The Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Ms Somerville, has announced the reappointment of Kirsten Howie and William Maxwell as Members of the Scottish Charity Regulator.

Members

Kirsten Howie has worked in leadership and fundraising roles within the charitable sector for 20 years. Her roles have ranged across the disability and arts sectors, in organisations of varied scale and scope. Currently working at the University of Stirling, Kirsten is also proud to have contributed as a board member to a charity in her area. She is passionate about our vibrant charitable sector, and the role it can play in supporting people and places to thrive in a flourishing Scotland.

William Maxwell has extensive experience of leading regulation, quality assurance and public sector reform, gained in Scotland and beyond. After an initial career as an educational psychologist, Bill joined the Scottish Education Inspectorate in 1994. Following a range of roles and a secondment to the Scottish Government, he was appointed to head up the Welsh education inspectorate in 2008, returning to Scotland as HM Senior Chief Inspector of Education for Scotland in 2010. Shortly thereafter, he was appointed to lead the creation of Education Scotland, a new type of public service improvement agency which combined regulation and inspection with a wider range of services to promote improvement and the effective delivery of the Government’s major reform programmes in education. Bill retired from Education Scotland in 2017 and is now consulting on education quality assurance, including undertaking commissions for the European Commission and the OECD. He is a member of the Board of the Care Inspectorate, a Director of the High School of Dundee and a member of the British Council's Advisory Committee for Scotland.

Reappointment

These reappointments will be for four years and will run from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2029

These reappointments are regulated by the Ethical Standards Commissioner.

Remuneration

These reappointments are part-time and attract a remuneration of £224.46 per day for a time commitment of two days per month.

Other ministerial appointments

William Maxwell is a Member of the Care Inspectorate, for which he receives remuneration of £174.50 per day, for a time commitment of two days per month.

Kirsten Howie 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.   

Kirsten Howie and William Maxwell have had no political activity within the last five years.

Background

The Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) is a Non-Ministerial Office and part of the Scottish Administration following commencement of the Charities and Trustee Investment (Scotland) Act 2005.

They are the independent regulator and registrar for around 25,000 Scottish charities including community groups, religious charities, schools, universities, grant-giving charities and major care providers. Based in Dundee they have around 50 members of staff. Their work as Regulator ultimately supports public confidence in charities and their work.

OSCR's general functions are set out in the 2005 Act:

1. to determine whether bodies are charities,
2. to keep a public register of charities,
3. to encourage, facilitate and monitor compliance by charities with the provisions of this Act,
4. to identify and investigate apparent misconduct in the administration of charities and to take remedial or protective action in relation to such misconduct, and
5. to give information or advice, or to make proposals, to the Scottish Ministers on matters relating to OSCR's functions.