South of Scotland Enterprise Board appointment information: FOI release

Information requested

Information relating to the round to appoint non-executive members of the Board of South of Scotland Enterprise.

Response

The appointment round details you have requested are set out below. Where numbers of candidates are fewer than five, we cannot disclose their personal information, under s38(1)(b) of FOISA Exemptions.

1. The full person specification and the essential and desirable criteria or competencies used to assess candidates

Full details are set out in the applicant information pack. A copy of the person specification is also attached.

See Document 1 - Applicant Information Pack and Document 2 - Person Specification

2. The scoring or marking scheme applied to each competency, including the scale used, any weightings, and the method for arriving at an overall assessment

3. The benchmark or threshold scores required to progress beyond the sift, to be invited to interview, and to be assessed as appointable

The scoring guidance provided to selection panel members is attached.

See Document 3 - Scoring Guidance

4. The number of applications received; the number sifted out; the number invited to interview; the number assessed as appointable; and the number appointed

As you may be aware, Ministers were looking to appoint up to three new Members to the SOSE Board.

At the closing date, 66 applications had been received. 14 applicants were shortlisted for interview. Less than five applicants were recommended to Ministers as most able. An announcement will be made shortly on who has been appointed.

5. The composition of the selection panel by role or job title (for example the chairing official, any South of Scotland Enterprise board representative, and the Public Appointments Adviser), together with confirmation that the process was conducted in accordance with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Public Appointments in Scotland

The selection panel comprised:

• Russel Griggs OBE, Chair of the Board of South of Scotland Enterprise;
• Jo O’Hara, Vice-Chair of Changeworks and a non-executive adviser to Forestry and Land Scotland;
• Kimberley Daly, Head of Highlands, Islands, Edinburgh and South Growth Deals, Scottish Government; and
• Helen Forsyth, a Member of the Board of South of Scotland Enterprise.

As detailed in the Applicant Information Pack, I can confirm that the appointment process was conducted by the Scottish Government Public Appointments Team in accordance with the Code of Practice for Ministerial Public Appointments in Scotland.

The Ethical Standards Commissioner appointed Nelam Bakshi as a Public Appointments Adviser and considered that it was appropriate on this occasion, that the Adviser was involved in the planning stages only.

6. Copies of the documents governing the assessment: the recruitment or selection plan, the marking and assessment guidance issued to panel members, and the interview questions or assessment exercises used

The scoring guidance is attached. The assessment forms for shortlisting and interviewing applicants are also attached along with the interview questions, the candidate exercise and the Board document provided as part of the exercise.

See Document 3 - Scoring Guidance; Documents 4 and 5 - Shortlisting & Interview Evaluation Forms; Document 6 - Interview Questions; Document 7 - Candidate Exercise; and Document 8 - Board Paper.

7. The records management retention and disposal schedule applied to the records of unsuccessful candidates in this competition

All personal information is handled with great care and in line with UK GDPR and data protection requirements. Further information can be found in our Privacy Notice. Privacy notice - Scottish Government Jobs

8. The policy or standard practice on providing feedback to unsuccessful candidates in ministerial public appointments

As per current practice, applicants can request feedback any time following notification of the outcome of their application. However, this is being updated and from July 2026 applicants will have 20 working days from the date of notification of the outcome of their application to request feedback.

9. Any anonymised, aggregate distribution of scores for the round (for example the overall range or spread of marks), to the extent it can be provided without identifying any individual

We have provided you with details of your scores. We have not provided the scores for all candidates in line with Section 38(1)(b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002. This is personal data that relates to potentially identifiable candidates (even if names are redacted), individuals may still be identifiable in small candidate pools or niche roles.

See Document 9 - Assessment Scores

10. Any guidance, instruction or training given to panel members and assessors on how to treat references to protected characteristics (including disability, sex and gender identity) that appear within a candidate's application or written evidence, and the procedure for ensuring that such characteristics do not influence assessment on merit

Diversity data provided by applicants is not shared with selection panel members at any stage. If applicants opt for a guaranteed interview, this information will be shared with the selection panel following shortlisting and once a decision has been made on whether they have been shortlisted for interview.

Panel members undertake training in advance of their first role as a panel member.

About FOI

The Scottish Government is committed to publishing all information released in response to Freedom of Information requests. View all FOI responses at https://www.gov.scot/foi-responses.

FOI 202600519380 - Information released - Documents

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