Dr Alasdair Allan MSP grew up in the Scottish Borders and now lives in the Isle of Lewis. He attended Glasgow and Aberdeen Universities, gaining a PhD in Scots Language in 1998. Alasdair was elected MSP for the Western Isles in 2007. He became Minister for Learning, Science and Scotland's Languages in 2011 and was then Minister for International Development and Europe from 2016 to 2018. Prior to becoming an MSP, Alasdair was senior media relations officer for the Church of Scotland, and was named Gaelic journalist of the year in 2006. He was the National Secretary of the SNP from 2003 to 2006. When time allows, he sings with the Back District Gaelic Choir in Lewis, with whom he has competed in the National Mod.