Public appointment: members appointed to the Board of National Museums Scotland

The Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development and Minister with Special Responsibility for Refugees from Ukraine, Neil Gray, today announced the appointment of Professor Monojit Chatterji, Stephen Dando, Dr Bridget McConnell and Beth McKillop as Members of the Board of National Museums Scotland.

Members

Professor Monojit Chatterji is an established academic with an international profile. He is currently an Honorary Professor of Economics at Heriot Watt University and Emeritus Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Dundee. He is also a Bye Fellow at Fitzwilliam College Cambridge following on from his stints as Fellow and Director of Studies in Economics at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, and previously the same position at Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge. He has considerable public policy experience in the UK with the School Teachers Review Body, Welsh Remuneration Board and Speakers Committee for IPSA as well as chairing the National Joint Council of the Fire Service.

Stephen Dando has led Human Resources in a number of large international organisations spanning both the public and private sectors. He was a Managing Director at Bain Capital, with a human capital remit across Europe portfolio companies, until his retirement in December 2021, and is currently a Senior Adviser at the firm. Prior to this, Stephen was Chief Human Resources Officer at Thomson Reuters, and Director, BBC People, serving as a member of the group executive committee at both. During his earlier career he held numerous generalist and specialist HR roles at Diageo, United Distillers, Austin Rover and Ferranti. He has also held various advisory and trustee roles, including at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Engage For Success Foundation and the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. He received an MBA from the University of Edinburgh and a BA (Hons) from the University of Strathclyde.

Dr Bridget McConnell is currently a council member of the UKRI’s Arts and Humanities Research Council, board member of the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland and Festival UK22/Unboxed, Honorary Vice President of the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and a non-executive director of Scottish Power Renewables Ltd. Bridget is an experienced Chief Executive, Board Member and Chair with a record of achievement in leading and delivering significant service improvements, major capital developments and world-renowned events in the cultural and sports sectors. Career highlights include the 2022 reopening of the Burrell Collection, the opening of the Riverside Museum (European Museum of the Year in 2013), the 2012 opening of the Emirates Arena and Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, and a leading role in securing and implementing the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the 2018 European Championships held in Glasgow and Berlin. A graduate of St. Andrews and Stirling Universities, Bridget has honorary degrees from Glasgow, Aberdeen and St. Andrews Universities and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and was made a CBE in 2015 for services to culture.

Beth McKillop has wide experience and expertise in museum collections and development. She was Deputy Director of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, from 2011 to 2016. She has published and lectured about the arts of China and Korea. Educated in Glasgow, Cambridge and Beijing, she lives in London and maintains strong family links with Scotland. She is currently a senior teaching fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, and a senior research associate at the V and A. She was president of the Oriental Ceramic Society from 2018 to 2021 and has a book on the history of Korean ceramics in preparation.

Appointments

The appointments will be for four years. Stephen Dando and Beth McKillop will commence their appointments on 1 September 2022 until 31 August 2026. Professor Monojit Chatterji and Dr Bridget McConnell will commence their appointments on 1 April 2023 until 31 March 2027.

The appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

The appointments are part-time, with a time commitment of 12 days per year. Appointments to the Board of National Museums Scotland are not remunerated.

Other ministerial appointments

Professor Monojit Chatterji, Stephen Dando, Dr Bridget McConnell and Beth McKillop do 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.

Professor Monojit Chatterji, Stephen Dando, Dr Bridget McConnell and Beth McKillop have had no political activity within the last five years.

National Museums Scotland - Background

National Museums Scotland is one of the leading museums groups in Europe. It cares for a multi-disciplinary collection of over 12 million objects, bringing together the arts and sciences, and the cultures of Scotland and the world, alongside the diversity of the natural world. The organisation has approximately 460 staff across five sites and receives around £25 million of Scottish Government funding annually. It is a Scottish Charity (no. SC 011130).

National Museums Scotland’s priorities reflect its statutory duties to care for the items it holds, and to make them accessible through providing education, encouraging research, and promoting public awareness. Its four museums (the National Museum of Scotland on Chambers Street in Edinburgh, the National War Museum in Edinburgh Castle, the National Museum of Flight in East Lothian and the National Museum of Rural Life near East Kilbride) are enjoyed by millions of local and international visitors each year.

As a national centre of excellence, the organisation is committed to widening access to and participation with its collections, reaching out across Scotland, the UK and internationally. This includes an extensive programme of: touring exhibitions; loans; community-based partnership projects, often within disadvantaged areas; training and skills development, including developing young people; the provision of advice and support to the museum sector; administering the National Fund for Acquisitions; and operating the Treasure Trove scheme. The cultural, social, educational and economic value of its work is wide-reaching, creating impact on people’s lives through sharing the fascinating stories of the millions of remarkable objects it cares for in Scotland’s National Collection.

National Museums Scotland operates within the context of the Scottish Government’s national outcomes and strategic objectives. 

Read further information.