Public appointment: Members reappointed to Creative Scotland

The Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, Ms McKelvie, today announced the reappointment of Duncan Cockburn, Stephanie Fraser and Philip Long and as Members of Creative Scotland.

Members

Duncan Cockburn is Vice Principal for Strategy and Planning and Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen. In this role he is responsible for Student Recruitment, Marketing and Communications and Planning and Insight. He is a Board member of North East Scotland College. Outwith his professional employment, Duncan has a long-standing active engagement at Board level with a number of cultural organisations. He is Board member of both Sound and Aberdeen Performing Arts and is former Chair of Culture Aberdeen and former Chair of Look Again.

Stephanie Fraser is Chief Executive of Cerebral Palsy Scotland. She has led the organisation, based in Glasgow, since 2012. As well as sitting on the Board of Creative Scotland, she is also the Scotland Board Member for the British Library. Stephanie chairs the Scottish Government’s National Advisory committee for Neurological Conditions and is a Trustee of the Neurological Alliance of Scotland. A Member of the House of Lords since taking her seat in February 2021, she currently serves as a member of the Select Committee on Communications and Digital. She has previously sat on the Covid-19 and the Adult Social Care Committees. Stephanie trained as a professional ballet dancer and qualified as a Benesh Choreologist. She has previously worked for English National Ballet and Scottish Ballet. Born in Glasgow, she read history at Trinity college, Cambridge and started her career in advertising before moving back into the arts, the third sector and to Scotland.

Philip Long has been Chief Executive of the National Trust for Scotland since 2020.  From 2011 he was founding Director of V&A Dundee, which opened in 2018 as a new international museum with a mission to enrich people’s lives through understanding of the designed world, its heritage and its vital role in our future.  Prior to V&A Dundee, Philip was Senior Curator at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art. His academic specialisation is in historic and contemporary Scottish and wider British art and design, on which he has curated many exhibitions and written widely.  Philip’s international work has included the curation of Scotland’s presentation at the Venice Biennale (2007), responsibility for the UK presentation at the Milan Design Triennale (2016) and advising museums and government agencies on the development of new cultural and heritage organisations. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and in 2019 was the recipient of a unique award for Transforming Scotland from the Institute of Directors. He received an OBE in the New Year’s Honour List in 2020 for services to Culture and Heritage.

Reappointment

The reappointments will be for four years and will run from 16 September 2023 to 15 September 2027

The reappointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

The reappointments are part-time and attracts a remuneration of £218 per day for a time commitment of one day per month.

Other ministerial appointments

Duncan Cockburn, Stephanie Fraser and Philip Long 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.   

Stephanie Fraser is a working member of the House of Lords.

Duncan Cockburn and Philip Long have had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

Creative Scotland is the public body that supports the arts, screen and creative industries across all parts of Scotland on behalf of everyone who lives, works or visits here.

Creative Scotland enables people and organisations to work in and experience the arts, screen and creative industries in Scotland by helping others to develop great ideas and bring them to life.

They distribute funding from the Scottish Government and The National Lottery.

Further information on Creative Scotland is available at Home | Creative Scotland.