Our Team

Keeper

Professor Russell Napier is the author of The Solid Ground investment report for institutional investors and co-founder of the investment research portal ERIC- a business he now co-owns with D.C. Thomson. Russell has worked in the investment business for over 30 years and has been advising global institutional investors on asset allocation since 1995. Russell is the author of the book Anatomy of The Bear: Lessons From Wall Street’s Four Great Bottoms (‘a cult classic’ according to the FT) and is the founder and course director of The Practical History of Financial Markets at The Edinburgh Business School.

Russell is Chairman of Mid Wynd International Investment Trust, a GBP500m market cap. closed-end investment vehicle listed on the London Stock Exchange. He is a member of the investment advisory committees of three fund management companies, Cerno Capital, Kennox Asset Management and Bay Capital.

In 2014 Russell founded the charitable venture The Library of Mistakes a business and financial history library in Edinburgh that now has branches in India and Switzerland.

Russell has degrees in law from Queen’s University Belfast and Magdalene College Cambridge. He is a Fellow of The CFA Society of the UK and is an Honorary Professor at The University of Stirling and a Visiting Professor at Heriot-Watt University. He is a contributing columnist for The Toronto Star newspaper. His second book – The Asian Financial Crisis 1995-1998: Birth of the Age of Debt – was published in July 2021.

Librarian

Helen S Williams has been the librarian of the Library of Mistakes since it was established. She is a Chartered Librarian and has worked for the London Library, the British Library and the National Library of Scotland. She is also a historian of the printing industry and is the Honorary Edward Clark Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University.

She has been Honorary Secretary to the Scottish Printing Archival Trust since 2009.

CEO

David Clarke is the CEO of the Library of Mistakes. David has cultivated an impressive career as a CFA-qualified expert in economic development, marketing, and communications. An innovative entrepreneur at heart, he navigates the challenges in asset management and the broader financial industry with aplomb, leveraging his extensive network to foster growth and understanding. With a background in journalism, financial services, and marketing/PR, Clarke now extends his expertise into consultancy, often for tech-involved entrepreneurial businesses.

As the Library of Mistakes’ first CEO, David is crafting the organisation’s strategic vision while maintaining an unerring focus on advancing learning in the financial realm. His multifaceted approach draws on his strengths in PR, communications, branding, and commissioning compelling content across a variety of mediums. Furthermore, David has shown a lifelong commitment to public policy and economic development, advocating for ethical and sustainable investing and promoting Irish-Scottish financial cooperation.

In his personal life, Clarke is a true internationalist, embracing his Irish, British, Scottish, and European identities. He is also a champion for the arts, having contributed to the founding of the Irish early music group Anuna and the inaugural shows of Riverdance in Dublin, London, and New York. Among his many passions, he finds joy in skiing, cycling, and serving his local community in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Administrator

Sofi joined Didasko in 2020 as a virtual Executive Assistant and began working on the various day-to-day tasks within the business. Since then, the key tasks have expanded, and Sofi has now taken on the role of business manager. A few of her main tasks are the organisation of the Practical History of Financial Markets course, the Didasko bookkeeping and events at the Library of Mistakes.

Sofi is motivated, honest, and loyal, a mum of two, a dog owner and a lover of the great outdoors. Her beliefs are that if you work hard, you can play hard too.

Multimedia and communications manager

Fraser began his career as a business journalist in London and then spent a year as a newspaper reporter in Istanbul. After returning to work for Haymarket Media Group, he moved into marketing as Editorial Director of customer magazine pioneer Brass Tacks Publishing.

Then, having relocated to Edinburgh, he launched White Media – for many years, Scotland’s leading publishing and content agency, with clients such as Lloyds Banking Group, RBS, Standard Life, Tesco, Channel 4 and Total.

He also launched a rather beautiful magazine called Hot Rum Cow which, in 2017, was voted the world’s best drinks publication at the Spirited Awards in New Orleans. Fraser sold White Light in 2019 and now works as a freelance content and communications consultant.

Social Media manager

Leila Johnston looks after the Instagram account for the library. Over her 20+ year career as a creative communicator, Leila has written for and launched many magazines and websites, authored humour books, created popular podcasts and worked as a professional artist. Having left the arts to pursue her corporate dream, she is now a copywriter and journalist specialising in business, technology and finance.

whosthesuit.com

Communications consultant

As a volunteer, Madeleine Kemna helps with content creation and engagement. In her day job she is the chief economist for Dutch investment fund Hoofbosch. Before that, she was a fund manager, broker and analyst in Rotterdam, Geneva and London.