Non-Executive Director Appointment: Tom Taylor

Tom Taylor has been appointed as a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Scottish Government Audit and Assurance Committee (SGAAC), following a fair and open recruitment process.

Non-Executive Directors play a vital role in promoting the highest standards of corporate governance, providing independent advice and support to the Permanent Secretary, Directors General, and other senior leaders across the Scottish Government. Tom Taylor brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the role.

Welcoming the appointment, Permanent Secretary Joe Griffin said:

“I am delighted to welcome Tom Taylor to our Non-Executive Director cohort. Tom’s outstanding track record across multiple jurisdictions, combined with his deep expertise in audit and risk, will be instrumental as we continue to navigate complex challenges and drive forward our commitment to transparency, robust governance, and delivering better outcomes for the people of Scotland.”

Background

The role of Non-Executive Directors is to provide advice, support, and challenge in the following areas:

• Strategy and policy delivery process – challenging how policies are made, implemented, and communicated
• Risk management – ensuring risk is managed, monitored, and evaluated
• Audit – providing assurance to the accountable officer in relation to finance, risk, and performance management
• Performance monitoring – evaluating and improving performance through effective use of systems, management, staff engagement, resources and policies

Tom Taylor is a dual qualified Accountant with more than 32 years of Board-level experience across the public, private, and third sectors, Tom has served as Chair, Lead Non-Executive Director, Non-Executive Director, Chief Executive, and Finance Director in sectors including energy, health, education, water, legal, agriculture, environmental, and manufacturing.

Tom is currently a Board Mentor for Criticaleye Ltd, the global peer-to-peer Board community. Over the past six years, he has served as Chair of the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, Independent Member of the HMRC Audit Committee, and Non-Executive Board Member for the Northern Ireland Government Department of Finance, where he was a Member of the Departmental Audit Committee and Chair of two Audit Committees. He was also a Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities until July 2024.

Previously, Tom was Lead Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee Chair for the Government Legal Department, working for the Attorney General, Wales Chair for the Consumer Council for Water, and a Non-Executive Director and Finance Committee Chair for the Office of Qualifications and Examination Regulation (Ofqual).

He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy, the Institute of Directors, the Chartered Management Institute, and the Healthcare Finance Managers Association.

Tom Taylor will take up his role in early autumn 2025. Non-Executive Directors are appointed for a three-year term, providing approximately 40 days of support annually. As Chair of SGAAC he will receive remuneration of £19,920 annually.

The list of current Non-Executive Directors is available at The Civil Service - gov.scot