Public appointment: Member appointed to Cairngorms National Park Authority Board

The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Rural Affairs Gillian Martin MSP, today announced the appointment of Emily Johns as a Member of the Cairngorms National Park Authority Board.

Member

Emily Johns is a Chartered Accountant with experience in governance, finance, audit and risk management, as well as a strong track record in nature restoration and strategy.

Having started her career in Finance with Unilever, she currently works for SSEN Transmission, leading the development and delivery of large-scale nature restoration programmes including peatland, woodland and biodiversity enhancement projects across the north of Scotland as well as leading the development and delivery of the overall nature strategy.

Emily brings a combination of commercial, financial and nature strategy expertise, as well as board-level experience.

She has significant experience working with government, regulators, landowners, communities and industry partners to deliver long-term positive outcomes for nature.

Appointment

This appointment will be for 4 years and will run from 1 November 2026 to 31 October 2030.

This appointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

This appointment is part-time and attracts a remuneration of £262.67 per day for a time commitment of up to 36 days per year.

Other ministerial appointments

Emily Johns does not hold any other public appointments.

Political activity

All appointments are made on merit and political activity plays no part in the selection process.  However, in accordance with the original Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity within the last five years (if there is any to be declared) to be made public.   

Emily Johns has been a previous member of Liberal Democrats within the last five years.

Background

Scotland’s National Parks were established by the National Parks (Scotland) Act 2000 to safeguard areas of outstanding and diverse landscapes, habitats and communities.  They do this by working to co-ordinate the delivery of four main statutory aims:

• to conserve and enhance the natural and cultural heritage of the area;
• to promote the sustainable use of the natural resources of the area;
• to promote understanding and enjoyment (including enjoyment in the form of recreation) of the special qualities of the area by the public; and
• to promote sustainable economic and social development of the area’s communities.

This can mean being involved in developing key strategic documents such as:

• the National Park Partnership Plan, which sets out our priorities for the Park’s development in association with partner organisations over a five year period;
• the Local Development Plan, which guides all future development and the use of land.  It acts as a strong catalyst for change and improvement in the area, shaping the environment of the National Park; and
• the Cairngorms Nature Action Plan or the Active Cairngorms Action Plan.

The Parks have statutory planning functions, and the Board makes planning decisions based on the Local Development Plan.  An example of this is the development of the new Cairn Distillery outside Grantown on Spey.