31 July2017
Reappointment of Trustees of the Board of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The Cabinet Secretary for the Environment, Climate Change and Land Reform, RoseannaCunninghamMSP, today announced the reappointment of ProfessorThomasMeagher and DianaMurray as Trustees of the Board of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The reappointments will take effect from 16September2017.
Reappointments
ProfessorThomasMeagher moved to Scotland in 1999 as Professor of Plant Biology at the University of St Andrews. Prior to that, he was a Professor of Ecology and Evolution at Rutgers University, New Jersey, USA. Thomas studied Botany at the University of South Florida, and gained a PhD in Botany and Genetics at Duke University, North Carolina. His research interests include plant evolutionary biology, conservation biology and biodiversity, and public understanding of science. Professor Meagher has an on-going role as Chair of the Advisory Group for NERC thematic programme in omics and bioinformatics, and has served on the Defra Science Advisory Council (2004-2009), the Natural Environment Research Council (2007-2013) and the UK Plant Health and Biosecurity Taskforce (2012-2013).
DianaMurray has worked in the cultural and historic environment sector for over 40 years and was the Chief Executive of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland(RCAHMS) and latterly, joint CEO of Historic Scotland until October 2015, when Historic Environment Scotland took over the roles of both these two successful heritage organisations. Diana developed RCAHMS into a major national collection for the historic environment and lead the transformation of the national record into a world class online spatially enabled and publicly accessible resource. She is passionate about engaging public interest through cross cultural understanding and enjoyment of both the historic and natural environment in Scotland. Diana is a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and an Honorary fellow of the School of History, Classics and Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a fellow of the Scottish Royal Geographical Society and a member of the Institute of Directors. Diana was for many years a non-executive director of the National Trust for Scotland and is currently the Chair of Arts and Business Scotland, as well as serving as a trustee of a number of other Scottish charities, including the Scottish Seabird Centre.
The reappointments are regulated by the Commissioner for Ethical Standards in Public Life in Scotland.
Length of Term, Time Commitment and Remuneration
The appointments are for fouryears from 16September2017 until 15September2021. The time commitment averages around eightto tendays per year.
Trustee positions are not remunerated.
Other Ministerial Appointments
ProfessorMeagher and MsMurray do not hold any other Ministerial appointments.
Political Activity
All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process. However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last fiveyears (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.
ProfessorMeagher and MsMurray have had no political activity in the last fiveyears.
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The garden is first and foremost a scientific institution. At the international level it is a global scientific resource, providing expertise, training, and information to help people around the world to conserve ecosystems and protect natural capital. It works with and in many countries but has a particular focus in South America, South East Asia, Nepal and the Sino-Himalaya, and the Middle East. Projects currently range from research that underpins the conservation of the rapidly disappearing dry forests of Latin America and leading the International Conifer Conservation programme to providing scientific expertise to address illegal logging in Tanzania and understanding the diet of Giant Pandas. In Nepal it is leading the production of the first comprehensive guide to its flora and assisting with training, community engagement and conservation programmes.
At the national level it is Scotland’s botanical institute playing a significant role in delivering the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy, addressing the major challenge of plant health and giving Government access to scientific excellence.