FOOD STANDARDS - Key Persons
Job Titles:
- Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee
- Finance Director
- Member of the Board
Aileen Brown has held Finance Director positions in a diverse range of sectors working with multi-disciplinary leadership teams. She had executive oversight of other disciplines such as HR, IT, legal, risk, compliance, and a detailed understanding of governance from working in regulated businesses, and as an auditor and risk management consultant at Ernst & Young.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chair of the Board
- Member of the Board
Alban Denton was appointed as Deputy Chair of the Board in April 2023. He has been involved in many of Scotland's food businesses over the past 30 years and has held a range of Director and Managing Director roles in Kettle Produce, Grampian Food Group, Eden Esk Group, Warburton's and, until he recently retired, he was the Managing Director of Loch Duart, one of Scotland's salmon farmers. Alban was also a Director of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation and Chair of Scottish Quality Salmon.
Christina Bichan has over 20 years' experience within the public sector, working both in a remote and rural island location and at a national level. With a Masters degree in Public Health and experience of leading performance, planning, quality improvement and governance functions within the NHS, Christina is based in Orkney and involved in a family owned food business. Her interest lies in protecting and improving people's health and wellbeing, and in the sustainability of remote and rural communities.
Job Titles:
- Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor
As Chief Scientific Advisor, Professor David Gally is responsible for providing expert advice on the development of our science and evidence strategy. In addition, he also delivers assurance and governance over procedures for commissioning and evaluating research, risk analysis and public health advice.
David joined Food Standards Scotland in January 2021, bringing more than 20 years of scientific research experience to the organisation, with a particular focus on foodborne infections. His background is in microbiology, focusing on bacterial physiology for his PhD and first Post Doctoral position at the University of Michigan, before moving into gene regulation during a second Post Doctoral post in North Carolina. David then returned to the UK, supported by an MRC Career Development Fellowship focused on the regulation of fimbrial adhesins in E. coli. He has contributed to more than 100 publications in his academic career to date.
David has held a Personal Chair in Microbial Genetics at The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, since 2006. He currently leads a British and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) Institute Strategic Programme on the Control of Infectious Diseases in Livestock at The Roslin Institute.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Board
- Registered Dietitian With a
Dr Paula Charlesworth is a registered dietitian with a PhD in nutrition and physiology. She has worked in frontline NHS services, research and academia and brings regulatory experience, having served terms as a professional partner for the Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service, sitting on their Fitness to Practise, Investigatory Committee and Appeals Panels. Dr Charlesworth is currently a lay member and director of the Scottish Solicitors Discipline Tribunal and Lead Visitor for the Health and Care Professions Council, Education and Training Committee, reviewing academic programmes for education providers.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit and Risk Committee
- Member of the Board
Dr. Carol Evans has over 20 years' experience of strategic leadership, organisational development, leading and driving transformational change. She worked at a strategic level in AstraZeneca, Kellogg's, PepsiCo, Reckitt Benckiser, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, a national start up and currently Bield Housing and Care.
Within her senior European roles in PepsiCo and Kellogg's she was instrumental in improving food quality and re-design across Europe. With her combined chemistry/biochemistry PhD, food industry experience and 10 years' pharmaceutical experience and personal research, she understands food components, additives, and their effect on the body.
Her present commitments include non-executive roles at Skills Development Scotland and Accounts Commission for Scotland, along with her chairmanship at Friends of Cedarbank Charity. Previously she was a member of pharmacy and health related boards and government advisory groups and supported the development of regulations, policies, and procedures nationally. As a member of global executive teams, she has been responsible for audit, risk, finance and ensuring the highest standards of corporate governance, compliance, and performance improvement.
Job Titles:
- Director of Corporate Services
- Member of the Senior Management Team
As Director of Corporate Services, Garry has overall responsibility for FSS's Comms and Marketing, Corporate Support, Digital Transformation, Finance and Procurement and HR functions.
Garry joined FSS in April 2021 as the Head of Governance and Infrastructure. This role primarily has oversight and responsibility for Organisational Finance, Human Resources and Corporate Support. Prior to joining FSS, he worked in policing for 30 plus years, having been the Head of CID, Local Policing Commander with his final posting being National Policing Commander for Police Scotland with responsibility, management and leadership of Police Officers and Police staff across Scotland.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Director of Policy and Science
As Head of Food Safety and Standards Policy, Garry oversees our regulatory policy function which covers all aspects of food and feed safety and hygiene policy, general food law, official food and feed and import controls as well as relevant matters relating to food labelling, standards and regulated products.
Garry's most recent role as interim Director of Policy, Science, Finance and HR meant he was responsible for our food safety, nutrition and regulatory policy as well as maintaining responsibility for finance and HR. He also acted as the Senior Responsible Officer for delivery of our EU Exit and Nutrition programmes.
Prior to this, he was the FSS Corporate Services Director a role which gave him overall responsibility in the development of Corporate Services for Food Standards Scotland, including securing the governance arrangements after the transfer of functions from when we were the Food Standards Agency in Scotland.
Garry's earlier career began in the Ministry of Defence in Westminster where he undertook a variety of different roles including project management, procurement, finance and business planning. He then moved to Scotland and was appointed as Head of Corporate Services in 2008 with the Food Standards Agency in Scotland.
Job Titles:
- Chief Executive
- Member of the Senior Management Team
FSS staff are led by a Chief Executive and Senior Management Team.
