Glenalmond College announces appointment of new COO

Glenalmond College is delighted to announce the appointment of Robert Garnish as the new Chief Operating Officer, starting Monday 6 November 2023.

Having grown up in Durham and Yorkshire, and studied at the University of St Andrews, Robert spent 17 years working for the John Lewis Partnership. His retail experience spans the length and breadth of the UK from Aberdeen to Poole in a variety of store and head office roles. Latterly he was Head of Branch at John Lewis Aberdeen, having previously fulfilled the same role for a new store opening in York in 2014. 

When he joined the University of Glasgow in 2018, Commercial Services was a newly formed function and Robert led a team of c.250 colleagues across a range of services including Catering & Events, Student Accommodation, Retail, UofG Sport, the Print Unit and the University Nursery. With a combined annual turnover of some £41m, previously these individual services were all managed separately, so the bringing together provided an ideal platform for growth in revenue & contribution, business development, and improvement in customer experience. 

Robert is married to Suzi, who works in independent school admissions at St Leonards in St Andrews and has two daughters, Phoebe (14) and Tilly (7). Outside work Robert can variously be found researching family history, watching rugby, cricket, or hockey, walking on a remote hillside somewhere, or trying to get back up to running 10k!

Robert said “I am thrilled to have been offered the opportunity to join the team at Glenalmond in November and to bring my family to the school grounds in early 2024. My first ever job, in my GAP year, was as a non-teaching assistant in a boarding school in Kent which I loved so I am excited to be coming full circle. I’m passionate about the people in my team and that I work with, and am hugely excited at the opportunity to make a difference at the College. I can’t wait to get started.”