New-look SNH board in firm step towards 2020 vision

The move is a firm expression of the organisation’s drive to meet the Scottish Government’s 50:50 by 2020 initiative for increased female representation.

It signals SNH’s commitment to the benefits which gender balance brings to the board.

And it is the culmination of SNH’s work with Changing the Chemistry (CtC) an organisation whose aim is to encourage diversity by having more applications from women.

Work carried out by SNH is extremely diverse and the new board members bring with them experience in business, health, fisheries, forestry, land management, and the Third Sector. This will provide SNH with a renewed focus in, among other areas, helping people benefit from a healthy natural environment, and making Scotland a better place to live, work and visit.

SNH is the Scottish Government’s advisor on the environment. And with this role comes duties under deer management; climate change; non-native species; land use; protected areas; onshore and offshore renewables; climate change mitigation, and wildlife crime.

Current expertise on the SNH board includes experience in local councils; land use; natural resource management; renewable energy; environmental education; wildlife management; strategic planning; business; information technology, modernising government, and bird conservation. The five new members’ experience in the North Sea oil industry, as well as in private, public, and charity sectors gives the organisation a substantial boost across a range of sectors.

Ian Ross, SNH’s chairman, said: “I’m delighted to welcome our new appointments to the board in what is a thoroughly enjoyable, rewarding but also demanding, role. Their range of expertise in the business, health, and third sectors ensure we are better-equipped to deliver a high-quality public service to meet the needs of the people of Scotland. This will help to reinforce our commitment to promoting the strong link between the care and enhancement of our wider natural heritage and the delivery of important public benefits.

“I am also particularly pleased that we have increased our complement of women from one to six out of a total of ten on the board, and we mark this achievement by taking firm and confident steps to meeting the Scottish Government’s 50:50 by 2020 initiative.

“Our new board members will make a significant contribution to our work: a process that has begun with our commitment to encouraging greater diversity and inclusion. We’re also delighted to have worked with Scottish peer network Changing the Chemistry (CtC) in creating this diversity, and we very much welcome their advice.”

Scottish Ministers appointed the five new SNH Board members on 1 April 2016. They are:

Dr Kate Broughton has 30 years’ research and energy business experience, initially as a geologist, and later in the private sector for Edinburgh-based Wood Mackenzie. Kate was closely involved with the growth of the company and brings strategy development and governance experience to SNH. Her financial acumen comes from working as a UK Oil & Gas Analyst and having budget responsibility for global research and operations teams. She has a strong track record of process improvement, product development and change management, and a particular interest in efficient digital delivery and data management. Kate was awarded a PhD in geology by Sheffield University in 1991.

Cath Denholm has worked for more than 20 years in NHS management and strategic roles in primary care, GP appraisal and public health. She joined NHS Health Scotland in 2005 and is currently Director of Strategy with a range of responsibilities including: corporate strategy and performance; communications and public affairs; HR/OD and business excellence; and national leadership for human rights in health and social care.

She is a member of the Institute of Directors and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and she has also been a Board member for Voluntary Action Scotland since November 2015. Her overarching professional interests are strategy, change management and partnership working across sectors in order to achieve fair access for all and good value for public money. Cath’s role as Executive Director for NHS Health Scotland is her only other ministerial appointment.

Dr Jackie Hyland qualified in Medicine at Edinburgh University and holds a position as a consultant in Public Health Medicine with NHS Tayside. Jackie has a strong track record in Environmental Protection and Promotion of Biodiversity within the Health Sector, providing health advice to partner agencies and communities. She tutors at Dundee University and has published on Environmental Health Management and Engagement with Stakeholders. She is also a member of the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

As a member of the Scottish Managed Sustainable Health Network, she has been closely involved in reviewing the evidence for improving health through sustainable development. She is currently preparing a thesis at St Andrews University focussing on air quality and health, and the socioeconomic benefits of active travel.

Aoife Martin is currently Registrar of Scotland for Companies House where she is responsible for delivering the service across Scotland and Northern Ireland. Born and raised in Dublin, Aoife holds a BA (Hons) degree in History and Geography from Trinity College, Dublin, and an MBA from the university of Edinburgh.

Aoife is an experienced resource management professional who has recently returned to Scotland after spending 12 years working for the New Zealand Government in fisheries, forestry and land management. During her career she has worked across the public and private sector in the UK and New Zealand, including the economics unit at Seafish, and most recently as the Director Spatial, Forestry and Land Management with the ministry for Primary Industries in New Zealand.

Susan Murray has 20 years’ experience working in the public, private and charity sectors. She is currently director of Agent M Ltd, supporting organisations interested in social change, and is a trustee of the ICAS Foundation. She has studied at the University of Edinburgh; Goldsmiths College, University of London; Aberdeen Business School, and is a Clore Social Leadership Fellow. Susan has volunteered with several organisations including more than eight years for the National Trust Scotland on conservation projects at weekends and on week long holidays.

SNH supports the sustainable development of our nature and landscapes to generate a range of benefits for Scotland’s people through green infrastructure, economic growth and mitigating climate change through a low carbon economy. additional information about the successful candidates that links their appointment to our organisation’s key messages.

A key role is to demonstrate the link between our natural heritage and associated social and economic benefits to society.