Geoff Ogle was Director, Scotland for the Food Standards Agency from June 2014 to March 2015. Geoff has been a civil servant since 1984 and within that time has undertaken a variety of posts including policy, programme and operational work. His roles have included being Private Secretary to the Child Support Agency (CSA) Chief Executive and both Head of External Relations and Head of Internal Communications in the CSA.
He moved in March 2002 to the Pension Service in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), where he was a Pension Centre Manager and then Head of the International Pension Centre. Geoff joined the Food Standards Agency (FSA) in December 2008 as Head of GB Field Operations where he improved performance significantly, and was the Senior Investigating Officer during the horsemeat incident from February to May 2013.
He became the FSA's Acting Director, Wales from May 2013 to February 2014, and was then Portfolio Director until he took his post as the Food Standards Agency's Scotland Director in June 2014.
Job Titles:
- Chairman
- Member of the Chair of the Board
- Chairman of Food Standards Scotland
Heather Kelman has been Chair of Food Standards Scotland (FSS) since April 2022 and a member of the FSS Board since it was established in April 2015. Heather was a member of the FSS Audit and Risk Committee from April 2020 to March 2022 and has been a member of the Nutrition Programme Board since July 2018.
Heather has 40 years' experience of working in the public sector, the first 10 years as a dietitian, then as a strategic planner and senior manager within the NHS. Heather worked closely with Scottish Government and other Stakeholders on several health policy issues including the development of the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 and Healthcare Associated Infection.
Health protection, promoting positive health and wellbeing and addressing health inequalities were a particular focus throughout her career.
Heather's childhood in Scotland was closely associated with food manufacture, retail and agriculture and she continues to have a strong interest in these, alongside protecting the environment and doing conservation work.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Executive
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Deputy Chief Executive & Director of Policy, Science and Operations at Food Standards Scotland
As Deputy Chief Executive & Director of Policy, Science and Operations at Food Standards Scotland, Ian oversees food and feed official controls delivery and policy, FSS science teams, local authority enforcement, incident and intelligence response, veterinary audit and technical advice. He also has overall responsibility for food premises approvals, shellfish controls including service level agreement, contract and performance management and wine standards.
Ian joined the Food Standards Agency in 2009 leading on the creation of the Operations Directorate which brought the Meat Hygiene Service and Food Standards Agency together. He then led the Operations team in Scotland from 2012, working closely with Scottish Government to create Food Standards Scotland.
Ian worked with Environmental & Consumer Protection Services from 1990 until 2003 where he led a multi-disciplinary team delivering official controls in food, health and safety, environmental protection and public health.
Job Titles:
- Deputy Chief Executive
- Member of the Senior Management Team
- Keeper of the Quaich
- Laird - Deputy Chief Executive
As Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Strategy, Communications and Programmes at Food Standards Scotland, Julie oversees the delivery of our regulatory strategy, nutrition and digital programmes. She also has overall responsibility for audit assurance, nutrition policy, marketing and communications, governance and infrastructure, including HR, finance and Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Julie joined Food Standards Scotland in November 2020 following a career in business representation, most recently in iconic Scottish food and drink sectors. Immediately prior to joining FSS she was Chief Executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers' Association, bringing more than 20 years' experience in advocacy, government, public and regulatory relations to the organisation.
Julie previously spent over 12 years in the Scotch Whisky Association, latterly as interim CEO.
In her earlier career she held roles in the Chemical Industries Association, building relationships in the Scottish Parliament and with other stakeholders as well as working in London for the CBI and in the newly-privatised water industry on a technical portfolio and industry customer-facing and policy campaigns.
Julie is a Keeper of the Quaich and passionate about driving excellence in Scotland's food and drink and how it is farmed, caught, processed, packaged, marketed and sold.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit and Risk Committee
- Member of the Board
- Finance and Business Committee
Kate Richards has breadth and depth of experience of agriculture and food production in the public and private sectors. A farm vet in Aberdeenshire, she was also an Official Veterinarian to the Grampian Country Food Group and other commercial businesses. Leaving clinical practice, Kate provided advice on livestock health to the UK subsidiary of a global pharmaceutical company before joining Defra as a farm animal welfare veterinary advisor where she was promoted to Scientific Secretary to SEAC, the scientific advisory committee formed in response to the growing BSE crisis. As well as veterinary expertise, Kate has extensive experience of communications and stakeholder engagement through her work in five Whitehall departments and as a Council member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the veterinary regulator, and elected RCVS President 2021/22. Kate is a Non-Executive Director of the Scottish Agriculture College (SAC), Commercial and the Moredun Research Institute Boards and has a passion for building connections and disseminating veterinary expertise for the benefit of public, as well as animal, health and welfare.
The Board has established Finance and Business Committee (FBC) as a Committee of the Board to give appropriate high-level oversight of financial and operational matters at Board level and support the translation of policy into effective results through a process of constructive challenge.
Job Titles:
- Member of the Audit and Risk Committee
- Member of the Board
Phillip Couser MBE has worked at senior levels in the NHS in Scotland since 2013 and is currently a non-executive director on the Board of NHS Lanarkshire. Until July 2021 he was the Director of Data Driven Innovation in Public Health Scotland (PHS) and prior to this he was Director for Public Health and Intelligence in NHS National Services Scotland. From both of these roles he brings a strong interest in public health and a passion for data driven and digitally enabled transformation. Phillip's NHS career started in 2008, gaining experience working in the Northeast of England and London. Prior to this, Phillip had an Army career, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. Highlights included regimental command and the award of an MBE for leadership in national logistic planning for operations in Afghanistan and Iraq.