Board Members

Information on each of our Board Members, including links to details of each member's Register of Interests.

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Non-Executive Directors
Ms Margaret Burns
Dr Karen Facey
Ms Joan Fraser
Mrs Betty Fullerton
Ms Ali Jarvis
Ms Maggie Mellon
Mr Russell Pettigrew
Dr Paul Stollard
Dr Anne Maree Wallace
Mr Gary Wilson

Executive Directors
Mr Gerald McLaughlin
Mr Alan Crawford
Ms Cath Denholm
Mr George Dodds
Dr Laurence Gruer

Non-Executive Directors

Ms Margaret Burns CBE (Chair)

Margaret Burns CBE has many years experience working for consumer organisations such as the Scottish Consumer Council and Consumer's Association. For nine years, until March 2007, she was a member of the Health and Safety Commission and Chair of the Partnership for Health and Safety in Scotland. She is presently a member of the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management.

Ms Burns has been reappointed for 4 years from 1 December 2011.

The Chair can be contacted by email at healthscotlandchair@nhs.net

Dr Karen Facey

Karen Facey is an independent evidence based health policy consultant and has been a Non-Executive Director of NHS Forth Valley for 7 years, where she has chaired Clackmannanshire Community Health Partnership. She is an Honorary Member of the Faculty of Public Health, a Chartered Statistician, Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the University of Glasgow and Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine. Karen has developed a broad interest in evidence informed decision making in health and health care. Since 2003, she has been working internationally in the field of health research and health policy, particularly in relation to robust elicitation of patients’ and public perspectives. Karen is also the public health member on the UK regulatory Committee for the Safety of Devices and sits on their education committee.

Her appointment is for a period of 3 years from 1 April 2011.

Ms Joan Fraser

Joan Fraser is Chair of Scotland Yard Adventure Centre, a voluntary organisation which supports and develops play for children with additional support needs; a member of the Visiting Committee for Polmont Young Offenders Institution; and a trustee of The Scottish Power Energy People Trust, which assists projects aimed at alleviating fuel poverty. Other voluntary experience includes work with the Miscarriage Association and as Chair of a Community Council and a School Board. As a senior official with the Scottish Government, she led the review of Alcohol and Drug Action Teams and worked on developing health education in schools. She was also seconded to YouthLink Scotland where she was Interim Chief Executive for two years.

Her appointment is for a period of 4 years from 1 February 2008.

Mrs Betty Fullerton OBE

Betty Fullerton has worked in both the public and private sector and has been an elected member of Shetland Islands Council since May 2007. She is currently Chair of Services Committee with responsibility for a range of 'people' services including Education, Social Care, Youth, and Housing. She was Chair of Shetland NHS Board for eight years and oversaw changes to delivery of services to make best use of resources available both locally and nationally. During that time she championed local Community Planning and was an active member of NHS North of Scotland Planning Group and continues to promote partnership working as the way forward to achieve value for the public pound.

She has been appointed for 3 years from 1 April 2011.

Ms Ali Jarvis

Ali Jarvis is a freelance consultant specialising in strategic change, leadership and equalities. She began her career in the private sector working internationally in marketing, HR and strategic development. She has subsequently undertaken a wide variety of leadership roles in the public and voluntary sectors in Scotland. She is a Non-Executive member of the Scottish Funding Council and is also an assessor with the Commission for Ethical Standards.

Her appointment is for a period of 4 years from 1 April 2011.

Ms Maggie Mellon

Maggie Mellon is a board member of both the Scottish Child Law Centre and Community Care Providers Scotland. Her previous experience includes a range of roles in social work management and in policy and strategy within local government and the voluntary sector.

Her appointment is for a period of 4 years from 1 April 2008.

Mr Russell Pettigrew

Russell Pettigrew began his career in local government in Glasgow before moving on to the Development Corporations in Cumbernauld and then in Glenrothes. He joined NHS Fife early in 1992, becoming Director of Finance in March 2000, a post he held until his retirement in November 2008. He is a Non-executive Board Member of the Scottish Police Services Authority.

Mr Pettigrew has been appointed for four years from 1 June 2009.

