Meet The Team

John is one of two founding members of ACD. Bringing in his extensive knowledge and experience, having been in the construction industry for over 27 years, ACD was founded with the goal of being a community-based development centre. Investing in training and competency is the focus of his management style and it can be shown in how well trained each member of ACD is. This vision has expanded greatly to include community support with food delivery and ACD’s own trading company, Trades for All.

John is also a qualified trainer in multiple disciplines such as: first-aid, PASMA, IOSH and other qualifications. Goal mapping and positive attitude are also prominent parts of his training philosophy, Brian Mayne’s style of goal mapping in particular.

More recently CrossFit and paddle boarding have been the hobbies of choice for John and, forever looking for more skills, is also learning how to play the saxophone and piano.

John Nicoll is one of our talented trainers here at ACD and a large part of our Transition to Trade programme. He has over 30 years’ experience as a painter and has a strong desire to pass down the knowledge he has gained over his time in the trade sector. John is also qualified as a site supervisor and site manager, so he has plenty of experience helping apprentices and experienced tradesmen upskill themselves.

As a part of ACD, John has attained a wide variety of qualifications to ensure he gives the best standard of care and teaching to the young people he leads. He’s also a qualified forklift operator and is an important part of our community support programme, helping us unload and organise the food that comes in.

John is a man of simple pleasures; he enjoys his fishing and his football and can quite commonly be found watching his children play in youth football groups.

John has extensive experience coordinating people, equipment and logistics in previous roles, food and deliveries aren't so different!

After spending 6 months volunteering for ACD, along side his day job with Dundee City Council, John made the leap into a full time position in August 2020. Taking the lead in coordinating and delivering over £10k worth of food each week, John has become an anchor to the 25 food projects that ACD support.

Often followed closely by his beloved dog, 'Bear', when he isn't supporting all our amazing volunteers, you will often find John out on his scooter!

Dhani leads the day to day operations of our growing Transition Programme. Coming from a property management background, Dhani has a strong understanding of implementing processes and managing a diverse team.

Dhani is often the first face you will see when you visit our current premises and also manages the day to day operations of the office and business finance.

Devoted mum to son Daley, Dhani can often be found running about making sure he never misses his clubs. Dhani also loves a trip to her holiday home in Florida, with her favourite visit at Christmas time. Who doesn't love a visit to Micky Mouse?

Bob is the head of Trades for All. He is an experienced professional with a strong track record of delivering revenue and profit growth, has extensive knowledge and expertise in the payments and POS industries as well as in managing accounts and relationships.

He also has experience working with resellers and distributors globally. We here at ACD would call Bob an inspirational leader with a reputation for building, aligning and motivating channel partners to exceed goals. With his accomplishment concerning his work in business development and working closely with Technology Partners, he is an integral part of the growth that Trades for All has experienced

Jeff is our resident joiner, very well experienced as he has been in the trade for over 20 years! All of that experience means that he is crucial to the success of both the Trades for All projects and the apprenticeship programme we have at ACD.

Bob is our resident bricklayer but is a multi-faceted tradesperson. Bob has over 50 years experience in the trade sector, having lead his own company for a good portion of that time.

In his retirement, Bob wanted to pass on the knowledge that he gained over his career and has been passing that onto our apprentices and our Transition to Trade participants.

Lewis is a key volunteer within the food distribution service at ACD. During his time with ACD, he have successfully achieved his Platinum Saltire Award for Volunteering.

John is one of two founding members of ACD. Bringing in his extensive knowledge and experience, having been in the construction industry for over 27 years, ACD was founded with the goal of being a community-based development centre. Investing in training and competency is the focus of his management style and it can be shown in how well trained each member of ACD is. This vision has expanded greatly to include community support with food delivery and ACD’s own trading company, Trades for All.

John is also a qualified trainer in multiple disciplines such as: first-aid, PASMA, IOSH and other qualifications. Goal mapping and positive attitude are also prominent parts of his training philosophy, Brian Mayne’s style of goal mapping in particular.

More recently CrossFit and paddle boarding have been the hobbies of choice for John and, forever looking for more skills, is also learning how to play the saxophone and piano.

Lynne Short is currently a councillor with Dundee City Council, representing the Maryfield Ward of the city. A wearer of many hats within the council she also had a vast and varied career involved in everything from selling polypropylene to local excursions during tour guiding as well as property management.

She is first and foremost a mother of one.

David Milne is a partner at Thorntons Law LLP and has over 25 years of experience advising clients on all areas of commercial property. He regularly advises clients on property finance for both borrowers and lenders, acquisition and disposal of investment property, and the negotiation and completion of commercial leases for landlords and tenants. Additionally, he has also advised residential and commercial developers on a wide range of real estate matters and has worked on multi-site regeneration proposals, site assembly, project finance, and disposal.

All this extensive experience in the property market and finance industry is invaluable to ACD as we seek to expand our own training facilities. We know that David’s voice in the board room will be a much-needed perspective when it comes to ACD’s development and future, and we are excited to work with him.