Memories of

Emma Burns

Emma was a great friend and colleague in the HR Community. This book is celebrating and remembering her working life in particular how she encouraged and developed others. Stories her daughters can read and know Emma as a professional working woman.

Book Owner: Alix Meekison
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Linzi Wright

Hi Eve and Lana I worked with your lovely mum at RBS. She was fierce, super organised and had an amazing sense of humour. She talked lots about the two of you and your very different personalities and she loved you both and your dad ever so much.  She gave me lots of advice about work and really took the time to develop me. She gave even better advice on how to be a good mum. There was many a coffee shared whilst we shared how hard but rewarding it was to be a working mum.  A funny memory I have of your mum was during a work meeting when she asked a lady who wasn’t even pregnant “when is it you go on maternity leave?” We couldn’t look at each other for the rest of the day without bursting into fits of giggles.  I miss your mum lots, as you will too and I know that whatever you choose to do with your lives, she will be so very proud of you both. Look after each other, as only sisters know how.  Lots and lots of love,   Linzi …

Jenny Steele

Hi Eve and Lana, I worked with your Mum at RBS. She was a “client” for me when I helped hire people for her team and the wider HR team. She was really lovely to work with and she really knew her stuff when it came to hiring the best people!  To me she came across as very clever, very focussed and always wanting to do the right thing. I also remember her smile.  I know you’ll have lots of great memories too!   …

Louise (Callaghan) Smith

Dear Eve & Lana, I was so very sad to hear about your lovely mummy, she was such a special and kind lady. My heartfelt thoughts and prayers are with both of you and your daddy. I used to work with your mum nearly 20 years ago at Coca-Cola Enterprises, before she had married your dad. We had a great time in Barcelona celebrating the fact that your mum was going to marry your dad, your mum was absolutely full of fun! I am really sad that I lost touch with Emma when she moved to Scotland and wish I had made contact again when I eventually moved back, I really regret that. Emma was an incredibly talented and hugely respected lady who had a heart as big as her fabulous smile. Emma also had an infectious laugh (which I can hear now as I think of her). I am sure your mummy will be proudly watching down on her family, I am so very sorry for your loss of such a wonderful woman. Take care girls and Grant, love Louise x …

Debbie Black

To Eve and Lana,  I worked very closely with your Mummy when we were both at BG.  I have to say I was a little scared of her when I first met her, but I very quickly realised what a supporter of women she was. Also how important your Daddy and you both were to her.  I have a little boy, Oliver who is the same age as you, Lana and we shared stories of what you were both up to, talked about your characters and your P1 experiences. Funny things you both said and did.  We also spoke about what you were up to Eve and how you had started to want a bit more freedom in the street to visit your friends house by yourself.  I left BG in Oct 2018, but we regularly kept in touch and the last time I saw your Mummy we met for a coffee at the Gyle last February (2020) .  She told me about your trip to Crieff Hydro and what fun you had all had. Also in very typical Emma/Mummy style I ended up talking to her about a work problem I was having and she as always gave …

Barbara Wilson

I only knew Emma for few short months having been engaged by Baillie Gifford to provide her with some coaching support to help her cope with her cancer and manage her return to work. I visited her at home on a cold and wintery day in January 2020 and despite her illness she was warm, welcoming and offered a never ending supply of tea and home made cakes. What struck me most about her was her immense enthusiasm for life, for her family but also for her work. It was a vitally important part of her identity. She was immensely talented and rightly, ambitious, someone who was keen to demonstrate at all times that she would get through whatever treatment the doctors threw at her so she could resume her old life to the full. She is and will be much missed but I know her memory will be celebrated by all those who knew her for many years to come. …

Lesley McGeoch

Dear Eve and Lana,  the very first thing I remember when I think of your mummy is her HUGE smile!  I worked with her in HR in RBS.  She was super to work with – she was always helpful, very professional, held very high standards and made sure everyone did what they were meant to!  I remember her positive energy, always willing to give you time, always up for a laugh and had lots of fun along the way.  She was an absolute pleasure to work with.  …

Giada Foniciello

It is difficult to articulate the impact that Emma had on so many people during her time at Baillie Gifford. She is somebody I am so glad I had the privilege to meet during my early career as she showed that you could be a career focused and ambitious working mum. I’ll never forget the time she spent with me when I returned to work after having my first little boy – she was kind, supportive and knew just what to say. We miss her smiley happy face at work and dare I say it even the look you got when she wasn’t happy with something. You should be so proud of your mum – she really did make a big impression on all of us. …

Jude Ferguson (Benningwood)

Dear Eve and Lana, I know you (and your Daddy) must miss your Mummy very, very much.  She was a very special person and had a great sense of humour.  We were pregnant at the same time in 2011 and I remember one day shuffling up and down the Street at RBS Gogarburn with her, comparing aches and pains and bump sizes!  Even thought I left RBS in 2014, we were lucky enough to catch up at school events for Eve and Max.  And even with everything that your Mummy was facing in terms of her illness, she was still determined to live life to the full. We managed to fit in a proper catch up over a bottle wine one summer night in 2019 – there was never a shortage of chat and we had lots of laughs. I remember being blown away by her courage and strength that night – truly inspiring. She was so proud of you – and I know you will be so proud of her.   Jude xx …

Richard Fulham

Eve and Lana,  Your mum was really great at her job, but more importantly a really great person.  Emma was always professional and dealt with work challenges in a calm and smart way.  As I got to know Emma a little bit it was clear to me that she was a loving, kind friend to many people and also had a wicked sense of humour.  You could wish for no greater role model than your mum. …

Susan Allen

Dear Eve and Lana I was so very sorry to hear the news about your Mummy. I am sure you don’t need any of her work colleagues to tell you how special she was, because you know that. But as well as being a wonderful Mummy she was a fantastic friend to many, many people, and an inspiration. I worked with Emma in RBS, when she would travel to London during the week. She missed you, but she made sure to make the most of every  minute – so that she wasn’t wasting precious time away from you. She was ambitious, had tons of ideas and lots of energy to drive change. Emma   was never fazed by the unexpected – she was always calm and kept focused on what needed to be done. What I remember most is her hard work, her care for others, her ready smile – and a great sense of humour. However difficult a situation, she never gave up – and she kept smiling. Your Mummy was a very special person.  …