Creative Scotland has become the first public body to meet the First Minister’s recent call for all boards in Scotland to achieve a 50:50 gender split by 2020.
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop announced last week that the public arts body has achieved a gender balanced board with the appointment of four new members.
The appointments of Professor Maggie Kinloch, Erin Forster, Sheila Murray and David Brew follow a recruitment exercise by the Scottish Government that trialled new approaches aimed at continually improving gender balance on regulated public boards.
It follows First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s call at the end of June for companies, third sector organisations and public sector bodies to make a commitment that by 2020, 50 per cent of their board members will be women.
Creative Scotland became the latest public body in Scotland to achieve a gender balanced board, and the first public body to meet the target since the First Minister launched the Partnership for Change on June 25.
As well as 18 private companies and 45 third sector organisations, 81 public bodies have now signed up to meet the Partnership for Change commitment by 2020.
Announcing the four new appointments to Creative Scotland’s Board, Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said:
“I am very pleased to announce the appointments of Maggie, Erin, Sheila and David to the board of Creative Scotland. Each new board member has a rich and diverse mix of skills and experience to offer and I look forward to seeing the impact of their contribution across Scotland’s communities over the next four years.
“While all board appointments are of course made on merit, the Scottish Government is continually improving our processes to ensure vacancies are attractive and accessible to people from a wide range of backgrounds. We are continuously reviewing and improving the way we recruit to ensure that anyone with relevant skills and experience is given the opportunity to succeed.
“These appointments mean Creative Scotland now has a gender balanced board, setting an example to the rest of the organisation and to all employers that we must work harder to achieve gender equality in the workplace and ensure everyone in Scotland is able to meet their full potential.”
Fair Work Secretary, Roseanna Cunningham said:
“This Government is committed to making major and lasting progress towards true gender equality – towards shattering the glass ceiling for good and for all and promoting gender balance across Scotland’s workplaces.
“Our greatest resource is our people so we can’t afford to underuse the skills and talents of more than half of our population. We know that gender equality is good for the economy, for society and for Scotland as a whole, so it is great news that 90 per cent of Scotland’s public bodies have now signed up to meet the Partnership for Change commitment by 2020, along with 45 organisations in the third sector and 18 private companies.
“This will bring greater diversity of opinion, more open discussions, better debate and ultimately better informed decisions, that will no doubt have a positive impact on Scotland’s entire workforce.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
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