About Janet Kennedy

I celebrated my 50th birthday this year, grew up in Glasgow and have lived (very happily) in the Forbeshill estate in Forres for the past 20 years.  Married to Stewart who has been self-employed in the area since leaving the RAF over 20 years ago, I have a teenage son Ross who is currently at Forres Academy studying for his Highers.

Over the years, my work has taken me to various parts of the UK, including Aberdeen, Glasgow, York and London but most recently I've been based in Inverness and Elgin.  I was the first woman in Scotland to complete the British Rail graduate management training scheme, which gave me the opportunity to learn about the operating of British Rail, including driving trains, working in signalling centres and freight yards - and I still have a real interest in anything relating to transport!  Although I enjoyed the operations side, I chose to specialise in marketing; I initiated the apex (advance purchase) rail ticket, was seconded to the Netherlands railways to undertake marketing research and ended up in London managing InterRail for British Rail International.

A lifestyle change resulted in me moving to Forres and working for Highland Council, managing the TAP Learning Information Service (the predecessor to Learndirect Scotland) covering the Highlands and Islands.  Subsequently, I worked with the careers service in Inverness, moving to a job in Elgin with Careers Scotland where I was responsible for developing events and other initiatives to challenge young people to think differently about their futures.  Most recently I managed a learning centre project for the UHI Millennium Institute.

Politically, I have no allegiance to any political party, believing that people should be represented by the best woman (or man!) for the job. Over the years, living in Forres and working in Moray, I have seen and heard how the Moray Council operates - and have become increasingly frustrated with some of their decisions!  While my son was at Anderson's Primary School, the Moray Council proposed closing some primary schools and I actively campaigned to keep Forres schools open - a campaign which, thankfully, was successful. My interest in politics has remained since my days at university and - with the increasing challenges facing Forres and the Moray Council - I now think the time has come for Janet Kennedy to stand as an INDEPENDENT local councillor.