Public appointment: Members appointed to the Zero Waste Scotland Board

The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy, Gillian Martin MSP, today announced the appointment of Alison McRae and Mary Michel as Members of the Board of Zero Waste Scotland. 

Members 

Alison McRae is Senior Director at Glasgow Chamber of Commerce, leading strategic partnerships that support sustainable economic growth across the Glasgow City Region. She founded Circular Glasgow in 2015, an internationally recognised programme supporting businesses to adopt circular economy approaches and positioning Glasgow as a leading testbed for circular innovation. Alison currently serves as a Non-Executive Director of the British Chambers of Commerce, Co-Chairs the Glasgow Employment and Skills Board, participates in several national UK business and climate advisory groups and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Previous non-executive roles include being a Director of the Scottish Tourism Alliance and the Independent Chair of the Argyll and Isles Strategic Tourism Partnership. 

Mary Michel is the co-Founder and Director of Ostrero, which works to grow the Circular Economy in Scotland through mindset change and education. Her work with a range of organisations aims to  embed circular principles and develop circular solutions to bring about positive environmental and social change. Mary brings her experience of creating positive change, communicating the benefits of the Circular Economy, and organisational governance. Mary is a Trustee of Circular Communities Scotland. Previous roles include Director of the Incorporation of Goldsmiths and the Scottish Goldsmiths’ Trust; and Trustee of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance Scotland and Craft Scotland. 

Appointments 

The appointments are for four years. Mary Michel was appointed from 1 March 2026 until 29 February 2030 with Alison McRae appointed from 16 March 2026 until 15 March 2030. 

The appointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner. 

Remuneration and time commitment 

The appointments attract remuneration of £291 per day for a time commitment of between 24 and 30 days per year. 

Other Ministerial appointments 

Alison McRae and Mary Michel 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. 

Alison McRae and Mary Michel have had no political activity within the last five years. 

Background 

Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) supports the Scottish Ministers to develop and deliver their objectives and priorities for the circular economy in line with relevant policies and strategies developed under the Circular Economy (Scotland) Act 2024, as well as the National Performance Framework and Programme for Government. 

Its core aims and objectives are set out below and in the company’s Articles of Association and the organisation must take account of these priorities in its Corporate Plan. It: 

• provides expert leadership in the identification and development of innovative solutions that help Scotland reduce its demand for virgin material consumption; 

• provides advocacy and support to citizens, communities, businesses, and the wider public landscape to undertake more circular and sustainable behaviours; 

• advise the Scottish Ministers on circular economy strategy, policy, and targets; 

• supports collaboration across Scottish Government and the wider Scottish public sector to develop, adopt and embed circular economy principles, policies and targets across all strategy areas and programmes; and 

• undertakes collaboration with industry and work across boundaries, including working with enterprise bodies where appropriate, to create the right conditions to deliver Scotland’s transition to a circular economy.