find your nearest office