Dr Harriet MacMillan, Director, was born and raised in Edinburgh. She has three degrees in English and Creative Writing from the Universities of Edinburgh and Oxford; her PhD examined contemporary feminist rewritings of mythology. During her time as Literature Officer with Creative Scotland, she managed five iterations of the Momentum Literature delegation in partnership with Festivals Edinburgh and the British Council, as well as the Dr Gavin Wallace Fellowship. She was manager of the Forward Prizes, the world's leading prizes for poetry, a tutor in English Literature at the University of Edinburgh, and is also a writer herself. 

The Edinburgh UNESCO City of Literature Trust office is supported by freelancers, volunteers, and the Trust's Board members.