Judy Wagner

Wagner attended Mary Erskine School, Edinburgh and studied Accountancy at the University of Edinburgh.[3] She became a chartered accountant and worked for EY before joining in 1993 with Scott Black and Willie Finlayson[4] to found the company Finlayson Wagner Black, which was successful in head-hunting in the technology sector, building sales up to £1m in 2001/2 when there was an industry crash cutting 65% of their profits. Wagner diversified the organisation into construction and other traditional industries.[3] She was described as a 'thrill seeker' in her personal hobbies and business life.[3] Now she is a non-executive director, of what became FWB Park Brown, with branches in Aberdeen, Edinburgh and London, recruiting senior executives and non-executives, internationally,[2] and she is also involved in two angel investment organisations.[5] Her work life also involves education and charity board trusteeships.

Wagner established with Susan Murray, the Executive Women's Leadership Programme,[6] the first of these in Scotland, and one of three in the UK, which won the 2017 award from the Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce for gender balance[7] and with John Amis,[8] the Non-Executive Directors Programme, within the University of Edinburgh Business School, where she sits on the International Advisory Board.[5] Wagner also acts as a mentor for early stage entrepreneurs, with the Biocity organisation, now WAPG (We Are Pioneer Group).[9]

Wagner is a trustee of Salveson Mindroom charity which supports and empowers children and young people with learning difficulties,[10] and previously of the Daisy Chain Trust, a local children's charity which gives grants to disadvantaged children.[5] She was chair of the awards panel of the Institute of Chartered Accountants Scotland (ICAS) in 2018.[5]