Ruth Parsons, Chief Executive of Historic Scotland (HS), has provided an update on their Senior Management Team (SMT) and the agency’s performance, announcing also development of a new corporate plan, in which ‘creative’ approaches to conservation currently feature.
Ruth Parsons writes:
As you may have already heard, the Senior Management Team at Historic Scotland has introduced a new organisational structure, after conducting a review of the agency’s business model and management structure.
I am writing to share with you some of key changes to our senior team and to let you know how we will be engaging with the heritage sector in the coming months.
As part of the new structure, we have introduced the post of Chief Operating Officer and I am delighted to announce that Ian Walford has been appointed to this position. Ian’s role will be to take on much of the day-to-day business of the agency. This will allow me to take on a more corporate and strategic role in representing Historic Scotland within the heritage sector.
Ian has been joined on the agency’s Senior Management Team by several other new appointments and the attached information sheet will fill you in on the new names and faces. The revised business model places Historic Scotland in a better position to deliver our key priority of championing the historic environment, while making a strong contribution to Scotland’s key economic sectors of construction and tourism. It will also provide us with an opportunity to further develop our relationship with our stakeholders, customers and partners in the months ahead.
We are currently developing our new corporate plan for 2012 – 2015 and will be holding discussions with our key stakeholders and the sector more broadly to gain feedback and input into this. And following on from last year’s successful heritage convention, we will again be bringing together experts and specialists from across Scottish heritage at a conference in early 2012.
This year has seen us complete one major project, the £12m refurbishment of the royal palace at Stirling Castle. Now, we start another landmark project in partnership with the National Trust for Scotland to build a new £8.7m visitor centre at the site of the Battle of Bannockburn in time for 2014, the 700th anniversary of the battle and the second Year of Homecoming.
We will also be taking forward the Traditional Skills Strategy for the Scottish Government, which will include recruiting 30 additional apprentices over the next three years. We will continue to lead the way in documenting some of the world’s leading heritage sites via the Scottish 10 project.
The attached holds information on our new-look Senior Management Team. I hope you find this useful and informative. I’d be grateful if you would share this information with the colleagues in your organisation and I would be very happy to speak to you about this if that would be helpful.
I look forward to working with you in the future.
Download the ‘organogram’ of HS’s new organisational structure here: LINK
Download the pdf of the new Senior Management team here: LINK
For further detail on the directorate see: LINK
