R. I President R. GORDON R. McINALLY Gordon McInally was born in Edinburgh in 1957. A graduate of Dental Surgery from the University of Dundee, for many years he owned and ran a busy General Dental Practice in Edinburgh. He has held local teaching and examining posts and is a past Branch Chairman of the British Paedodontic Society. An Elder and Trustee in the Church of Scotland since 1982, Gordon has served as Presbytery Elder, Chairman of the Congregational Board and as a Commissioner to the Church’s General Assembly.

Gordon joined the Rotary Club of South Queensferry in 1984, was Club President in 1991-92 and served as District Governor for District 1020 in 1997-98.

He has served Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland as committee member and chairman of most of its administrative and service committees and was Rotary GB&I President in 2004-05. He has also served Rotary International in a number of differing capacities; as committee member and Chair and was a member of the RI Board of Directors from 2007-09. He has chaired two Rotary Institutes. Gordon is currently serving Rotary in a number of capacities, including serving as Chair of the RI Operations Review Committee. He was Chairman of the 2018 Rotary International Convention which was held in Toronto. He has represented the RI President at District Conferences in many countries.

Over the years, Rotary has, understandably, taken up a major part of his time and Gordon is on record as saying that none of his Rotary work would be possible without the unfailing support of Heather, who is a Past President of the Rotary Clubs of Linlithgow Grange and Kelso, their family and his former work colleagues. Keen advocates of The Rotary Foundation, Gordon and Heather are both Paul Harris Fellows. They are members of the Rotary Foundation’s Paul Harris Society and Bequest Society and are Rotary Foundation Benefactors and Major Donors.

In what little free time he has, Gordon enjoys watching rugby, having been a keen player in his younger years, and the occasional game of soccer, good food, wine, opera and other music types along with photography and traditional stick dressing.

Gordon is a Patron of the charity Hope and Homes for Children and holds the same position within Trade-Aid, an initiative of The Rotary Club of Grantham Kesteven in District 1070, which provides sustainable humanitarian aid to individuals, families, and businesses in the developing world.

Gordon and Heather, a music teacher and classically trained professional singer, have two daughters, Rebecca who runs her own Complementary Therapy practice in Edinburgh and Sarah, a lawyer who is married to Greg. They have two granddaughters; Ivy and Florence.

Gordon R. McInally, a member of the Rotary Club of South Queensferry, Lothian, Scotland, President of Rotary International for 2023-24.

McInally lauded Rotary’s ability to adapt technologically during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the approach should continue and be combined with the best of our past practices as Rotary seeks to grow and increase engagement.

“We have learned there is a willingness within communities to care for one another,” he says, “and we must ensure that we encourage people who have recently embraced the concept of volunteering to join us to allow them to continue giving service.”

McInally says that senior leaders’ ability to communicate directly with club members online will be one positive legacy of the changes Rotary has had to make. But, he adds, “face-to-face meetings remain important, as they encourage greater interaction.”

The best way to increase membership is engagement, according to McInally. To better support clubs, he says, Rotary International, regional leaders, and district teams all need to engage with them. Engagement through social media will reinforce Rotary’s brand and showcase the opportunities that come with it. And, he says, engagement with governments, corporations, and other organizations will lead to meaningful partnerships.

With better engagement, McInally says, “We will grow Rotary both by way of membership and in our ability to provide meaningful service.”

He adds, “Membership is the lifeblood of our organization. I would encourage the use of the flexibility now available to establish new-style clubs that would appeal to a different demographic.”

McInally, a graduate of dental surgery at the University of Dundee, owned and operated his own dental practice in Edinburgh. He was the chair of the East of Scotland branch of the British Paedodontic Society and has held various academic positions. He has also served as a Presbytery elder, chair of Queensferry Parish Congregational Board, and commissioner to the church’s general assembly.

A Rotary member since 1984, McInally has been president and vice president of Rotary International in Great Britain and Ireland. He has also served Rotary International as a director and as member or chair of several committees. He is currently an adviser to the 2022 Houston Convention Committee and chair of the Operations Review Committee.

McInally and his wife, Heather, are Major Donors and Benefactors of The Rotary Foundation. They are also members of the Bequest Society.