Edinburgh Zoo is holding its AGM on Wednesday 25 May at Murrayfield Stadium at 7pm.
Edinburgh Zoo is owned by The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) which is a charitable institution. The Society was founded in March 1909, and the Zoo opened in July 1913.
In spite of its long history, it has hardly every been in the news as much as it has this year, though not perhaps for the best reasons.
The chairman of The Board of Trustees of Edinburgh Zoo, Donald Emslie, stepped down from his post following the special meeting held earlier in the month. This is the announcement from the zoo following that resignation.
“At the EGM on Thursday evening and to the media afterwards, I said that I had listened to the Members’ views, but acknowledged also that I had obligations as a trustee of a charity. The correct course of action was for me to discuss with my Board what the next step should be, taking into consideration the interests of the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), the views of the Members and of OSCR – the charities regulator in Scotland. I was able to do this at a Board meeting on Friday, during which I informed my fellow Trustees that I would resign as Chair and allow the Board to rebuild the confidence of the Members.
“This has been an incredibly difficult time for all concerned. As a Board we have been dealing with a malicious and untrue attack on both the Society and a member of the senior management team. What we found during our investigations has had further serious ramifications for the Society and my greatest wish is that the Board is now allowed to complete the remaining investigation process and reach a conclusion. I have been privileged to work with very talented people on the Board and staff of the RZSS and I wish them and the Society every success in the future – a future which I know is extremely bright.”
Statement from Manus Fullerton
“As Vice Chairman, I have taken over the role of Acting Chairman of the Board of Trustees and will be working closely with my fellow Trustees to respond to the issues raised at the EGM on 12 May.
“I am pleased to announce that Hugh Roberts will take up the post of Interim Chief Executive on Wednesday 18 May. Hugh has significant and relevant experience of membership organisations, charities, forming strong teams at the top of an organisation, embedding strategy and delivering business plans. We are confident he has the skills, experience and personal qualities the Society needs.”
A copy of this statement has also been emailed today to all Staff as well as to Members who have supplied email addresses. It has also been added to the website. We are aware that not all Members can be contacted in this way so a copy of the statement will also be available at the AGM and we are looking at other ways of the information reaching Members.”
