Public appointment: Trustee reappointed to the Board of National Museums Scotland

The Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic Mairi McAllan MSP, today announced the reappointment of Stephen Gordon-Dando as a Trustee of the Board of National Museums Scotland.

Trustee

Stephen Gordon-Dando has led Human Resources in several large international organisations spanning both the public and private sectors.

Stephen was a Partner at Bain Capital, with a human capital remit across Europe portfolio companies, until his retirement in December 2021, and remained a Senior Adviser at the firm until the end of 2024.

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 trustee and non-executive roles, including at the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Engage for Success Foundation, the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development, Korn Ferry, and more recently at the UK Government Cabinet Office.

He received an MBA from the University of Edinburgh and a BA (Hons) from the University of Strathclyde. He is also Chair at Pebl Services Ltd and lives in London.

Reappointment

This reappointment will be for 4 years and will run from 1 September 2026 until 31 August 2030.

This reappointment is regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

The reappointment is part-time, with a time commitment of twelve days per annum. Appointments to the National Museums Scotland Board are not remunerated.

Other ministerial appointments

Stephen Gordon-Dando 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.   

Stephen Gordon-Dando has had no political activity within the last five years.

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. It is a Scottish Charity (no. SC 011130) and a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) sponsored and supported through Grant-in-Aid by the Scottish Government, and governed by an independent Board of Trustees. It receives around £25 million of Scottish Government funding annually. 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.