Commonwealth Games Scotland (CGS) employs a small number of permanent staff to lead Scotland’s preparations for each Commonwealth Games and Commonwealth Youth Games. These passionate staff are supported by Board members, along with volunteers, interns, secondees and contractors, all carefully chosen and trained to ensure that Team Scotland can deliver on its vision and mission and our athletes receive the best preparation and support possible to excel at the Games.
Jon Doig OBE, Chief Executive
CEO since 2001, Jon is responsible for CGS management and leadership, overseeing team preparations, partnership and commercial programmes. He has managed Team Scotland at six Commonwealth Games and was Chef de Mission in 2010 and 2014. From 2002 he was centrally involved in the development and promotion of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Bid and in the management of Glasgow 2014 in a partner role from 2007.
Awarded an OBE in 2014 for services to sport, Jon previously worked for sportscotland as the Head of High Performance and the Hillary Commission, the national sports agency of New Zealand, in the areas of coaching, sports science, Fair Play and Anti-Doping.
Elinor Middlemiss MBE, Games Team Operations Manager
Elinor has worked at Commonwealth Games Scotland since July 2011 and is the Head of Games Operations. She supported the Chief Executive and led on the technical planning and preparation of Team Scotland for Glasgow 2014 and 2018, where she was General Team Manager and Deputy Chef De Mission respectively. She has also carried out various lead planning and management duties at the 2011, 2015 and 2017 Commonwealth Youth Games.
A former Badminton player, Elinor won two bronze medals for Scotland at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in the Women’s Doubles and again four years later in Manchester in the Mixed Team event.
Adrienne Sunderland, Corporate Services Manager
Adrienne joined Commonwealth Games Scotland in 2003 from the Scottish Institute of Sport where she provided programme team support to athletes and coaches.
She has been Office Manager for Team Scotland at the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games and seconded to sportscotland from 2008, was heavily involved in planning and preparations throughout the Commonwealth for pre Games Training Camps as well as supporting Team Scotland.
Colin Millar, Head of Marketing and Communications
Colin joined Commonwealth Games Scotland in March 2021 as Head of Marketing & Communications from Hibernian Football Club, where he held the role of Senior Operations Manager. This was preceded by the role of Senior Communications and Marketing Manager, where Colin shaped Hibs’ internal and external marketing strategies.
He credits experiences with the sportscotland Young People’s Sports Panel and the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, where he participated in the Commonwealth Youth Leadership Programme 33Fifty, as catalysts in his career in sport. Beyond this, Colin is an external trustee on the University of Stirling Students’ Union Board.
Helen Toole, Team Services Manager
Helen joined Commonwealth Games Scotland in December 2017 as Team Services Manager, thoroughly enjoying her role at Gold Coast 2018. From June 2018 she also became the Administrator for the Team Scotland Youth Trust.
Outside of work, volunteering plays a huge role in her life. Helen volunteered for many years in Guiding, as well as at individual events, including the London 2012 Paralympics in Weymouth as a driver, Glasgow 2014 as a Frontrunner, supporting Team Scotland Team Camps (2014/15/17) and was a part of the poolside team at the Synchronized Swimming event during the European Championships in 2018. Currently her main volunteer role is with Scottish Water Polo as National Teams Manager.
Gillian Cooke, Digital Services and Communications Manager
Gillian joined Commonwealth Games Scotland in December 2014 as Digital Services & Communications Officer and supported Team Scotland at Gold Coast 2018 as Digital Media Manager, as well as at the 2015 and 2017 Youth Games as the team Media Officer. As an athlete Gillian won World Championship gold in two-woman Bobsleigh in 2009 and went on to represent Team GB at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games.
Prior to bobsleigh, Gillian competed in two Commonwealth Games in two different events – in Pole Vault in 2002, and then in the Long Jump four years later. She also competed at the inaugural Commonwealth Youth Games in the Triple Jump.
Danny Cockroft, Programme Administrator
Danny joined Commonwealth Games Scotland in February 2021 after various roles engaging communities into sport and physical activity. A graduate of the University of Stirling, he adapted his MSc Psychology of Sport degree to support the ‘Volunteer Zambia’ project, establishing and delivering pathways in sport for children in Lusaka, Zambia. This work aligned with his former roles in the UK and overseas, with basketballscotland, Think Pacific (Fiji), and work with multiple Higher Education institutes, including operations alongside the Royal British Legion.
Part of the General Team Management at Birmingham 2022, Danny has also been HQ Coordinator for the GB Students delegation at the Lake Placid 2023 Winter World University Games, and most recently General Team Manager at the Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games.