Dr Paul Stollard

Paul Stollard is the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) Director for Scotland. By training he is an architect, and before joining the civil service he ran his own company specialising in the fire safety design of buildings. He joined the HSE in May 2008 after being Chief Executive of the Scottish Building Standards Agency. He has been involved as a volunteer with Samaritans (the charity for the suicidal and despairing) for many years, and for the last five has been one of their national Trustees. As a member of the National Advisory & Advocacy Group for the Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives, Dr Stollard brings particular knowledge and understanding of the link between employment and health and the relevant policy drivers.

His appointment is for 4 years from 1 April 2011.

Dr Anne Maree Wallace

Anne Maree Wallace graduated from the University in Aberdeen and, following a year of house jobs, spent 3 years working in the field of General Medicine, Paediatrics and Community Medicine. Moving back to Edinburgh in 1982 to begin her career in Public Health Medicine, she became a Consultant in the speciality in 1987. Following her appointment as Acting Director of Public Health in NHS Lothian, from February 2004 to March 2005, she became the National Director of Training in Public Health and the Lead Consultant for the Scottish Public Health Network, prior to accepting the post of Director of Public Health in NHS Forth Valley in January 2008.

She has been appointed for four years from 1 June 2009.

Mr Gary Wilson

Gary Wilson is the Employee Director on the Health Scotland Board. He has worked at HEBS and now Health Scotland for over 6 years as Programme Manager for Young People. He also has been a Board Member of PHACE (Promoting Health and Challenging Exclusion) Scotland for 3 years (1998 to 2001) and for two of these years he was Chair of the Board. He has extensive experience of working in health promotion particularly around diversity/equality issues. Gary was appointed on 1 September 2006.

Executive Directors

Mr Gerald McLaughlin

Gerald McLaughlin was appointed Chief Executive of NHS Health Scotland with effect from 6 September 2010. A social sciences graduate, Gerald worked for 20 years as a local authority social work manager. Following a period as Glasgow’s principal child protection officer, he moved to the Royal National Institute for the Blind, Scotland, as Assistant Director, in 1998, before joining the British Red Cross as Director in 2000 and taking his place on the senior management team. For 6 years, until September 2010, he was also a non executive member of the Board of NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde.

Mr Alan Crawford

Alan Crawford was appointed to the post of Director of Resource Management with NHS Health Scotland with effect from January 2004. He has worked in the Scottish Health Service since 1991 and at national level since 1992 as the (former) Health Education Board for Scotland's Director of Finance & Support Services.

Ms Cath Denholm

Cath Denholm has worked in the NHS in Scotland since 1995, with a focus on primary care development and general practice management. In 2002, she joined NHS Education for Scotland to implement the GP appraisal scheme in Scotland. Then she moved to NHS Health Scotland in 2005, first as Head of Policy & Planning, then as Director of Equalties & Planning, and currently as Director of Equality, People & Performance.

As Director of Equality, People & Performance, she has overall responsibility for the provision of support by NHS Health Scotland to the NHS in Scotland in progressing the equality and diversity agenda, through planning, performance management and organisational change.

Mr George Dodds

George Dodds joined NHS Health Scotland, as Director of Delivery, in February 2011. Having spent over 20 years working with health and social care professionals in Gateshead, George moved into a corporate & policy development role at South Tyneside where he led negotiations with Government to agree priorities and set targets, which included health inequalities. From there he moved to Lancashire for almost 4 years and worked as Assistant Chief Executive at Pendle Borough Council. His role included strategic leadership in areas such as: partnership development, performance & service improvement, Every Child Matters, health inequalities and cohesion. He held operational responsibility for research, policy development, scrutiny, procurement, outsourcing & client management, communications, community safety & neighbourhood management in deprived communities.

George joined us from the Department for Communities and Local Government where he was Deputy Regional Director at Government Office North East and has almost 30 years public sector experience relevant to his role. He is passionate about tackling inequalities, improving peoples’ lives and the places they live.

Dr Laurence Gruer OBE

Laurence Gruer is Director of Public Health Science with NHS Health Scotland. He was a consultant in public health medicine with Greater Glasgow NHS Board from 1989 to 2001 where he tackled HIV infection, drug and alcohol misuse, sexual health, homelessness and mental health. He joined the Public Health Institute of Scotland in 2001 where he focussed on tobacco and child health. Dr Gruer served on the UK Government’s Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs for 10 years and has advised seven successive Scottish health ministers on a range of public health issues.

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