G&T Awards 2026

On Friday 20th March, we held our annual George and Thomas Hutcheson Awards.

This year, we were proud to honour Gillian MacAulay, C1978, and Jonathan Quin, C1992. Both are outstanding examples of the Hutchesonian spirit, and it was a privilege to recognise not only their professional accomplishments, but also the character, resilience and generosity that have defined their journeys.

The G&T Awards are presented to Hutchesonians who are regarded by their peers as “inspirational figures, whether by virtue of their academic or professional achievements; triumph over adversity; or public spiritedness or the like”,  and it was clear to everyone in attendance just how deserving Gillian and Jonathan are of this recognition, and we are deeply grateful to them for giving their time and sharing their stories with us.

During the ceremony, we enjoyed hearing reflections on Gillian’s and Jonathan’s time as pupils, as well as the paths they have taken since leaving school. Their stories were both engaging and uplifting, offering valuable insight and inspiration to our current pupils.

We were also delighted to be treated to wonderful performances from our music competition winners -Aiden (S1), Gregor (S2) and Olivia (S3) – whose talent and confidence brought an added sense of joy to the occasion and perfectly captured the spirit of the day.

Gillian MacAulay C1978

Gillian MacAulay née Potts, a member of the Class of 1978, began her education at Hutchesons’ Grammar School on Kingarth Street before moving to Beaton Road in her fourth year, where she remained until leaving in 1977. At that stage, uncertain about her career path, she followed her father’s advice to undertake a secretarial course, a decision that would later prove invaluable throughout her professional life.

In 1980, keen to broaden her horizons beyond Scotland, Gillian relocated to Denver, USA. There, she spent three years working at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus before returning to the UK. A chance interview during a layover led to an opportunity in London with a market research company, where she developed extensive knowledge of brand development and consumer products, including, as she notes, more than most would ever need to know about McVitie’s biscuits.

After approximately eight years in London, Gillian returned to Glasgow, where she joined the University of Strathclyde as a Marketing Executive at Scotland’s first business incubator. Within three years, she progressed to CEO, going on to support more than 150 early-stage technology start-ups as they navigated the challenges of initial growth.

In 2012, she founded Gabriel Investments, an early-stage angel syndicate focused on helping pre-start and start-up companies secure their first round of funding. The organisation played a pivotal role in nurturing emerging businesses, offering support similar in concept to investment platforms such as Dragons’ Den, but with a collaborative network of “Angels” rather than “Dragons.”

In 2024, Gillian transitioned to Kelvin Capital, enabling her to continue supporting companies seeking funding beyond the early-stage focus of Gabriel Investments. The move reflects a natural progression, with many businesses initially backed by Gabriel now turning to Kelvin Capital for further investment as they scale.

In her speech Gillian reminisced about her time at Hutchie,

“Standing here today, I realise how much this school shaped me, even unconsciously. It gave me confidence. It gave me chances. It put people in my life who still influence me today – my friend from 1st year at this school is here as my guest, and I don’t want to admit how many decades we’ve known each other but she remains a very close friend.. And if you let it, this place can do the same for you.”

Johnathan Quin C1992

Jonathan Quin, a member of the Class of 1992, attended Hutchesons’ Grammar School from Primary 1 in 1979 through to completing his Highers in 1991. He went on to study Law and Accountancy at the University of Edinburgh before moving to London to join Citibank’s graduate development programme within its Financial Markets division.

Beginning his career as a foreign exchange trader, Jonathan later played a key role in developing the bank’s first online trading platform. After six years at Citibank, he spent a further two years at the Royal Bank of Scotland before co-founding World First, an international payments business designed to help companies and individuals move money globally more quickly and cost-effectively than traditional banks, with a strong emphasis on customer service.

As CEO, Jonathan led World First over a 15-year period of significant growth, expanding the company to 730 staff across seven international offices and achieving a turnover of $16 billion by 2018. The company was named in The Times 100 fastest-growing companies list on five occasions and received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise twice. In 2019, World First was acquired by Alipay.

Following this success, Jonathan has focused his time on investing in and supporting early-stage businesses, alongside his philanthropic work. In 2019, he and his wife established the Q Charitable Trust, which supports a range of causes including dementia research, access to education initiatives, support for those facing hardship, music and the arts, and environmental projects. The Trust has become one of the largest donors to dementia research in the UK and is currently involved in developing a youth centre in Glasgow. Jonathan is also a patron and fellow of the King’s Trust.

He also delivered an inspiring speech to our pupils reflecting on his time at the school, his career and the importance of following your passions.

“Trust me – it is so worth spending that little amount of time, because when you find something you genuinely enjoy, everything gets easier. You’ll go further. You’ll earn more. You’ll feel more proud. You’ll just feel happier.”

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to both Gillian and Jonathan for giving their time so generously to be with us. Their willingness to return, share their experiences, and speak so openly about their journeys was greatly appreciated by all who attended. Their words offered not only reflection, but encouragement and inspiration to our pupils, and it meant a great deal to have them back as part of the Hutchesonian community.

Pictured (L-R): School Captain, Ainsley, Jonathan Quin, Gillian MacAulay, Alistair Fenton, President of Alumni Association, School Captain, Ava, and Rector, Mark Ronan.