Simon Skinner, chief executive of the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) – Scotland’s biggest conservation charity – has said he believes it is almost inevitable that it will merge with the newly created heritage charity and public body Historic Environment Scotland (HES), because ‘If you go to an industry analogy, you have back offices we both run, payroll systems, we have conservators, they have conservators.’
NTS chief executive Simon Skinner, who was appointed in 2015 with a ‘reform’ agenda, has admitted the charity ‘occupies the same space’ as Historic Environment Scotland (HES), which describes itself as ‘the lead public body set up to investigate, care for and promote Scotland’s historic environment’.
Skinner, who holds an MBA and was previously Chief Executive of Aegon Ireland Plc, after serving in a succession of senior leadership posts within the wider Aegon UK group of pension, insurance and investment businesses, said the bodies have a ‘shared agenda’ and referring to a possible merger, said: ‘Over time, it is almost inevitable. The same space is being occupied and we need to look at that.’
He added: ‘I think elements of it could come together. I don’t see why you wouldn’t. If you go to an industry analogy, you have back offices we both run, payroll systems, we have conservators, they have conservators.’
A spokesman for HES said there are no plans to merge the two bodies: ‘We have a strong working relationship with colleagues at the National Trust for Scotland on a wide range of matters, such as the current Jacobites campaign and helping to manage and highlight world heritage sites such as St Kilda. However, there are no proposals to change the nature of that relationship.’
Read more at Third Force News
